The Horse Creek Cove of Grand Lake in Oklahoma experiences toxic cyanobacteria blooms that negatively impact lake residents and operations of the Grand River Dam Authority. The surrounding watershed is heavily farmed, and spring rains bring high nitrogen and phosphorus loads, promoting high algal growth in the late spring and early summer. Our team installed a floating solar-powered lake de-stratifier to help prevent Horse Creek Cove from forming a hypoxic hypolimnion (i.e., oxygen-deficient bottom layer) during this critical bloom-forming period, preventing the conditions that promote algae growth. This system and the water quality studies help inform strategies for decentralized and self-powered algae mitigation on large reservoirs.

Environmental Issues and Water Management Track Sponsored by: Trinity Consultants