Research and Development Office

Nuisance Aquatic Vegetation (NAV) Control in Water Delivery Systems: An Automated Metering System for Accurate and Consistent Herbicide Application

Project ID: 22015
Principal Investigator: Kevin Kelly
Research Topic: Ecosystem Needs
Funded Fiscal Years: 2022, 2023 and 2024
Keywords: None

Research Question

Can we modernize and further implement a Reclamation patented technology to accurately and consistently apply herbicides to control nuisance aquatic vegetation (NAV) in water delivery systems?

NAV issues are widespread across the 17 western states and can be costly to control. NAV, such as rooted aquatic macrophytes, and other species such as filamentous algae, are impeding the flow of water through water delivery systems such as canals, impairing the performance of intake structures and pumps, and exacerbated the increased sedimentation rates in canals and drainage systems due to the change in design velocity effected by NAV. This research project proposes to modernize an automated low-dose chemical metering system patented by Reclamation and test the system in both laboratory-scale demonstration and field trials to determine the potential for large-scale control of NAV in water delivery systems.

Need and Benefit

Primary Research Area: EN1 Water Delivery Reliability. Improve the reliability of Reclamation water supplies by finding innovative means to address aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem and species needs while still meeting water delivery contracts.
Secondary Research Area: EN2: Invasive Species. Develop and improve techniques for managing aquatic and riparian invasive species that consumer Reclamation water supplies or impede Reclamation water deliveries.

Contributing Partners

Contact the Principal Investigator for information about partners.

Research Products

Contact the Principal Investigator for information about these documents.

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