Continuing saga of the Cornell Woods Pond: I speak for the trees.

Friday 4/3/2021 (8 am)

I heard last night that the surface of the pond was covered with bubbles, so I visited first thing this morning. I arrived before the fountain came on. There was a gentle rain falling and lots of geese poop on the slope of the pond adjacent to the sidewalk (hint all: source of phosphorus and nitrogen). 

The pond was indeed covered with small bubbles.

The color of the pond has changed significantly since it was treated. While it was green, the water was clear and there were no bubbles on the surface. This photo was taken on 4/15/2020, about a week before the chemical treatment.

Back to the pond this morning (4/30/2021); the aerator came on around 8:05 am. You can see the bubbles forming around the fountain and spreading out across the pond. The inert ingredients in the pesticide formulations are surfactants (soap is a surfactant) so the bubbles are not unexpected.

In my opinion, the treatments have not improved the condition of the pond. Instead it is now grey-brown and turbid. We've threatened the plants and invertebrates and have not dealt with the problem: excessive phosphorus and nitrogen.  The pond is connected with a wetland and should be protected under the CWA Part 303. If we want to deal with the algae, we need to control the inputs. This can be done by planting a buffer zone along the periphery using native plants to absorb the nitrogen and phosphorus. We can also stop fertilizing around the pond. Now for the geese poop, I'm not sure that there is much that can be done, although the buffer zone would help with that.

And so I will continue to speak for the trees, the frogs, the birds, the plants, and the invertebrates. I speak for them for they have no tongues. (from The Lorax, Dr. Seuss)