Nutrient runoff from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and agriculture leads to harmful algal blooms (HABs) in surface water resources. HABs result in significant changes to ecosystems, such as decreased levels of dissolved oxygen. HABs also affect water health since they can form toxic microcystins. WWTPs and farms in Illinois are currently under new regulatory pressure to reduce nutrient loading in waterways. Achieving these goals will require significant energy costs. This project focused on developing a new understanding of HABs by studying the nutrient dynamics in Long Lake and its watershed and developing a new technology to reduce energy usage in WWTPs by using machine learning and sensors.
- PI: David Lampert
- PI Institution: Illinois Institute of Technology
- September 1, 2022 – August 31, 2023