Since a toxic algal bloom left hundreds of thousands of Toledo-area residents without safe drinking water in 2014, scientists have been working to curb the yearly threat.
The state has funded efforts to restore wetlands and reduce fertilizer runoff from farmlands.
A nonprofit is installing tanks to stop phosphorus from infiltrating waterways.
And now, researchers have developed another tool to prevent the blooms: a system of algae-busting buoys.
How do the buoys work?
“The idea of these buoys is that they can be set up early in the bloom season before the bloom really develops,” said Yakov Lapitsky, a professor and chair of the University of Toledo’s Department of Chemical Engineering.
Then, the buoys slowly release algaecide through a soft layer of gel. It’s designed to let the chemicals out continuously without letting water in, controlling the blooms before they ever fully form.
Lapitsky says the technology offers a cost-effective, less time-consuming alternative to manually applying algaecide to affected bodies of water.
“So instead of having applicators come out and apply algaecide as frequently as once twice a week, you can set up that buoy and then leave it for a month or two before having to worry about reloading the buoys with algaecide and applying further treatment,” he explained.
When will they be bobbing on Ohio ponds?
Lapitsky’s team has tested the buoys in a lab setting using Lake Erie water and in a pond as well. But he says more research is needed before they can be used commercially.
“One concern that we have is getting the dose just right,” he said. “We need to make sure that we're releasing the algaecide at the best rates in a way that would minimize any side effects to non-target organisms.”
Plus, his team also wants to study whether the cyanobacteria could become resistant to algaecides with the steady, continuous exposure.
But with further study, he’s hopeful the tool could be used to control algal blooms everywhere from small ponds and drinking water reservoirs to fountains and household aquariums.
