WORCESTER, Mass. - If you’ve ever visited Indian Lake in for swimming, boating or fishing only to learn out it’s been closed for the day due to cyanobacteria, a new treatment system unveiled Friday could make those disappointing outings a thing of the past. 

The newly-constructed Alum Dosing Station at Indian Lake is being touted as a major step in the management of stormwater pollution, with two 6,000 gallon tanks that will make cyanobacteria treatment more efficient and much less disruptive. 

Jacquelyn Burmeister, coordinator of Worcester’s Lakes and Ponds Program, said years of studies showed most of the contaminants were flowing in from Ararat Brook where the new dosing station is located. 

“By using the Alum Dosing Station, the hope is that there’s less phosphorous going into the lake, there’s less cyanobacteria blooms," she said. "That’s going to result in fewer public health closures at the beaches, at the boat ramps as well as increased water quality."

Indian Lake was closed for almost an entire summer in 2014 due to cyanobacteria blooms. It proved to be a turning point for lake monitoring and treatment, but as Burmeister explained, it wasn’t exactly a foolproof system for keeping the blue-green algae in check. 

“We would put alum, aluminum sulfate, or polyaluminum chloride directly on the surface of the lake, and during that time, we found that it was really effective, but when it rained again, more pollutants would come in through Ararat Brook, so we were fighting a losing battle,” Burmeister said.

The Alum Dosing Station will replace that process, and it’s just the second of its kind in Massachusetts. 

Burmeister said the stations are so rare because not many cities have a dedicated Lakes and Ponds Program like Worcester to push for one, and she’s grateful everyone stepped up to make it happen. 

“It’s really this wonderful example of how community partnerships, good data and innovative thinking can come together to drive a really novel project that has really high hopes for the city,” Burmeister said. 

The construction of the Alum Dosing Station was a collaborative effort between the City of Worcester and the Indian Lake Watershed Association. They were also supported by the Bancroft School and the Universalist Church, both of which donated the land where the dosing station was built.