Editor’s Note: The following article was written by Shelly Bensal (7th Grade, Odle Middle) and researched by Rahul Bhardwaj (7th Grade, International School), Priya Ganesan (8th Grade, International Community School), Anirudh Ramanathan (7th Grade, Odle Middle), and Akaash Sethi (8th Grade, Evergreen Junior High). They can be contacted at the-olympian-5@googlegroups.com

Almost everyone has heard of algae, that green, slimy stuff that floats around in lakes and ponds. Many people know that algae is essential to the ecosystem and produces about 70 percent of Earth’s oxygen.

But not many know that algae has an alter ego: cyanobacteria, a problem-causing bacteria on steady rise all around the world.

Also known as toxic algae and blue-green algae, cyanobacteria is seemingly innocent, visible as dark green or brown patches floating near shores. Cyanobacteria feed off of warm waters and nutrients, especially phosphorous and nitrogen. Warming waters due to climate change and excess nutrients from water pollution are causing explosive cyanobacteria blooms in lakes and ponds.

Blossomed cyanobacteria can contaminate water sources, infect fish, injure humans and marine wildlife, and cause other serious problems for the community. Abnormal cyanobacteria blooms have been documented in various bodies of water all around the world, as well as in three major lakes in King County: Lake Sammamish, Lake Washington, and Lake Union.

What can we do to stop cyanobacteria from causing further trouble in King County’s lakes? The Olympians, a robotics team made up of five middle-schoolers researching Washington’s cyanobacteria, believe that the solution lies in barley. Used by the Chinese government to clean up waters before the Beijing Olympics, placing bales of barley straw in the water near cyanobacteria blooms will stop the problem in its tracks.

Decomposing barley releases hydrogen peroxide, which is lethal to toxic algae. Barley is an organic, environmentally-friendly way to get rid of cyanobacteria blooms in 2-8 weeks. It is commercially sold for this purpose, and many studies have been done on its effectiveness in killing cyanobacteria.

Though it may cause slight oxygen depletion, putting barley bales into the water is almost foolproof.

Just to be sure, The Olympians tried it out in a privately-owned pond that was showing signs of cyanobacteria growth. Fish were dying, visibility was being reduced, and the pond started smelling bad.

After a few short weeks of placing barley pellets in the water, the team noted that the size of the blooms had greatly reduced, the fish looked healthier, the pond’s overall appearance was better than before, and the pond’s owner was much happier.

The team also looked into several other solutions, including planting water plants like hyacinth and water cabbage, which compete with cyanobacteria for food, and reducing pollution. Their next task will be to spread awareness in their community on cyanobacteria and its harmful effects.

“We don’t want anyone getting hurt. If something isn’t done about the problem, then it could impact the fishing industry and hurt the animals that live in and around the lakes,” said one of the team members. “This is a serious problem. We need to get the word out,” added another.