A group of McIntosh High School students that has been monitoring water quality near the dam for Lake Kedron is worried about a possible red algae bloom that may have killed off some of the aquatic life normally found in the water.

The students, who are working with City Engineer David Borkowski on the problem, asked the Peachtree City Council Thursday night for help from a consultant to determine why the problem happened. The city is working with its engineering consultants and local biologist Dennis Chase on the matter, he added.

Borkowski said the problem could be due to heavy rain washing fertilizer into the lake, and if that’s the case it will take public education to prevent it from happening again. Homeowners shouldn’t fertilize their lawn before it’s supposed to rain, Borkowski said.

There are 44 McIntosh students involved in the Adopt a Stream program, some of whom have been involved since its inception three years ago, said MHS teacher Mike DeLisle. The program began as a way to get students more involved in real-life science situations, DeLisle said.

Borkowski said he appreciates the students’ efforts as they can notify the city quickly about any problems with local streams.

The students have been using equipment donated by the Peachtree City Rotary Club and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, and they are about to start using new equipment to improve the stream monitoring.

Chase said the new equipment will allow for tests that would indicate whether fertilizer pollution causes problems with the water.

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