PROJECT #2: Muddy River Phosphorus Reduction Boom Pilot—Concluded

To continue our cleanup of the Muddy River, the Muddy Water Initiative investigated a product widely and successfully used in Colorado to filter phosphorus out of waterways: EutraSorb©. We designed an innovative new boom system to deploy this technology in a low-cost, minimally invasive way with no toxic byproducts to clean the Muddy River. Phosphorus is a pollutant that is a major contributor to cyanobacteria blooms and red tide in our waterways. The Boom can be thought to resemble a water filter in a goldfish aquarium, but on a different scale and with more sophisticated inputs.

The Phosphorus Reduction Boom was stretched across the Muddy River to filter/adsorb phosphorus out of the river water. Working with Simmons University, we accompanied the deployment of the Boom with a robust water testing program both before and after deployment to measure the system’s efficacy. Although the project provided much baseline data about water quality, ultimately the experiment did not remove significant phosphorus from the river. This pilot project did, however, provide water cleanup data and serve as a pilot for other water cleanup projects along the Muddy River and beyond.

The Phosphorus Boom was placed across the Muddy River at Ipswich Street, where the WATERGOAT Trash Collection Boom is also located. This location was selected because 1) there are no storm water outfalls in the area complicating the testing equation, 2) access to the area is good and we work well with the the DCR, and 3) we already have initial engineering plans within these limits.

The socks filled with EutroSorb© were strung across the 68-foot span of the river. The socks, weighted at the bottom, hung vertically suspended to a cable, allowing aquatic fauna to pass unimpeded. The socks did not touch the bottom of the river. These kinds of socks were also deployed in waterways in Colorado with good results, which made us hopeful for our experiment.

We tested for phosphorus in the Muddy River before and after the deployment of the Phosphorus Reduction Boom. We worked closely with Simmons University. The data we collected was used to ascertain the Boom’s effectiveness in filtering phosphorus out of the river and to provide a baseline of information about the river water, which was compiled in a white paper and analyzed by Professor of Chemistry Emeritus Michael Berger, PhD at Simmons University, a member of the COF Sustainability Forum. Please contact us for details.