Over 20 years ago, we noticed our local pond was starting to turn green. There was a mysterious green slime that with more research turned out to be cyanobacteria. The problem got worse every year. We felt helpless and sad looking out over the once beautiful pond which came to resemble something like the toxic waste pits in movies during July and August. We could no longer swim or even enjoy sitting on the dock. Doing nothing was no longer an option...

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We had to do something...so we hit the books. We learned more about cyanobacteria and studied the hydrology of our watershed. Cyanobacteria is caused by excess nutrients which flow in from soil. Farms, golf courses, and septic systems all contribute nutrients. We didn't want to disturb our neighboring farms or golf courses because we like cheese and meat, and we also love to play golf. Replacing every septic with a sewage connection was also not feasible nor would it solve the problem, so we started looking for other options. 

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In the US, much of the focus is on reducing the inflow or masking the problem. Chemicals (e.g. alum or copper sulfate) and dredging are costly and potentially harmful to habitants. Few solutions seemed to target the root of the problem: excess nutrients dissolved in the water and sediment. In New England, the water in lakes and ponds flips twice per year as the surface water heats up which stirs up nutrient rich sediment. While we need to address the inflow of nutrients, we also realized there are nutrients dissolved in the water. How can we take nutrients out of the water? We scoured the globe for solutions and then realized it's actually pretty simple. 

 

Plant's need nutrients to grow. Some plants can take nutrients directly from the water column (hydroponic growing). Certain plants are also really good at taking large amounts of nutrients and other weird stuff (heavy metals, etc.) out of the water, and are non-invasive. When these plants are affixed to temporary floats designed with inert grow medium, they act as an all natural vacuum and take nutrients directly from the water. The overall concentration of nutrients goes down and water quality improves.

(For most lakes and ponds, you don't have to take out all that many nutrients to hit the tipping point and eliminate cyanobacteria.) As you approach the tipping, water quality improves dramatically.   

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It actually works!!! Shockingly well, and there are volumes of scientific literature to support its efficacy.

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At Fresh Lake Solutions we know clean water is a human right. Water contaminated with excess nutrients is an opportunity to restore balance. Our kits provide a solution without adding more harmful chemicals, which in the end, cause the same reoccurring problems. 

Plants act as mother nature's vacuum and soak up excess nutrients in the water to help restore the balance and create clean, fresh water. Naturally.