A COMMUNITY group is looking to set up a laboratory in a bid to control the annual algae blooms at Newquay Boating Lake.

Members plan to test a product that helps to digest the silt build up, which is believed to be part of the reason why the weed builds up so much.

Newquay Town Council discussed the issue at its recent environment and facilities committee meeting. The authority could potentially provide funding for a testing kit despite the boating lake being owned by Cornwall Council.

Cllr Steve Slade said: “We have got a group looking at controlling the algae at the boating lake in a sustainable way.

“Part of the process we have come up with is there is a product that is kind of a bacterial addition to the lake, which helps to digest the silt. The silt level is quite high in the lake and that is half the problem as it is not deep enough. Dredging costs a fortune and does not work.

“This product has been used in other parts of the country before but before we use it on the boating lake, we thought it would be prudent to test it out in laboratory conditions.

“The group will be doing its own fundraising for this but we need to sort out now as spring is coming pretty quick. So, we want to test this out and a certain amount of money would be helpful so we can buy the small sample kit and set up a laboratory replica of the boating lake to test it out and make sure it’s ok to use it.”

Bruce Carpenter from Newquay Boat Hire, whose responsibility is to control the annual weed issue at the lake, previously added an eco-friendly treatment, which is a derivative of barley straw, but that method did not work.