Protocols for algal bloom management – technology performance & optimisation assessments

The water industry needed a clear and consistent approach to assess the efficacy and performance of the many technologies for managing algal blooms in waterbodies. These technologies were often offered by technology and innovation providers with the promise that they would solve algal bloom issues. However, there were several factors that, if poorly understood and addressed, could cause these technologies to perform unsatisfactorily against the needs of water utilities.

This research developed a customisable protocol to address the knowledge gaps associated with selecting, deploying, monitoring, and assessing the overall performance of technologies for managing algal blooms. The protocol benefited suppliers when they recommended and sold technologies, as well as water utilities when they selected and deployed these technologies.

As a part of this project, the protocols were applied by participating utilities during field trials of selected technologies. This provided insights into how the protocol was applied during real-world performance assessments of algal bloom technology, allowing the learnings to be compared against the requirements in the protocol.