St. Cloud to Treat Lake George Tuesday in Latest Algae Cleanup Effort

(KNSI) – Public access to Lake George in St. Cloud will be limited on Tuesday while the city carries out a water quality treatment on the lake.

St. Cloud’s Public Services department says crews will apply aluminum sulfate, a compound commonly used to bind phosphorus and reduce algae growth. Officials expect minimal disruption to traffic during the work.

The treatment is part of the broader Lake George Water Quality Improvement Project, which the City launched after the lake was placed on Minnesota’s Impaired Waters List for low water clarity, elevated phosphorus and recurring algae blooms. Those blooms have turned the water green and produced unpleasant odors in recent years.

Lake George serves as a centerpiece for community events in St. Cloud, which is part of why the City has prioritized cleaning it up. In 2017, the City Council approved an analysis to pinpoint the sources of pollution flowing into the lake.

That work produced four goals: reducing phosphorus enough to remove Lake George from the state’s Impaired Waters List, easing nuisance algae problems, maintaining a fishery that supports lake events, and improving the lake’s overall appearance.

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