18 Feb, 2019

An application of Phoslock to the Serpentine Lake in London’s Hyde Park took place last week

Phoslock was first applied to the lake in 2012 to improve water quality for the triathlon and long distance swimming events at the London Olympics.

Hyde Park is located in central London in close proximity to iconic landmarks such as Buckingham Palace and the Westminster Houses of Parliament and attracts millions of visitors each year.  The Serpentine is a hugely popular recreational lake, hosting a swimming club, a boating concession and a large population of birds which are fed daily by visitors to the park.

The aim of this year’s Phoslock application was to improve water quality in the lake following the dismantling of the Mastaba; a massive artwork constructed by renowned artist Christo on a temporary floating island anchored in the lake.  The artwork consisted of 7,500 multi-coloured barrels shaped like a pyramid and was anchored in the lake between April and September last year.  The Phoslock application was designed to reduce phosphorus levels in the lake following the removal of the floating island which disturbed the lake sediments and stirred up phosphorus levels.

Phoslock has been contracted by Royal Parks to undertake regular water quality testing of the lake.

In recent years, Phoslock has been applied to a number of lakes adjacent to well-known historical landmarks, including the Round Pond at Kensington Palace and the Upper Lake at Petworth House.

https://vimeo.com/dronescope/review/317980519/36c6492744