The Lake Anna Advisory Committee (LAAC), in collaboration with Louisa County, has announced a $750,000 appropriation in the Virginia FY27 budget to support Year 2 of the Lake Anna Phosphorus Remediation Program (PRP). This critical funding will allow the program to continue its targeted, data-driven approach to mitigating the cyanobacteria Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) that have impacted the lake’s upper reservoir tributaries.
Purpose Of The Funding
The main goal of the Phosphorus Remediation Program (PRP) is to lower the amount of phosphorus in the upper branches of Lake Anna—specifically the North Anna River, Pamunkey Creek, and Terry’s Run—and keep it at a safe, healthy level. We know that harmful algae, known as cyanobacteria, grow out of control when there is too much phosphorus and nitrogen in the water and the mud at the bottom of the lake. Because these areas have historically had too much of this algae “junk food,” the program is working to clean it up. By removing these excess nutrients, the PRP hopes to stop the harmful blooms and bring the lake’s ecosystem back to a safe, natural balance.
Year 1 Progress Update
Building off a highly successful Concept Development Phase, the PRP recently concluded its first official year of operations utilizing $750,000 in fiscal year 20225 state funding. Working with the environmental firm EutroPHIX, the program focused on sediment phosphorus inactivation in critical treatment areas alongside automated nutrient monitoring of the incoming water supply.
During Year 1, 56,000 pounds of EutroSORB G—a lanthanum-modified bentonite product that binds and permanently inactivates sediment phosphorus—was applied to a 600-acre area in the upper North Anna River. This raised the total applied dose in that tributary to approximately 18% of the estimated requirement. Concurrently, 82,000 pounds of the product was applied to a 470-acre area in Pamunkey Creek, achieving about 8% of its required total dosing. Together, these treatments successfully inactivated 2,760 pounds of phosphorus in the sediment.
The total Year 1 execution costs reached $791,200. This fully utilized the state appropriation and drew $41,200 from the program’s management reserve to maintain field lab operations and support ongoing water quality monitoring through the summer. Notably, the LAAC has committed to performing these remediations at a slow and measured pace to avoid “shocking” the local fishery and the surrounding environment.
Execution Priority For Year 2
Looking ahead to Year 2, the LAAC has established a clear, strategic execution priority for the newly secured $750,000 FY27 funding: maximizing the environmental impact on the North Anna River.
The immediate goal is to increase the dosing percentage in the North Anna River tributary to a minimum of 30%. Based on historical treatment data across multiple U.S. lakes, achieving a 30% total dosing rate is modeled to result in an approximate 70% reduction in total phosphorus in that specific tributary.
Because the available state funding is capped at $750,000 for the fiscal year, dedicating these resources to achieve this major threshold in the North Anna River means that further sediment treatments in Pamunkey Creek and Terry’s Run will be scheduled for Years 3, 4, and 5 of the program. This phased approach ensures that remediation efforts are highly effective where applied, rather than diluting the treatments and extending the timeline for visible water quality improvements.
As the PRP moves into its second year, the LAAC continues to actively manage program risks and work alongside local, state, and federal officials to secure the ongoing resources necessary to protect the long-term health of the Lake Anna watershed.
