By Jolene FarleyWhile on the internet researching solutions for an algae problem at the Hills Rez, Beaver Creek Sportsmen Club members discovered a fairly simple and inexpensive solution.The use of barley straw for non-chemical algae control has increased in recent years and Club members decided to try the method. Sportsmen’s club volunteers and Hills Lion’s Club volunteers assembled Saturday at the Rez for the first treatment. It is recommended the water is treated before water temperatures reach 50 degrees. Another treatment is scheduled for mid-July."We used 25 bales," said Sportsmen Club member Roger Jackson. "That was the recommended dosage for this size pond."The barley must be broken apart and loosely placed in netting so that water and air can circulate through the straw. A Christmas tree baler, ordered to re-bale the barley, hadn’t arrived so volunteers improvised by hooking the netting to a garbage can. A group of 10 volunteers worked from 9 to noon."It worked quite well," said Jackson. "We had a lot of good help." Results may not be seen from the treatments until next year, according to Jackson.The Hills-Beaver Creek Wildlife Biology class is conducting a water quality study to help gauge the results.Work is also scheduled to begin Friday or Saturday on replacing the filter dam on the north end of the Rez.A culvert will be dug in and rock layered over the top to try and catch some of the low water flow, according to Jackson. The Beaver Creek Sportsmen’s Club, the Hills Lion’s Club and the City of Hills will split the cost of the project. Barley straw is now commonly sold in nurseries and garden shops for use in water gardens and small pools, according to internet reports. The technique, developed in England in the 1990’s, is widely used in many bodies of water there, including large reservoirs and canals. It is thought that as fungi decomposes the barley in water, it causes a chemical to be released that prevents the growth of algae. The specific chemical hasn’t been identified, and it is not clear if the chemical is exuded from the barley itself or if it is a metabolic product produced by fungi. Barley straw usually prevents new growth of algae rather than killing existing algae.English studies of the method suggest that, in most cases, water clarity improves over time due to the reduction in algae population, but some U.S. studies have had mixed results.
