Upper Klamath Lake Eutrophication Prevention

Duckweed as indicator of high orthophosphate levels

Everyone has noticed the algae that forms on top of water. Once nutrients in the water reach a high level, it triggers a bloom of cyanobacteria growth, releasing toxins and utilizing dissolved oxygen in the water. As you would expect, fish struggle in this bloom environment and it’s harmful to the entire interconnected wetland ecosystem. To remedy this, US Fish and Wildlife has teamed up with Biological Carbon and local farmers to utilize engineered biochar to sequester the nutrients that cause algae blooms.

In Phase 2 of a US Fish and Wildlife Grant in Upper Klamath Lake, we have been field testing our engineered biochar, specifically designed to remove orthophosphate from lake water. This is an exciting set of trials as we scale up our lab tests and allow the char to respond to the demands of the real world. We are pleased to report that our test results demonstrate that our biochar removes orthophosphate and metals from the water remarkably well, to levels below EPA standards. Also, our product is non-toxic to produce and non-toxic when deployed into sensitive ecosystems.

This project has been a joy to build. Below is a gallery of images showing the deployment from our facility in Philomath, OR to the shores of Upper Klamath Lake.