Wilson's duo discover eco-friendly way of keeping cattle drinkers free of algae

Wilson’s Hospital School students Andrew McLean O’Hara from Streete and Isaac O’Neill from Kells, under the direction of teacher Mark Condell, examined the possibility of purifying water in cattle drinkers by using plants, thereby reducing both cost and the use of harmful chemicals.

“Specifically, we’ve used rushes and hornwort, as they’re both very common to Ireland,” says Andrew explaining that those plants work by taking the phosphates and nitrates, which are the main source of growth for algae, out of the water. Conveniently, the rushes and hornwort continue growing themselves and carrying on the ‘cleaning’ work.

“We were very happy with our results,” said Isaac. “Our results showed great decreases in the phosphate and nitrate levels when we tested the waters. And we discovered that both the hornwort and the soft rush both had great decreases in the phosphate and nitrate levels.

“That would have good long-term benefits, as it’s a more natural remedy to problems on the farm, and it can be applied in many other areas as well,” says Isaac.

“At present, many farmers use lime, copper sulphate and bleach to take out the algae, which is bad for the environment, and if the levels of it aren’t right, it can be harmful to the animals.”

The inspiration for the project came from an experience on the farm of Isaac’s family in Meath.

“We had seen that a rush had self-seeded itself into a cattle drinker – and the water in that cattle drinker was crystal clear. There was no algae in the cattle drinker or anything like that. And we got curious, as to whether the rush had anything to do with the water being so clear, and the fact that there was no algae in the cattle drinker itself.”