Dredge Helps Improve Water Quality in North Dakota Lake

Problem: Outbreaks of blue-green algae in a 1,616-acre natural lake created a call to action in Powers Lake, North Dakota. The water analysis measured the lake as hyper-eutrophic. Meeting state water quality standards required reducing nutrient loads to Powers Lake by 75% and nutrient cycling within the lake by 50%. Solution: Agricultural producers adopted soil and water conservation Best Management Practices. Data showed that their efforts significantly reduced nutrient loadings to the lake, but blue-green algae blooms continued. In 2015, the city bought a SRS Crisafulli Rotomite hydraulic dredge. For seven seasons it has been used to dredge nutrient-heavy sediments from