The Killarney Lake Action Committee has been delving into technology over the past year to seek out more ways to eradicate blue-green algal blooms from Killarney Lake. Last Friday they installed a new system using nanobubble technology, in partnership with SWAT Water Technology for a 6-month pilot project.
"Our current aeration field system located just south of the Water Treatment Plant was installed 8 years ago and has done wonderfully. We've seen definite improvements in the quality of the water, and we've seen a healthier eco-system all around," shares Committee Chair, Betty Sawatzky. "However, we knew we could do more, it just took some searching."
Committee member Shane Warnez took the lead on finding that solution.
Multiple phone calls and conversations and endless emails with different companies that use today's technology to mitigate algal blooms eventually led to an organization that has projects around the world, with their Canadian office in Alberta.
Warnez found information on nanobubble technology and presented it to his committee.
"This was an investigation of new technology. But it wasn't the only one that we looked at, but it was the one that seemed to be the lowest cost, best for the environment and a really great opportunity for us to try it as a pilot project working with SWAT Water Technologies out of Calgary," he shares.
Earlier in the year Warnez delved into the science of ultra-sonic but that was a costly endeavor and although the effects on the aqua life seemed minimal in the lab, it was still something of concern in a lake setting. It wasn't clear what could happen to fish fry, freshwater shrimp, clams and little bugs and critters in the water when it came to ultra sonic, and the committee didn't want to take that chance. Also, ultra-sonic is deemed an algaecide by the federal government so that could potentially kill the good algae that is the food source for the lake's aqua life.
"We found that the nanobubble technology was the most environmentally friendly and was quite cost-effective," says Warnez.
"Also, we are very familiar with aeration, the process of forcing air through tubing into the water from a unit on shore," he adds. "Nanobubble technology uses the same concept, except these bubbles are very tiny and once they pass through the unit, they become ionized, and thus buoyancy neutral."
The current aeration field system that was installed back in 2018 features 62 micro-bubbler heads that are affixed to tubing laid out in a fan-shape at the bottom of the lake. Air is pushed through the lines via a compressor on shore, sending bubbles up through the water column. Typically, bubbles float to the top, but in the nanobubble system the bubbles remain suspended in the water column due to this ionization process.
"With these tiny, ionized bubbles being buoyancy neutral they remain at the bottom, in the middle and at the top of the water column, thus allowing the bacteria to break down the nutrients at each of these levels. When you break down the nutrients, then you lessen the food source for the cyanobacteria, and thus the number and severity of algal blooms," explains Warnez.
The phosphate overload comes from multiple sources, including the rotting leaves, bullrushes and aqua plants and other deadfall that has been collecting at the bottom of the lake over the past decades.
"And It isn't just deadfall that adds to the nutrient overload in the lake," adds Sawatzky. "When you think about the flocks of geese, ducks, pelicans and gulls that make the lake their home from the spring melt right up to freeze up year after year, they add tons of extra nutrients just through defecation."
The Killarney Lake pilot project is the first of its kind in Manitoba, says Warnez. And it's most certainly a collaborative effort between a number of stakeholders, including SWAT Water Technologies. Upon researching the science behind nano bubblers and having multiple virtual meetings with the Canadian reps of SWAT out of Calgary, the Killarney Lake Action Committee put together a proposal and presented it to their municipal council.
Council loved the idea and upon approval the committee approached the Killarney Foundation for some funding for the extras that were needed for installation and water testing. The Foundation granted just over $7,000 towards the project. The committee also approached the Ag Society for access to their power source at the Ag Grounds, and it was agreed the Ag Society would assume the bill over the course of the pilot project.
"So, this pilot project was a collaborative effort between stakeholders in terms of the investigation, the approvals and the funding and so, we really thank everybody for helping in the way that they did. It's really great to see the community and various community members join us to get this pilot going!" he says.
"So, we do have some minimal costs," adds Warnez, " but the idea is SWAT is going to run it for a period of about 6 months and we're actually going to be able to see the results in the bay," says Warnez. "So again, we want to be able to test the technology in the bay, and if it works then the next step would be to deploy it in the main part of the lake. But this is the first step."
"From what we hear, the bay will get a little bit worse in terms of water quality to start," says Warnez.
"So, the system, we can actually see when it's starting to do its work," he explains. "Within the first few weeks we expect there might be a fair amount of foam develop as a result of the bacteria going to work more aggressively at the bottom of the lake. So that actually is a good thing, but if you look at it aesthetically, it might actually look cloudier and with more foam. It won't be at the point where we want it to be. That'll take more time."
"So, throughout the course of the summer, SWAT Water Technologies expects we'll see considerable water clarity with much reduced algae. But again, this is to be proven real time in the bay, so we'll know if it actually works or not," he adds.
"We're very excited to watch the progression of this new technology," says Betty Sawatzky. "It now has to prove itself to determine whether we'll be pursuing this on a larger scale and if other lakes and water bodies across the province will tap into this kind of system for their own eradication of algal blooms. Time will tell."
The Killarney Lake Action Committee and the Municipality of Killarney-Turtle Mountain received the Partnership Award for their collaborative efforts to restore Killarney Lake to a healthy, vibrant ecosystem at last week's Tribute to Tourism Awards Gala.
(l-r) KLAC members Shane Warnez and Kelvin McMullen with SWAT Water Technology's David Vriend and Jesse Waddell installing the nanobubble unit (photo credit KLAC)