Managing Blue-green algae

Managing Blue Green Algae Blooms.

A case study into managing blue-green algae in water storage bodies using Agri-Tec a proprietary formulation of copper pentahydrate.

Twin Creeks G.C. Course Manager, Darren Turner called Gilba Solutions in 2021 with a water quality issue on a number of his dams. There was an outbreak of algae and he was concerned it might be an issue. After a site visit there was a strong possibility that it was blue-green algae in water and testing confirmed this.

What Is Blue Green Algae.

Algae and blue-green algae, a bacteria called cyanobacteria, are plant-like organisms that live in water. They can quickly form “algae blooms” in surface water and grow out of control.

When an algal bloom occurs, the water becomes murky and may look green to blue-green in colour. You may see scum along the sides of dams when the bloom rises to the water surface. They can also grow in the water column below the surface water, and this can make some algal blooms hard to see.

The blooms may last for a few days to several weeks, and last until conditions in the water body change. When this happens the algae tend to die and decompose.

Some species of blue green algae produce harmful toxins. Conditions that favour ‘toxic blooms’ include sunlight, still or slow-flowing water and high nutrient levels of nitrogen and phosphorus.

What Causes Blue-Green Algae?

​Several factors favour the growth of blue-green algae:

• High levels of phosphorus and nitrogen.
• Increasing water temperature and light; the optimum temperature for many algal species is around 35°C.
• Still or slow-flowing water.
• Ample sunlight.

Under still conditions, there can be an increase in cyanobacteria which forms visible ‘blooms’. These blooms lead to poor water quality and possible toxicity.

Nutrients are either present in sediments or are washed into water bodies. In particular, phosphorus is in large amounts in sediments and released by normal bacterial activity.

On a golf course, fertiliser is the main source of external nitrogen and phosphorus, so if you use slow-release fertilisers, it counters this. Even household products, sewage effluent and stormwater runoff can also be an issue.

Twin Creeks Golf and Country Club is in the beautiful surrounds of Nepean Valley and Australian Golf Digest ranked it number 93 in 2021. It hosted the NSW Open from 2017-2019.

Managing Blue Green Algae.

​Due to the sensitivity of the area it meant that treatment had to have minimal impact on the environment. After looking at several options, a decision as made to treat the dams with Agri-Tec®, a formulation of copper pentahydrate.

The reasons for this were:

• Ease of use. You pour Agritec® into a dam and it self-disperses.
• It has low rates of use.
• It is not toxic to fish.
• You can safely use treated water to irrigate.

The Result with Agritec®.

Within 3 days you could see the algae was affected, and complete control was seen in a week.

Agri-Tec® Overview

Agri-tec is a proprietary copper formulation for the control of algae including blue-green algae in water.

Agri-Tec® is a unique copper-based aquatic algaecide and is for the control of a number of algae species including Chara and Phormidium species. You can use Agritec® in farm dams and ponds, irrigation canals, lakes, and potable water supplies.

Key Features of Agri-Tec®:

• You can apply Agri-Tec® directly to water bodies.
• It is easy to measure out and use.
• Agri-Tec® has very low use rates.
• It works where the algae growth is the greatest.
• Works at high water pH.
• You can use treated water for irrigation.
• It is non-toxic to fish.
• Here are the Agri-Tec Label and Agri-Tec MSDS.
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Buy Agri-Tec.

For aquatic Weed Control use Clipper Aquatic Herbicide.

After treatment with Agri-Tec, all signs of blue-green algae are gone after 7 Days.