21 Sep 2023

Field Demonstration of a Peroxide-Based Algaecide for Harmful Algal Bloom Control in Lake Okeechobee

Abstract: Large-scale cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cHABs) in Lake Okeechobee, Florida, and connected waterways routinely impair water resources. This study conducted a field demonstration of a peroxide-based algaecide in 2020 in the Pahokee Marina on Lake Okeechobee to evaluate the algaecide’s suitability for near-future operational implementation. Within minutes of treatment, rapid oxidation of cHAB cells occurred in the form of bleaching and cell lysis. On average, levels in the treatment area decreased by 4 hours after treatment (HAT) and remained low out to 24 HAT: chlorophyll decreased 87%, phycocyanin decreased 85%, total microcystin levels decreased from 50 μg L⁻¹ to 4 μg L⁻¹ at 4 HAT and then increased to 11 μg L⁻¹ by 24 HAT, hydrogen peroxide concentrations averaged 6.1 mg L⁻¹ 0.5 HAT and then dropped below detection limits by 24 HAT, and Microcystis spp. cell densities decreased at 4 HAT in all but four sampling sites. However, inflows of cHAB-infested lake water in some portions of the treatment area resulted in lack of control at these sites. Because of their vulnerability to influxes of cHABs from surrounding nontreated waters via water-exchange processes driven by wind-induced surface currents, future applications must therefore consider treatment area size.