While invasive zebra mussels consume small plant-like organisms called phytoplankton, Michigan State University researchers discovered during a long-term study that zebra mussels can actually increase Microcystis, a type of phytoplankton known as “blue-green algae” or cyanobacteria, that forms harmful floating blooms. Zebra mussels can filter out the Microcystis with other particles, but then they spit
A national environmental organization labeled the Raccoon River one of the country’s most endangered because of toxic algae and nitrates. Des Moines Water Works called it a “catastrophe,” as the Raccoon is the major source for drinking water for a half-million Iowans. Des Moines Water Works, after dumping as much as $250,000 a year into
All the things that go down the drain and end up at the waste water treatment plant are not removed there. Some of the industrial byproducts that end up in sewers, the agricultural chemicals that runoff farmland, and pharmaceuticals that pass through our bodies all can end up in our streams and lakes. Water treatment
Trapa natans is native to Western Europe and Africa and northeast Asia, including eastern Russia, China, and southeast Asia to Indonesia. Trapa natans was first introduced to North America in the mid- to late-1870s, when it is known to have been introduced into the Cambridge botanical garden at Harvard University around 1877. A decade later
What is Harvesting? Operational Considerations for your lake. Expected Results from a Weed Harvesting Program. Most aquatic plant harvesting systems will cut and remove submersed plants to a depth of five or six feet. As this biomass is removed from the lake, the water is immediately ready for use and there are no restrictions on
It goes without saying that naval officers are interested in water. But officers from around the world got a brand-new view of water issues and solutions during a visit to the Global Water Center in Milwaukee. The visit was part of the Naval Staff College professional development program at the U.S. Naval War College in
WISN met with our team at Aquarius Systems as well as visiting the Lake Beulah Management District to see these amazing machines that are “Made in Wisconsin”. According to Jane Dauffenbach, President of Aquarius Systems, at the factory in North Prairie they make metal float. The raw material comes in and the talented staff bend
The Environmental Protection Agency has determined that the endocrine-disrupting pesticide atrazine and cancer-linked pesticide glyphosate are each likely to harm more than 1,000 of the nation’s most endangered plants and animals. These chemical poisons are causing severe harm to imperiled wildlife since U.S. use exceeds 70 million pounds of atrazine and 300 million pounds of
Starry stonewort was first discovered in Minnesota waters in Lake Koronis in 2015. It’s now found in 19 Minnesota waterbodies. Lake Koronis is helping researchers understand how a changing climate may influence this invasive and how we can better manage it. Overall, the research showed year-to-year variability in the total biomass of starry stonewort. There
Lake managers might be hurting native aquatic plants – instead of helping them – when they use chemicals to control invasive plants on entire lakes. New research by Wisconsin DNR Lakes and River Team Leader Dr. Alison Mikulyuk shows native plant communities can struggle when chemicals are used to target invasive Eurasian watermilfoil. It appears