What is An Alum Treatment?
An Alum Treatment is a scientifically designed treatment that helps restore the lake’s natural chemical balance and prevent algae blooms.
HAB Aquatic Solutions barge conducting alum treatment May 2021.
Why is this important?
In conducting a year of research with scientists, it was found that Georges Pond had an excessive amount of phosphorus, which was a major factor in contributing to our algae blooms. Doing an alum treatment was recommended as a solution to inactivate phosphorus already in the water and at the bottom of the lake.
Other projects like LakeSmart, the 319 Grant, Road Associations, and Septic Systems will help address the phosphorus being added each year. We hope that these combined efforts will prevent future algae blooms and maintain water clarity for the next two decades or more.
How you can help
Join LakeSmart and help us keep Georges Pond clean.
Volunteer to be a Water Monitor, or participate in one of our other projects.
Technical Information
Aluminum sulfate is added to the water in order to bind with the excessive phosphorus in the water, producing a non-toxic sediment (or floc) that sinks to the lake’s bottom.
The GPA selected HAB Aquatic Solutions, based in Lincoln, Nebraska, to conduct its first alum treatment in 2020 and its second treatment in 2021.
As recommended by the GPA’s team of water-quality scientists, the treatment covered all areas of Georges Pond deeper than 5 meters, which means approximately 131 of the pond’s 358 acres.
The 2020 initial treatment was a dosage of 25 g/m2; the second treatment was a dosage of 20 g/m2, for a total dosage of 45 g/m2.
When properly applied in the correct dosage and location by water-quality experts, aluminum poses little risk to humans, plants, fish, or birds.