New for 2016:
Bio Lake Sludge Buster
Test Program on Lake Musconectong, NJ
Lake Musconetcong is located on the border of Morris County and Sussex County, New Jersey, and is part of Hopatcong State Park, which is administered by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. The Musconetcong River flows through the lake. The lake covers 329 acres (1.3 km²), with a mean depth of approximately 5 feet (1.5 m) and a maximum depth of 10 feet (3.0 m). The lake’s watershed covers 14,000 acres (57 km²). Lake Musconetcong is downstream of Lake Hopatcong, the largest lake in New Jersey and is part of its watershed.
Since this lake is shallow, it has experienced ongoing problems with weeds (especially near the shore line), and accumulated organic sediment has become a pressing issue. Over the years, the algal and weed blooms, ongoing herbicide applications, and resulting residue from die-offs has resulted in considerable bottom sediment problems. “Bio Lake Sludge Buster” for Sludge Reduction. BLSB, a prepared blend of sludge digesting beneficial bacteria and probiotics, has been used successfully around the world to solve sludge build up problems. In this situation, with a known sludge problem around the lake, the authorities chose a specific section of the lake to test the sludge reducing ability of “Bio Lake Sludge Buster” from OES.
In the above chart, and comparing this to the lake overview (previous page), it is clear that a localized zone of about 3 acres (yellow shaded area) was chosen for evaluation. Using the sludge judge, the clear polycarbonate tube is slowly inserted into the lake all of the way to the bottom. When the sludge judge reaches the bottom of the lake, a bottom valve closes, and the column of water representing the entire lake water column at that point is held within the sludge judge.The sludge judge was applied at the 6 points shown (Dosing) in the lake section photo above, using the gps points noted for consistency of measurement throughout the trial. An initial sampling was performed on June 1, 2015 at the six points shown. Results were as follows:
Initial Sludge Depth in 3 Acre Trial Section – June 1, 2015
As shown in the chart above, the initial measurements (before dosing, performed June 1, 2015 using the sludge judge technique):Total water column depth (average) = 5.6 feet Sludge depth (average) = 1.14 feet. Therefore, before the trial began, the average sludge depth of 1.14 feet was 20% of the total lake depth in that area.
Bio Lake Sludge Buster” Dosing Program
“Bio Lake Sludge Buster” was prepared off-site, and brought to the lake once a week during July, August, and September 2015. The product was prepared in a 275 gallon tote (see photo to left). Each week, 275 gallons of liquid prepared Bio Sludge Buster were brought to the lake site and dosed as close as possible to the 6 noted dose / sample points.Every week, about an equal amount of product was applied to each of the six GPS identified points.
Program Results:
The results are clearly shown in the charts below, with 3 measurements at each point: before dosing, 6 weeks into dosing, and 12 weeks into dosing. All measurements were made using the same sludge judge technique, with the same technician, and with all measurements overseen by lake authorities. 
Note that the sludge height was reduced at each sample point. The reduction ranged from 10% to 58% with an average reduction of 29% in just three months of treatment.Particularly important is that the treatment area was not cordoned off or otherwise separated from the rest of the lake. While the defined treatment area was 3 acres, the product applied to this area was diluted to the rest of the lake. This means that the treatment ration (275 gallons per 3 acres per week) should be adjusted downward considerably when scaling up to full lake treatment. With full lake treatment, the product is applied in the desired section without dilution, while the test site allowed product to flow away. Based on our experience, the comparable treatment rate to achieve 30% reduction of lake sludge in 3 months in a fully confined treatment zone would be 275 gallons per week per 10 acres. If the dosing period could be extended to 6 months, the typical rate would be 275 gallons per week per 15 acres. The total depth of the lake varies slightly over time depending on rain, river flow, etc., and at the beginning of the trial, the total water column depth average across the 6 samples points was 5.6 feet, compared to 5.8 feet at the end of the 12 week trial period (September 29, 2015).