ABSTRACT
Eutrophication is a major water quality concern in the United States[1,2] and worldwide.[3] Its economic impact on the fishing and water-treatment industries in the eastern United States alone, has amounted to over $2 billion over the last decade.[4] While phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) contribute to eutrophication, P is the limiting nutrient in most fresh waters. This is due to the fact that P is ultimately derived from land, where as N can exchange freely between the atmosphere and surface water and many aquatic biota can fix N. Although eutrophication is a natural process, it is accelerated by increased inputs of P by humans. This can have several detrimental effects on surface-water quality. Perhaps the most obvious is the proliferation of harmful algal bloom, parasites (e.g., Pfiesteria and cyanobacteria) and aquatic weeds, which can interfere with the use of water for recreation, extraction, and drinking (foul taste and odor and treatment problems such as the formation of carcinogens during chlorination). As aquatic biota die and decompose, the increased microbial activity depletes oxygen supply and increases fish mortality.
