(Still have never been able to find myself putting
rotting straw in my pond- but also don't have algae
problems... so who knows. Anyway this is a small town
in jj and k30's state, WA.)

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Wednesday, April 06, 2005

Barley straw sops up algae in Chinook reservoir

By NANCY BUTTERFIELD
Correspondent

About a year ago, Wainamo started placing 8- to 10-foot "wattles"
of the straw around the permitter of the reservoir in the shallows and
suspended 10 to 12 onion sacks full of straw in four rows across the
water. In a very short while, "It was the first time in years I could
see the bottom of the pond," Wainamo said
Why does the straw clarify the water so well?
Wainamo has consulted experts from Purdue University and a college in
California. "It takes a while to work," he said. "The straw has
to decompose first. I think it releases hydrogen peroxide" which
kills the algae. He said the treatment works for six or seven months.


http://ihmp.net/@/ex

or
http://www.chinookobserver.info/main...ticleID=985 4