Since 1968 until today, scientists have been adding nutrients to Lake 227 every week during the open water season to study the relationship between nutrients and algal blooms.
Initially, the study included both nitrogen and phosphorous fertilization. In the late 1970s, we reduced how much nitrogen we were adding, and in the 1990s we stopped completely. Despite this, algal blooms continued to occur every year, demonstrating the direct connection between phosphorous and algae.