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    Illustration of green water

    Excess organic load

    (nitrogen & phosphorus)

    excess organic load 1 1

    What you see

    Visible signs of dysfunction (water, sediment, flora) are merely symptoms of chemical saturation in the environment. The warning signs are as follows:

    • Persistent turbidity: The water exhibits chronic opacity—green (phytoplankton) or brown (humic matter)—that is resistant to water exchange.
    • Opportunistic plant proliferation: Massive and rapid growth of filamentous algae or invasive macrophytes (water primrose, water milfoil) favored by nutrient-rich conditions.
    • Anaerobic benthic activity: Bubbles rising to the surface (methane) and sulfur odors (H₂S) when the water is churned, indicating active fermentation on the seabed.
    • Rapid sedimentation: Accumulation of black, fluid, unmineralized silt, reducing the usable bathymetry.
    • Instability in dissolved oxygen levels: Fish show signs of hypoxia (gasping at the surface) at dawn, a result of oxygen consumption by aquatic organisms during the night.

    What this means

    Your ecosystem is experiencing severe eutrophication. It has lost its ability to self-purify due to an excess of nutrients.

    TASO has identified a significant imbalance in the C/N/P (carbon/nitrogen/phosphorus) ratio, driven by three factors:

    1. Exogenous Load (Incoming Pollution)
      This refers to nutrient flows originating from the watershed: nitrates from agricultural sources, effluents, or direct organic inputs (leaves, animal waste, fishing bait). These inputs exceed the environment’s capacity to absorb them.
    2. Endogenous Flux (Sedimentary Release)
      This is the critical factor in resilience. In an anoxic (oxygen-deprived) bottom environment, iron-phosphorus complexes dissociate. The sediment then releases the stored phosphorus (orthophosphates) into the water column.
      The mechanism: This internal release self-feeds algae production, even in the absence of external pollution.
    3. Dissolved Organic Matter (DOM)
      The incomplete decomposition of biomass generates soluble carbon.
      The impact: This matter increases the Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), promoting bacterial consumption at the expense of fish populations and accelerating the transition to anoxia.

    Conclusion: Your body of water is experiencing trophic saturation. The accumulation of nutrients exceeds the ecosystem’s ability to break them down.

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    Why act now?

    Eutrophication is not a stable condition, but a dynamic process that is accelerating (dystrophication):

    • Positive feedback loop: The more algae there are, the more organic sediment there is, the greater the release of phosphorus, which in turn leads to even more algae.
    • Risk of a dystrophic crisis: A sudden drop in oxygen levels (especially during the summer) can lead to massive fish mortality in less than 24 hours.
    • Health Risk (Cyanobacteria): A warm environment rich in phosphorus promotes the proliferation of potentially toxin-producing cyanobacteria.
    • Accelerated silting: The accumulation of undegraded organic matter accelerates the physical aging of the site (siltation).

    The TASO response
    Reduced nutrient availability

    The intervention aims to restore an oligotrophic (nutrient-poor) state by managing nutrient stocks and flows.

    1

    Nutritional Competition (Bio-Competition)

    We introduce selected bacterial strains (Algibio / Biolimpid) that have a higher rate of nitrogen and phosphorus uptake than algae.

    The process: These bacteria sequester nutrients into harmless biomass and accelerate denitrification (the conversion of nitrogen back into a gaseous state). Algae decline due to a lack of resources.

    2

    Phosphorus Immobilization (Sedimentary Action)

    We are blocking the internal release process.

    How it works: The application of Nautex (coccolithal calcium carbonate) flocculates suspended matter and fixes sedimentary phosphorus in a stable mineral form (apatite), making it unavailable for algal growth.

    3

    Photosynthetic Limitation (Physical Control)

    We reduce the amount of light energy available for primary production.

    How it works: The use of Marine Blue dye selectively filters out the wavelengths necessary for photosynthesis, thereby limiting the production of new biomass.

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    Products & Related Solutions

    To reduce trophic pressure and restore balance:

    nautex

    Nautex

    the standard mineral treatment for all bodies of water
    Learn more

    Need a study?

    Each protocol is tailored to the initial assessment, the characteristics of the body of water, and its intended uses.

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