Water is fundamental to life. It underpins human health, supports wildlife, and sustains the lakes, rivers and reservoirs that communities rely on every day. Increasingly, we are seeing discussions on social media, hearing concerns raised in the news, and feeling growing public awareness around changes in freshwater quality and how these changes affect the environments we value.
Across lakes, reservoirs, rivers and managed water bodies, excess phosphorus input remains a key driver of eutrophication. Elevated nutrient concentrations can contribute to the development of algae and algal blooms, including harmful algal blooms (HABs), and may be associated with declining water quality, challenges related to taste and odour, reduced water clarity, and increased pressures on aquatic systems. These issues present ongoing challenges for water managers, regulators and asset owners tasked with protecting and maintaining vital water resources.
Phosphorus enters aquatic systems from a range of catchment sources, including wastewater discharges, agricultural runoff and urban drainage. Over time, phosphorus can also accumulate in bottom sediments and continue to cycle back into the water column, even after external inputs have been reduced. This internal phosphorus loading adds complexity to long-term water quality management and can make it more difficult to achieve regulatory and operational objectives.
In response to these challenges, water authorities and site managers are increasingly focused on understanding phosphorus behaviour within water bodies and adopting integrated phosphorus management strategies that consider both external inputs and internal nutrient dynamics. Building this understanding is a key step in informed, evidence-based water quality management.