Clear Lake's New Hope: Clay Treatment for Algal Blooms

It's April 25th.

This is California News today.

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Clear Lake in California is a natural powerhouse, packing more fish per acre than any other

U.S. Lake and hosting tons of birds and wildlife.

But harmful algal blooms have plagued it for decades, pumping out toxins that sicken

people and animals while killing tourism and recreation.

Here this month, on April 16th, scientists from Sepuro and Utro PHI has launched a state

funded demo right on the water's edge in Lucerne.

They targeted a 400 acre hotspot, with a special clay made from lanthanum modified bentonite.

This stuff sinks to the lake bottom, locks onto excess phosphorus in the sediments, and stops

it from fueling those nasty cyanobacteria blooms.

The blooms hit hard, turning the lake unsafe for swimming, boating, and even as the county's

top drinking water source in summer.

Local leaders like former supervisor Jim Steele, point to ag runoff, and the loss of over

90% of the wetlands, cut off by old levees, as the root causes, letting phosphorus build

up unchecked.

The team samples 66 sites in March to pick the prime spots, and they'll check back in

three months, then a full year to see a phosphorus.

Levels dropped.

If it works, this could scale up lake wide, but officials admit full treatment might run

$200 million over a decade or two, with a pilot already costing $3 million.

Meanwhile, the state's Blue Ribbon Committee is hustling for more state and federal cash

to rebuild wetlands and lock in these fixes.

Clear Lake, North America's Otis, stays vital for the economy and ecosystem.

They're all in on making it thrive again.