Algae control plan for Lake Okabena presented in Wednesday meeting

A plan for a Sunset Bay Pilot Project that would control and monitor algae in Worthington's Lake Okabena was the subject of a Wednesday meeting of the Okabena-Ocheda-Bella Clean Water Partnership Joint Powers Board.

The primary component of the plan would be the MPC-Buoy, a floating, solar-powered system made by LG Sonic that combines real-time water quality monitoring and ultrasonic sound waves to control algae in lakes and reservoirs. It monitors water quality by collecting parameters on chlorophyll a (green algae), phycocyanin (blue-green algae), pH, turbidity, dissolved oxygen and temperature. 

The collected data is delivered in real time via radio, GPRS or 3G to a web-based software. The ultrasonic program can be modified to specific water conditions and predict an algal bloom a few days ahead. Based on the received information, ultrasonic transmitters are activated and/or optimized to control algae.

Okabena-Ocheda Watershed District Administrator Nathan Schuck explained Wednesday that implementation of the algae control plan currently carries an estimated cost of $795,873. A pilot approach could start with a six-month rental option before significantly more dollars are invested in the effort. Lake Okabena would have 13 algae monitoring units as part of the plan, Schuck said.

Funding sources for the project have been identified as the City of Worthington, Lake Okabena Improvement Association, Nobles Soil and Water Conservation District, Nobles County Environmental Services and the Okabena-Ocheda Watershed District. Worthington City Administrator Steve Robinson encouraged solicitation of private donations, as the city is trying to control expenses as much as it can to keep the tax levy as low as possible.