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Board puts CaptureTech 'biochar' pilot on next meeting agenda after Sherwood reports
Summary
The board described a pilot of CaptureTech "biochar capture platforms" used under docks to adsorb nutrients; residents on Lake Sherwood reported clearer water but the company has not yet provided completed data. The vendor will be invited to present and Progressive will be asked to review test methods.
Board members discussed a proposed pilot program that would deploy biochar capture platforms (BCPs)—charcoal-filled log devices designed to adsorb phosphorus and other nutrients—under docks in targeted areas.
The Chair described how CaptureTech ran a small pilot on nearby Lake Sherwood last year and expanded it this year, reporting roughly 280 installed locations there. He said residents on Sherwood "are seeing clear water" anecdotally, but cautioned the company has not yet provided completed data. "They're collecting data, and then they'll provide a report," the Chair said. The captain of the discussion added that the product is proprietary and that the company frames the offering as a product‑as‑service, placing devices and later removing and recycling the captured material.
Board members raised practical limits: some chemical herbicide treatments may need to be restricted in areas where BCPs are installed because the bags can absorb herbicides and be damaged, so deployment would need to be coordinated with the overall lake management plan and the lake consultant, Progressive. The Chair said he had asked CaptureTech for scope, cross‑lake test data, cost information and environmental sampling results (including eDNA and sediment tests) and planned to invite the company to present at the next meeting.
The board did not approve any purchase or commitment at the meeting; it placed the item on a future agenda for a vendor presentation and requested Progressive’s assessment of scientific testing and test methodology.
Next steps: the board will invite CaptureTech to present, request test data and cost information, and ask Progressive to review the pilot's data and advise on coordinated use with existing chemical treatments.
