South West Water has announced the launch of the PEDAL project, an innovative initiative designed to predict and manage harmful algal blooms (HABs) before they occur. The £2 million research partnership brings together the University of Exeter, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, South West Lakes Trust and other industry collaborators to tackle one of the UK’s growing environmental challenges.

Harmful algal blooms occur naturally when algae multiply rapidly in reservoirs, lakes, and rivers, affecting water quality and ecosystems. They make water treatment more difficult, harm fish and wildlife, and restrict recreational use. With rising pollution levels and climate change increasing their frequency, early detection and management have become critical for the water sector.

Over the next three years, the PEDAL project will develop the UK’s first advanced digital twin system for HABs. This will combine satellite data, drone imagery, in-situ sensors, laboratory testing, and local community input through citizen science to build an early warning and forecasting platform. By using artificial intelligence and advanced modelling, the system will enable water companies to predict and mitigate blooms before they develop.

The project builds upon South West Water’s partnership with the University of Exeter through the Centre for Resilience in Environment, Water and Waste (CREWW), and is supported by the Ofwat Innovation Fund. Together, the partners aim to deliver new digital tools that reduce operational costs, enhance water quality, and strengthen ecosystem protection across the UK.

Andrew Pennington, Innovation Programme and Partnerships Manager at South West Water, said:

We’re incredibly excited to get the PEDAL project up and running. This marks the beginning of an ambitious three-year journey to bring together science, technology, and community knowledge to tackle harmful algal blooms. The enthusiasm and collaboration we’ve already seen from our partners and researchers is inspiring, and we can’t wait to turn this vision into a real-world solution.

Dr Diego Panici, Principal Investigator for PEDAL at the University of Exeter, added:

By combining satellites, drones, in-water sensors, numerical models, and artificial intelligence, we will be able to predict when and where blooms are likely to occur. This means moving from reacting after the fact to anticipating problems before they happen, protecting water supplies, ecosystems, and communities.

The PEDAL project represents a major step forward in the use of data-driven science and cross-sector innovation to enhance the resilience of the UK’s water systems and the health of its natural environments.

Quick Reference Links

• South West Water
• University of Exeter
• Plymouth Marine Laboratory
• South West Lakes Trust
• Ofwat Innovation Fund

South West Water launches AI-driven project to predict and manage harmful algal blooms
H2O Team

Thirty years on since the opening of its first dedicated wastewater treatment plant, The Clear Creek Conservancy District (CCCD) has more than doubled flow capacity at the coveted Heritage Lake in Indiana from 400,000 gallons a day to 900,000 gallons a day.

In expanding the plant, which has added a third oxidation ditch (and rerated the existing two), a third Clarifier and converted the chlorine-contact tank to an Ultraviolet light system, the upgrade has also included intricate refurbishment of around 50% of the inlet equipment, which was found to be in excellent working order, despite being in service for over three decades.

Located just 30 miles west of Indianapolis, surrounded by natural beauty that provides waterside living that is second to none, the 320-acre Heritage Lake certainly appears to have it all for the residents of its 3000 lots (1689 homes). It most certainly has an exemplary wastewater treatment operation that has served this community that began life there in 1972.

As the plant approached 90% of its design capacity due to an inevitable growth in population, CCCD began looking keenly at the measures needed to continue to provide the best possible wastewater treatment service. An early warning sewer-ban letter from the IDEM (Indiana State Department of Environmental Management) had been received as a polite nudge that action would be necessary at some point. Not that this very well-run plant needed any reminder. Wastewater Treatment Operator and Operations Manager, Doug Clodfelter has been at CCCD since 1990, when two small package plants were seriously struggling to contain the increasing amount of flow that was coming in. Danville-based consulting engineers Curry & Associates were appointed to design the first main treatment plant in the early 1990s, with Lakeside Equipment Corporation of Bartlett, Illinois chosen to provide a range of wastewater solutions, including two oxidation ditches.

‘Very favourably in terms of our investment’

“It has proved to be a very wise decision,” said Doug Clodfelter. “Sandblasted, cleaned and repainted, it is incredible to think just how much of this 30-year-old Lakeside equipment is still perfectly good to keep using. Not surprisingly, after three decades, when tanks were drained down and everything was opened up by our contractor, Patterson Horth, plenty of underwater pipes and angle irons (that hold the covers on the rotors) were found to be rusted. Some were still ok, but Lakeside and Ken Sobbe from their equipment representative, FACO, advised us on parts that maybe looked fine, but wouldn’t last as long as we wanted to. This approach to continuing where possible with existing equipment throws up some unknowns. It certainly presents challenges to the supply chain’s planning, but it has all worked out very favourably in terms of our investment, rather than have to buy in everything new.”

He added: “We benefitted from grants during COVID, but for a very small town like ours to pay for the rest without having to borrow any money must be quite rare these days. Our Board does an excellent job managing Clear Creek Conservancy District, and taking care of the budget, especially our Financial Manager, Kathy Deer, who started here roughly when I did 34 years ago. Every month we have a meeting in which everything to do with the wastewater facility is included. We’ve always been very open. When we received our communication from IDEM that we were on an early sewer ban, it was raised at our very next meeting and immediately went into our Heritage Highlights newspaper so that everyone could see what was going on to be aware of possible changes.”

Quality continuity at Heritage Lake continued with Curry & Associates (now part of Fleis & Vandenbrink Engineering) again appointed to design the extended plant, with Lori Young (President) leading the way. It was her father, Robert, who designed the original first main treatment plant over 30 years ago.

‘A very clean and exceptionally well-run facility’

“We looked at several options,” said Lori, “but knew that CCCD had been very happy with the Lakeside rotors, headworks screen and clarifiers that they’d had for a very long time, so we met with FACO’s Ken Sobbe to assess the equipment.”

She added: “Gaining extra years of useful life from a significant amount of equipment that is already 30 years old speaks volumes for its quality, especially in a wastewater environment. And now that stainless steel is in use for the new/refurbished equipment, it will have a much-prolonged life. It will also benefit from the very dedicated management of this plant, which considering its age, is a very clean and exceptionally well-run facility. We’ve all worked well together not to be shortsighted; wanting to keep reliable equipment in place where possible but be realistic and not leave anything to chance. This means that we can be confident of another 20-years-plus service horizon.”

‘Structures had to be built within twenty feet of the water’

Who knows, but even the bald eagles that frequent Heritage Lake might have looked down and thought that the replacement of some equipment and refurbishment of other equipment would make this a challenge for the contractor, Patterson Horth. No contractor wants to lose valuable time on site, so the unknows of waiting to see what could be kept – whilst trying to balance up the supply of replacement parts was not the easiest plan to make during a 10-month period.

Jim Alsatt, Vice President of Patterson Horth commented: “The plant is built on a very small peninsula out in the lake that sticks out like a thumb, so structures had to be built within twenty feet of the water, which of course we took great care to protect.  We found more issues than anticipated, but still completed ahead of schedule. The installation of the new oxidation ditch and clarifier all went very smoothly.”

Jay Jeffries, Project Manager at Patterson Horth, added: “This was a learning experience, so there are some things we’d attack a little differently in future,” said. “We all want to make the best out of our site time with no delays, but that said, Clear Creek Conservancy District achieved a very good price ($5M) for the work, and the new-look plant is performing very well indeed.”

Ken Sobbe from FACO continued: “Patterson Horth ensured that there was a smooth transition from the existing to the new equipment, with no major by-passes required. Excavating out the clarifier tank was tricky, but they achieved that with no problems. Despite all the challenges, they did a truly great job; especially in still finishing the work ahead of schedule.”

The number of homes at Heritage Lake now stands at 1,689, with its popularity certain in time to take it up to its predicted maximum capacity of 2,700. The expansion to 900,000 gallons per day can comfortably handle this anticipated rise in population, with the plant (like the lake) held exclusively for its own community, with no outside sewage coming into it.

CCCD’s Doug Clodfelter continued: “Thirty years ago, Curry & Associates had the vision to design the original facility with room to add an extra oxidation ditch, so that was very good thinking for the future. We’ll always continue to learn and look ahead and make sure we’re ready.

“The upgraded Lakeside plant benefits from automatic controls, which we didn’t have before. This allows us to run the plant in storm mode, so in the event of heavy rain, the new system will help prevent us from getting washed out. Now we can control things without always having to be on site or having to turn up in the middle of the night!

“We now have far more in the way of operating options with three ditches. We can very gently increase oxygen levels so that the rotors only need to turn at a very slow speed, which thins out our bug population and saves energy.

“I’ve never seen rotors run so slow before, but its great because unlike before, there’s no foam being created. Previously, half of my tank would often be covered with foam, which looked bad, although all our results were just fine.”

He concluded: “Back in the 1990s, we considered the Lakeside equipment far more forgiving with flows, allowing us to have firm control on handling the strength of the sewage. Over three decades, we’ve had to work on a few gear boxes, but it has an outstanding track record, with the refurbishment of much of it allowing it to continue even further. I liked the equipment over 30 years ago and I like it even more now. Everyone has contributed to ensuring that Heritage Lake continues to be a special place, with an excellent wastewater infrastructure.”

Clear choice for enduring wastewater equipment at Heritage Lake
H2O Team

Lakes in Lake County, Illinois, will benefit from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)  funds if the new Lake County Lake Lovers group succeeds. Following the steps outlined in a 3-part series shared earlier in H2O Global News, the citizens initiative proposed a bio-dredging demonstration and Lake Oxygen scorecard to place Lake County’s lakes on a path to restoration.

Lake County Lake Lovers was formed as a working group within the Global Water Works online collaboration network last July.  Their goal is to restore Lake County’s lakes by educating citizens on a multi-level treatment process that successfully eradicates algae and muck problems in lakes across the globe.  Recent beach closures and fish die-offs have contributed to the group’s motivation and that of County decision makers.

Lake Lovers Focused on Impact

Shortly after the group’s formation last year, the group was made aware of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to support the restoration of polluted lakes. So the group went to work to submit a  proposal for 1.7 percent ($2.3M) of the $135M funds for a County demonstration, using three connected lakes – Butler Lake, St. Mary’s Lake and Loch Lomond –all noted as impaired by the Illinois EPA.  

The Lake Lover approach aligns with the recommendations of the 2022 Government Accountability Office (GAO) Report, “Water Quality:  Agencies should take more actions to manage risks of Hypoxia and Harmful Algae Blooms,” which emphasized the need for a comprehensive program to not only monitor but to treat impaired lakes.  And the Lake Lovers are recommending the multi-level approach advanced by Wayne Carmichael, PhD, founder of the International Conference on Toxic Cyanobacteria, using a comprehensive program of dissolved oxygen and enzymes to restore the natural food web and accelerate nutrient consumption. Success stories using this process were the focus of Dr. Carmichael’s 2022 Keynote at ICTC. The GAO also suggested using a scorecard to compare different bodies of water and prioritize interventions, so a scorecard was included in the proposal to track oxygen levels, a leading indicator of lake health. 

Measurement Key to Management

 “You can’t manage what you can’t measure, and what you measure needs to be easy to understand and act upon,” says Lake County Lake Lover Chairman Mark O’Brien. “When we looked at the GAO report, which notes that the last 20 years have been focused on measurement without action, we felt we were onto something, being able to deliver both an apples-to-apples measurement mechanism based on oxygen levels and a means for countywide assessment, treatment, and visibility into the health of our lakes.” 

 Three separate briefings in the county suggest wide-spread support for the solution. Current challenges with beach closures and fish die offs likely contributed to a unanimous show of support (by the raised hands) when asked whether or not the leaders would recommend the county’s investment.

A final decision by the Lake County committee is expected by its July 28, 2023 meeting. Members of the Lake County Lake Lover group are hopeful  they will receive funding  for their initial program because their approach is more cost effective and environmentally protective than current water treatment programs. The effects of their water treatment approach also provides long lasting results.  

Readers of H2O Global News can follow the developments with the Lake Lover Group and use their promotional materials as templates for your own local efforts. 

Mary Conley Eggert is the founder of GobalWaterWorks.org, a 501c3 with the mission of solving water issue locally to scale globally. In its eight years, GlobalWaterWorks.org has connected thousands of people, process and technologies to solve water issues around the globe. 

Lake Appreciation Month sees Lake Lovers Focused on Liberating Lakes from “Muck” and Algae
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