The Algse of Kcuifias Reservoirfi. 123 



was a problem until Moore and Kellerman, in 1905, issued a 

 report stating their successful experiments in the removal 

 of algae by the use of copper sulphate. This treatment has 

 been in practice ever since, and has proven to be entirely- 

 satisfactory. The method of application as given by the 

 above-mentioned workers is as follows : "Place the required 

 number of pounds of copper sulphate in a coarse bag, gunny 

 sack or some equally loose mesh, and attaching this to the 

 stern of a rowboat near the surface of the water, row slowly 

 back and forth over the reservoir, on each trip keeping the 

 boat within ten to twenty feet of the previous path. In this 

 manner about one hundred pounds of copper sulphate can be 

 distributed in one hour." Care should always be exercised in 

 dosing not to allow too great a concentration of the solution 

 to be made in one place, because of the danger to fish swim- 

 ming through that portion. The writer found that it is always 

 better to make the treatment on a windy day, so that the 

 currents in the water may more readily distribute the chemi- 

 cal. 



It is of great importance to determine the exact proportion 

 of copper sulphate to the volume of water to be dosed, since too 

 small a proportion will not affect the algas and too great in- 

 volves unnecessary expense, and may kill off the fish. The 

 quantity of water to be treated in a large impounding reservoir 

 may be estimated by multiplying the number of acres of water 

 surface by the average depth (taken as about i •> of the maxi- 

 mum depth) and dividing this product by 3. This gives ap- 

 proximately the number of million gallons of water in the 

 reservoir. 



Since some genera of algse require more copper sulphate 

 than others, it is quite essential that the genus of the algsn 

 causing the trouble be determined by microscopical examina- 

 tion. The algse which appeared in the reservoirs in the two 

 years' survey, and which, therefore, are the most common in 

 Kansas, may be identified by the descriptions in the key and 

 drawings included in the final report. 



After the quantity of water to be treated and the causative 

 organisms have been determined, the dosage of CuSO, may be 

 found by referring to Table II in the final report, a portion 

 of which is given below. 



