How to Get Rid of Naegleria fowleri Brain-eating Amoeba in Lakes

CLEAN-FLO restored pond

Algae covered pond before CLEAN-FLO treatment

Algae eliminated after CLEAN-FLO treatment

CLEAN-FLO restored pond

Algae covered pond before CLEAN-FLO treatment

Algae eliminated after CLEAN-FLO treatment

See sister article Whatever Happened to Tommy Schultz?

In contrast with most pathogenic bacteria, Naegleria fowleri is a brain-eating amoeba and is not adversely affected by the presence of oxygen. This organism thrives on the nutrients in the organic sediment. The level of phosphorus and nitrogen in organic sediment is typically about a thousand times the level found in the water column. When stirred, Naegleria fowleri are free floating. The Naegleria fowleri amoebae then swim up a swimmers nose, burrow into the brain and eat it within a week.

If the organic sediment in lakes is biodegraded so that organic sediment no longer exists, Naegleria fowleri would have no place to incubate. So the question is, how can we get rid of the organic sediment to reduce the growth of Naegleria fowleri?

Dredging an entire lake can be ten to one hundred times the cost of the Clean-Flo Program. Although dredging can deepen a lake, making it more difficult for Naegleria fowleri to thrive, in comparison with the Clean-Flo Process, dredging does nothing to prevent muck from returning.

When approaching a problem such as this, the first question should always be: How did natural processes already in lakes keep lakes free of organic sediment for thousands of years? Knowing this, reducing organic sediment simply involves duplicating and accelerating nature.

The Clean-Flo Process oxygenates the bottom and rids the bottom of toxic gases in lakes loaded with organic sediment. Now beneficial bacteria can live and feed on the muck. In this process, organic sediment is biodegraded into carbon dioxide, water and a microscopic amount of inert “ash”. Organic sediment begins to disappear.

Clean-Flo can accelerate muck removal by adding only one pound of beneficial bacteria (C-FLO) per acre. It need be added only one time, as it will continue to live and thrive as long as the Clean-Flo equipment remains operational.

Insects migrate in from the shoreline and feed on the bacteria or the sediment or both. Bacteria, being high protein, high phosphorus and nitrogen containing organisms, make excellent food for insects. Insects are the best food for fish. The fish can now go to the bottom to feed on the insects. The phosphorus and nitrogen that were in the sediment, which is about a thousand times the level of the phosphorus and nitrogen content of the water, is moved up the food web to make excellent food for fish. Fish need these nutrients for protein, bones, scales and organs. Water quality greatly improves as phosphorus and nitrogen in the water decline 97 percent or more. This is because oxygen binds phosphorus and nitrogen in the water to the bottom sediment, which then becomes food for the beneficial bacteria. The muck disappears and Naegleria fowleri amoebae can no longer feed on it.

With the organic sediment gone, Naegleria fowleri cannot thrive. During the Clean-Flo Process, other transformations are occurring to rid the lakes of other pathogenic and coliform bacteria. The Clean-Flo Process oxygenates the entire water body, so the oxygen in the entire water column kills these anaerobic bacteria. Naegleria fowleri can survive in an oxygenated environment. But even Naegleria fowleri need a nutrient broth to live. By oxygenating the bottom water, phosphorus and nitrogen are reduced in the water column and Naegleria fowleri cannot survive in the water. Get a FREE estimate for the cost of removing Naegleria fowleri brian-eating bacteria from your lake.

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