The rapid emergence of cyanobacteria and blue-green algae blooms across the United States poses many challenges for aquatic managers. According to the EPA, “Harmful algal blooms are a major environmental problem in all 50 states. Red tides, blue-green algae, and cyanobacteria are examples of harmful algal blooms that can have severe impacts on human health, aquatic ecosystems, and the economy. Algal blooms can be toxic.”

Since harmful algal blooms originate from nutrient pollution in the water, nutrient mitigation is necessary to solve the problem. The costs associated with this process can be unaffordable. This creates a financial dilemma for aquatic managers who are forced to choose between temporary treatment or closure. Fortunately, AgroShield presents an innovative treatment option that reduces cost, saves time, and creates an opportunity for long-term management— VodaGuard.

**(Above) Beechmont Lake before VodaGuard treatment**

**(Above) Beechmont Lake After VodaGuard Treatment**

Aqua Doc’s Lead Aquatic Biologist, Carter Bailey, mentions “Cyanobacteria is a global problem that appears to be worse in freshwater lakes. We just have incredibly limited resources to deal with it. The source of the problem is generally nutrient-related, so nitrogen and phosphorus. Solutions to those problems are often extremely costly. For instance, Aqua Doc uses VodaGuard in a 40-50 acre reservoir. Over the past three years, we've used VodaGuard to keep the lake relatively cyanobacteria-free for about $20,000 a year. The nutrient mitigation process was originally estimated at $1.2 million.”

When blooms are treated with traditional algaecides, the process can end up taking longer and costing more than expected. More often than not, retreatment is necessary to eliminate the entirety of the bloom. The process of retreating a waterbody can inflate costs and cause irreversible damage to the ecosystems and organisms that inhabit it.

To illustrate the difficulty of treatment, Carter Bailey compares treating cyanobacteria blooms to treating a cloud. “It's like treating a cloud in the sky. So historically with most of our traditional algaecides it's very difficult to do. One day you go out and treat cyanobacteria in a lake. Sometimes you'd have success. Sometimes the bloom would just move to another portion of the lake and you wouldn't get control of it. So VodaGuard and floatable products offer a tremendous advantage because they actively move with the surface blooms near the surface.”

AgroShield’s “follow the bloom” technology offers a more efficient and targeted approach than traditional water treatments and is available in two VodaGuard lines. Vodaguard C is a copper sulfate pentahydrate that is very effective on cyanobacteria or blue-green algae. Vodaguard O is sodium bicarbonate that becomes sodium peroxide when introduced to water. This conversion process improves the overall health of the waterbody. Both products follow the bloom for about 24 hours, dissolving as they go and releasing the product at the precise location of the bloom.

The efficacy of VodaGuard is just one of its major differentiators from traditional algaecides. Carter adds, “We have not had a failure with VodaGuard. I think that's the key differentiator versus just time savings. It works, it controls cyanobacteria certainly. And honestly, the biggest time savings is we don't have to go back and retreat.”

In addition to reducing costs and saving time throughout the application process, VodaGuard presents an opportunity for long-term aquatic management. Carter mentions, “Vodaguard would be my primary choice for season-long control. Most of the lakes we're treating have nutrient-based issues. To get long-term control, you have to address that nutrient load. It's nice with VodaGuard because it gives us an option with a customer to be able to come out and say, well, we can do this to get you through the year and then you can start making plans for long-term management.”

By utilizing VodaGuard for treatment, aquatic managers are able to get the support needed to overcome nutrient pollution while saving time and money. VodaGuard can be applied from the shore, jon boat, or alum application vessel without harming aquatic life.

If you are interested in a product sample or learning more about VodaGuard and the benefits it can provide, please visit www.agro-shield.com or call +1 (716) 913-6507 to speak to an expert.