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MWRA to launch boat in Chestnut Hill Reservoir to fight algae
By adamg on Mon, 05/18/2015 - 6:00pm
The MWRA plans to launch a boat in the Chestnut Hill Reservoir this week to apply a non-toxic chemical that could curb one of the nutrient sources for the toxic blue-green algae infesting the water supply.
MWRA Executive Director Fred Laskey explains in a message to nearby residents:
A low-dose alum treatment will be applied this week to treat the algae. Alum is aluminum sulfate, which is a non-toxic material commonly used in drinking water treatment plants to improve clarity. It is not harmful to aquatic life or people. Alum binds with the phosphorous to form aluminum hydroxide precipitate (or floc). As the floc settles to the bottom, it will remove the phosphorous from the water and lock it up in the sediment. An added benefit is that it will also collect other suspended particles in the water and improve water clarity. Once on the bottom, it will also act as a barrier to prevent phosphorous already in the sediment from cycling back into the water column.
The boat will be launched from a crane near the Waterworks Museum.
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Comments
Wouldn't a more
Wouldn't a more environmentally friendly thing be to bring in miniature whales or something?
Or sharks with freakin'
Or sharks with freakin' lasers strapped to their heads.
My vote
We get an unmarked Cessna and just have it fly in circles over Chestnut Hill pumping out those sweet, sweet chemtails.
not an active part of the water supply...
it's not actively used, it's only for emergencies. Which means this has zero effect on Boston water.
Looking ahead
That's true, but it's good to know that our back-up supplies are actually monitored and maintained. If something DID happen to the main supply (like that huge disruption a couple years back) I'm happy to know that we'd be drawing water from a well-maintained supply and not some overgrown algae-choked swamp.
You say that now
You sound like someone who didn't live here through Aquapocalypse.
You had the green soup too?
The "emergency" water we had was disgusting. Technically safe to drink if boiled first, but tasted like a swamp and only got worse with boiling it! Showering left a green film detectable with a face cloth on skin. People on warfarin were advised not to drink it, due to possible interactions.
If this approach could have prevented the disgusting emergency water problem, our city would not have had to distribute cases of bottled water in the streets.