Legacy Phosphorus and Cyanobacteria Blooms in Lake Carmi to Whole-Lake Aeration

Speaker: Ashton Kirol, Master’s student, University of Vermont

Lake Carmi was designated a “Lake in Crisis” by the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources following years of high phosphorus concentrations and cyanobacteria blooms. In 2019, a whole-lake aeration system was installed to suppress legacy phosphorus release from the sediment. Using a combination of high frequency monitoring and sediment/water sampling, the effects of intervention were observed in near real time and used to further inform management strategy over multiple years. While some of the project goals were met, the overall health of the lake was not improved. I will discuss what changes were observed within the lake due to aeration,  why the timing of phosphorus release and bloom activity shifted to earlier in the summer, and future management options.

Ashton Kirol is a Master’s student in geology at the University of Vermont. He studies legacy phosphorus dynamics in shallow eutrophic lakes. Ashton lives in central Vermont by the headwaters of the Winooski River.

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