In an effort to control the natural fauna of flora of a lake in Bucks County, officials have begun using unique devices to help local wildlife.

Residents of Doylestown may have recently noticed yellow devices floating in Lake Galena. As part of a mission to keep the area clean from pollutants, environmental officials have placed these purifiers in the lake in order to control recent overgrowths of algae.

“Let’s face it, the lake has a algae problem” the Bucks County Conservation District said online. “This device is a potential tech solution to a land use problem. How we treat the watershed (land that delivers water to the lake) — use of fertilizers, untreated stormwater — promotes excessive algae growth.”

The solar-powered devices transmit ultrasonic waves into the water, which repel the algae, forcing them to stay in the depths where sunlight cannot fuel photosynthesis.

“No photosynthesis, no reproduction, less algae. That’s the hypothesis; this is a test.”

Learn more about these devices and their affects on local wildlife at bucksccd.org.

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