![]() Steve Lundt, a scientist who sits on the board of the Barr-Milton Watershed Association, has been monitoring the watershed for some 20 years.īeach at Barr Lake, where agencies are working to remove toxic algae. You need nitrates, but you don’t need phosphorous,” Scaggiari said.Īt Barr Lake State Park near Brighton the problem has triggered several efforts to clean up Barr and Milton Reservoir, which are owned by a private irrigation company. “We are trying to get people to use less phosphorous on the grass. It has also spent millions on other treatments such as hydrogen peroxide and alum, which kill certain types of toxin-producing algae and, with alum, weigh the phosphorous down so that it falls to the bottom of the lake and becomes encased in silt and mud.īut the biggest issue, by far, says Sherry Scaggiari, an environmental services manager at Aurora Water, is the increasing amount of phosphorous that finds its way from lawns into stormwater, and then into streams and lakes. ![]() Since then the city has taken the lead on trying new treatment methods, such as installing aeration devices that inject oxygen into the water. The problem surfaced at Aurora’s Quincy Reservoir in 2020. That’s the message from water quality officials and city water utilities this year as the summer lawn and recreation season gears up.Īlgae blooms, long common in the Eastern United States, are becoming more frequent in Colorado lakes and reservoirs as a 20-year mega-drought reduces water levels, 90-plus degree days occur more often, raising water temperatures, and growing numbers of homeowners add phosphorous-laced lawn fertilizers to their grass.īlue-green algae produces toxins that can harm people and pets, and can also create odors and tastes that degrade water quality. AURORA | Read the label on your lawn fertilizer bag and help save your favorite lake or reservoir from those smelly, pea-green algae blooms that shut down summer watering spots for weeks at a time.
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