Richard Lathrop, a UW-Madison limnologist, noticed last summer that the long pier in front of the limnology lab on Lake Mendota trapped the mats of blue-green algae that blossomed with the warming weather. From that simple observation came a possible temporary solution to the algae that plagues Madison beaches in the summer – curtain-like booms to keep the algae from blowing up onto the land. The structures are one of a number of practical solutions to Dane Countyâ??s lake problems that will be presented this week as part of the Yahara CLEAN proposal to improve the condition of the lakes. The project is a cooperative effort by Dane County, the city of Madison, the state Department of Natural Resources, as well as other agencies and private groups.
Office of Strategic Communication