Feasibility Assessment of Algal Biomass Removal from Upper Klamath Lake

This was a presentation at the November 14th, 2023 Klamath Basin Monitoring Program (KBMP) Meeting in Klamath Falls, Oregon by Maia Singer from Stillwater Sciences and Randy Turner from the San Francisco Estuary Institute.
Presentation Summary: The National Fish and Wildlife Federation (NFWF) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) undertook a project to assess the feasibility of harvesting algae (primarily cyanobacteria) from Upper Klamath Lake as a potential near-term means, within roughly the next five years, for improving water quality for the Lost River sucker and the shortnose sucker. Massive seasonal cyanobacteria blooms in the lake cause periods of degraded water quality that can be harmful to fish, including suckers. There is an existing local harvest industry that collects and processes algae for the nutraceutical (food supplement) and biopharmaceutical industry. Existing data characterizing water quality, algae, and sucker ecology in Upper Klamath Lake, as well as 2020 survey results from local commercial algae harvesters and the local agricultural community, were used to inform estimates of the scope and scale of algal biomass removal operations necessary to improve near-term water quality conditions in the lake. Additionally, a pilot study was undertaken in 2020 involving two field sampling events to measure algae harvest rates, test alternative harvest methods, measure lake water quality near an operating harvester, capture algae for testing of possible end-uses, and analyze nutrient content and algal toxin concentrations in harvested biomass. Multiple resource agencies were contacted to characterize potential permitting requirements for expanded harvest activities at the scale needed to improve water quality in the lake. Partners on this project were Stillwater Sciences, San Francisco Estuary Institute, Aquatic Ecosystem Sciences, Riverbend Sciences, Oregon Institute of Technology, and a local algae harvester.