Hydralife Results: Clearing a Cyanobacteria Advisory at a Denver Parks & Rec Pond

City and County of Denver: a public park pond under a cyanobacteria advisory was cleared and returned to safe, healthy water in two weeks after being inoculated with dose of beneficial phytoplankton.

The Results: Clearing a Cyanobacteria Advisory

This pond was under an active cyanobacteria advisory when it was dosed with 100 gallons of beneficial phytoplankton. About two weeks later, the water had turned the corner.

Ammonia and phosphate, the two nutrients most responsible for feeding a cyanobacteria bloom, both fell to 0 ppm. Denver's Lake Manager reported that the pond looked good and that the toxic cyanobacteria in the lake had been neutralized.

With phosphate and ammonia being consumed by beneficial phytoplankton the cyanobacteria had lost the fuel it needed to stay dominant and interrupt the ability for people and dogs to enjoy the beautiful pond

Before and After (ppm)

Ammonia (NH4): 0.25 ppm before, 0 ppm after.

Nitrite (NO2): 0 ppm before, 0 ppm after.

Nitrate (NO3): 5 ppm before, 5 ppm after.

Phosphate (PO4): 0.25 ppm before, 0 ppm after.

Why It Matters for Public Water

Cyanobacteria produce toxins, so a bloom threatens the water and air around a pond, not just the water in it. The City and County of Denver Lakes Program take water quality very seriously and they have much to manage. Ensuring the 24 lakes under their jurisdiction is no small task and they strive to have all their waters healthy and safe. The conventional response is to kill the bloom, which releases those toxins as the cells break down. Beneficial phytoplankton takes the opposite path: it removes the phosphate and ammonia the cyanobacteria depend on, so the bloom fades because it has nothing left to grow on.

For a city managing a public park, that means a path back to safe water without a chemical kill-and-decay cycle in a space where families gather.

How Hydralife Works

Hydralife works by competitive exclusion. We seed a body of water with beneficial phytoplankton that consume the same dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus that harmful algae and cyanobacteria need to bloom. When the phytoplankton get there first, there is nothing left for toxic algae to grow on. No chemicals, no copper, no peroxide, no kill-and-decay cycle. What replaces the bloom is a living food chain: phytoplankton at the base, daphnia and other grazers above them, and clearer, healthier water as a result.

If you manage an irrigation pond, a park lake, or a private pond, especially one fed by reclaimed or nutrient-rich water, a single dose can change the season. Reach out at service@hydralifesolutions.com or 303.219.0623, or visit hydralife.org.