Figure Out How To Cheaply Fix Algae Blooms And Win $10 Million

July 6, 2018btollesonRSS Sample

As much as 90 percent of Lake Okeechobee — one of the largest lakes in the U.S. — is covered with algae. The Everglades Foundation in South Florida where the lake is located decided to create a contest with a prize of $10 million for whomever develops a technology that cheaply removes phosphorus, the main culprit in algae blooms, from freshwater bodies.

Large algae blooms in lakes and rivers have become an annual warm weather headache in nearly every U.S. state, endangering water supplies and local economies. A new competition hopes to help.

(Image credit: Greg Allen/NPR)