ORONO — The Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions at the University of Maine is set to host a hybrid talk, “Navigating Water Quality: Understanding the Impact and Perceptions of Boat-Generated Waves on an Alum Treated Lake in Maine” at 3 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 13.

All talks in the Mitchell Center’s Sustainability Talks series are free and offered both via Zoom and at 107 Norman Smith Hall.

The use of alum treatments to bind phosphorus to control algal blooms has been expanding to larger lakes, where there is no historical precedent for success. These larger lakes can have larger wind-created waves that are more energetic, potentially moving more sediment in the lake, according to a news release from Ruth Hallsworth with the center.

A research team led by Alejandra Ortiz and Alison Bates from Colby College is studying East Pond to understand whether boat- or wind-created waves are decreasing the efficacy of the alum treatment on the lake bed. In this talk, they will discuss how their team is using a combination of field observations and numerical modeling to assess how boat waves influence water quality and sediment movement. Additionally, they will explore the perceptions and attitudes of local stakeholders towards these wave impacts and boating management practices.

Bates, an assistant professor of environmental studies, researches social acceptance of infrastructure and interventions in natural spaces, and implements an equity and justice framework to inform decision-making. Ortiz, also an assistant professor of environmental studies, investigates the ecogeomorphic evolution of coastal and fluvial landscapes. She studies how different coastlines evolve using numerical and physical modeling, remote sensing and field validation.

Registration is required to attend remotely; to register and receive connection information, visit umaine.edu.

To request a reasonable accommodation, contact Hallsworth at 207-581-3196 or hallsworth@maine.edu.

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