07/15/2012
'Scummer of Love' was my civic project to help reduce the effects of the Phosphate pollution in Lake Menomin, Menomonie, WI. This project has completed it's first year of operation and had shown phenomenal success. The project arose because of the incredible horrific odor caused by the decay of algae bloom in the backwater areas of the lake. I invented and manufactured a 'machine' that could go into those backwater areas and collect the algal bloom and remove it from the lake. This machine, called a "scummer" gently removed the algal bloom without disturbing the plant growth or any other aquatic life. By removing the algal accumulation (scum) in these areas, I could prevent the scum from depositing itself on the bottom of the lake, filling in the area and helping to preserving the depth necessary to continue water flow.
While other means do nothing to stop the cycle of phosphate introduction to the lake, my method actually removed the absorbed phosphate and the dead algae. Killing the algae using algaecides and biocides really do nothing but turn the never ending circle of growth and death into an ellipse, shortening the life cycle, but still allowing the algae and absorbed phosphates to remain within the lake environment. My method, like these other attempts, will not create a clean lake environment. That will only happen through a concerted effort of attack from all sides and over a long period of time. My method does do several things, removes the scum from the lake so it doesn't become a smelly and biologic environmental hazard and helps to allow sunlight to reach into the water which helps plant growth to prevent de-oxygenation of the water preventing fish kill.
