Using Biochar to Remove Phosphorus at Lake Hopatcong

Princeton Hydro installed biochar flotation bags in various locations throughout Lake Hopatcong, including the Lake Winona outlet, the Lake Forest Yacht Club inlet, Lakeside Avenue and Holiday Avenue inlet in Hopatcong, and the Edith Decker School outlet in Mount Arlington.

Biochar has been known to improve water quality by removing phosphorus from waterbodies. Biochar can be placed in floatation balls, cages, or sacks, which are then tethered along the shoreline and in critical locations throughout the waterbody, like where an inlet enters a lake.

This biochar bag installation, which was funded by the NJDEP Freshwater HABs Prevention & Management Grant provided to the Lake Hopatcong Commission (LHC) and its project partner the Lake Hopatcong Foundation (LHF), is one part of a multi-pronged lake management plan to protect the overall water quality of Lake Hopatcong. In the summer of 2019, Lake Hopatcong – along with freshwater lakes throughout the country – was hit hard by a HAB outbreak that caused beach closures, health advisories, and water quality degradation.