Category: Algae

Algae

April 1, 2026 3 min read

Can Barley Straw Prevent Lagoon Algae?

Can Barley Straw Really Prevent Lagoon Algae Growth? How Does it Work? Barley straw is a time-tested, low-cost method for reducing nuisance algae in wastewater lagoons, ponds, and other surface water bodies. While it may sound like folk science, there’s real research behind how it works—and when applied correctly, it can be a useful tool […]

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Algae

May 11, 2023 4 min read

What color is your wastewater lagoon?

What water and algae colors reveal about your wastewater lagoon’s health Although regular and accurate sampling is critical for wastewater lagoon operators, you can tell a lot about a lagoon’s health and the quality of treatment you’re getting with a visual check of water and algae color. In this article, we’ll describe the characteristics of […]

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Algae

August 10, 2022 5 min read

Lagoon Water Fleas as Indicator Organisms: About Daphnia

What are Lagoon Water Fleas? https://youtu.be/9IS_t99jdRs Daphnia pulex, although often called water fleas, are actually freshwater crustaceans closely related to shrimp. They take their nickname from the way they propel themselves through the water, which resembles the hop of a flea. Daphnia, the most common microscopic crustacean, can be visible to the naked eye, with […]

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Algae

August 3, 2022 7 min read

Lagoon Algae Prevention and Treatment: Strategies and Methods

Summertime is boom time for algae due to the warm temperatures, abundant sunlight, and high nutrient loads. Excessive algal blooms in wastewater lagoons cause treatment deficiencies, so it’s a good time to look at some of the options for lagoon algae prevention and treatment. Why is lagoon algae a problem? Algal blooms in a wastewater lagoon, […]

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Algae

June 29, 2022 5 min read

Lagoon Cyanobacteria: The Blue-Green Algae Blooms of Summer

Lagoon cyanobacteria can cause a thick scum on the surface of the water and nasty odors. During the summer, the combination of sunlight, warm water temperatures, high nutrient loads, and predation by higher life forms like Daphnia and rotifers can lead to rampant algal growth, or blooms. Cyanobacteria are classified by the EPA as harmful algal blooms, or […]

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Algae

April 6, 2020 7 min read

Green Stuff: The Biology of Algae and Duckweed Q&A

We hope you were able to attend our free lagoon webinar on the biology of algae and duckweed. If not, it’s available to watch at your convenience on our YouTube channel (linked below) or through our Lagooniversity portal. Webinar attendees posed a bunch of great questions during the Q&A session. Following are the some of […]

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Algae

June 12, 2017 4 min read

LDIB-TV: Controlling Lagoon Algae and Duckweed with Aquafix

Lagoon algae and duckweed are among our most covered topics, and no wonder–both are common in lagoon systems, especially during the summer. In this episode of Lagoons Do It Better TV, we revisit the topic from new angle: how these growths can be controlled with lagoon additives like algaecides, bacteria, and catalysts. In this video, lagoon specialist […]

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Algae

May 8, 2017 5 min read

Lagoon TSS to BOD5: A Simple Ratio to Diagnose the Source of Problems

Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Total Suspended Solids, or TSS, are standard testing parameters for wastewater lagoons. The ratio between the two numbers can provide valuable insight into the source of the TSS. In this article, we’ll take a look at what the ratio of lagoon TSS to BOD5 in final effluent reveals about the source of […]

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Algae

August 4, 2016 6 min read

Wastewater Lagoon Blue-Green Algae: The Harm of HABs

We talk about algae a lot, because with wastewater lagoons, algae just comes with the territory. In facultative and stabilization lagoons, algae provide free oxygen to fuel aerobic BOD-consuming bacteria and higher life forms. Even in a properly mixed and aerated lagoon, algae may be present in small amounts during the hottest summer months. In summer, the combination […]

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Algae

March 5, 2015 3 min read

Troubleshooting High Wastewater Pond TSS

Total Suspended Solids, or TSS, is a standard testing parameter for wastewater pond or lagoon operators. Effluent TSS is a measurement of the amount of solid material that is escaping with the wastewater pond or lagoon effluent, and is a valuable indicator of the quality of treatment. In this article, we’ll outline methods for diagnosing […]

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Algae

August 9, 2013 4 min read

Wastewater Lagoon Algae Control in the Summer

The dog days of summer have arrived in dramatic fashion. The heat wave of the past few weeks spanned nearly the entire country. This weather can not only have adverse affects on our comfort, perspiration, and electric bills, it can also negatively affect wastewater treatment lagoons. We at Triplepoint thought it would be helpful to […]

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