Ahoy Algae!

Posted on October 11, 2019


Harvesting Boat

The Department of Public Works has contracted Solitude Lake Management to help the City implement sustainable lagoon management in maintaining our lagoons. After many years of drought, followed by two years of heavy rains, the City lagoons and a majority of the lakes, ponds, and shorelines along the California coast have been inundated with Blue-green algae. Blue-green algae is a type of bacteria that is normally present in many lakes. It thrives in warm, nutrient-rich water, allowing bacteria to grow quickly, thus forming “blooms.” To combat the increased growth, the City has begun harvesting the algae from lagoons using a harvesting boat as an alternative to using herbicides, which is toxic to ecological life.

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