BrookMeadows Brook Meadows
The Official Publication of the Brook Meadows Homeowner's Association Volume 7, Number 7
www.brookmeadows.org
The Black Algae Plague ! It's swimming season, and with the warmer water comes another of our annual pestilences: Algae. That's right, it's not enough to have moles in our yards, and Rose Rosette disease on our flowers, we now have to put up with with these little critters that feast on the biological debris in our pools. For some of us, it's worse, for in addition to the ever present threat of yellow algae, we are fighting the worst of the worst: Black Algae. If you don't have it, consider yourself lucky (and don't look too closely either), for black algae is by far the hardest form of this pest family to eradicate. Anyone see the movie Alien? Yep, that's about the size of it. Treatment options, are, realistically, prevention, like don't swim in a lake then use the same swim suit in your pool....ever. Over the last five years, we have tried every treatment, with the exception of one - a strong mixture of ammonia and bleach, which created visions of a World War I chlorine gas attack. Realizing that our neighbors would never find their gas masks in these enormous attics, we passed on the chance to create the 4th battle of Ypres. Copper based algaecides? Been there, done that, and got a messed up filter to boot. Super shocking? Yawn. Drain the pool and treat with acid? Yup. Copper Ions? Yeah baby. We even resurfaced the pool, only to have the the little spelunkers find their way to the new surface. So the latest experiment, and a pricey one at that, is an ultrasound device made in the Netherlands. The idea is that the sound transmissions from the device cause the cell walls to weaken, sort of like putting them in the microwave (if only!) So far, so good - so far. If we can't kill the little buggers, at least we will be able to tell what sex they are! And heh maybe it will annoy the moles!
Copyright Š 2012 Peel, Inc.
July 2012
Brook Meadows Neighborly News Do you have things you would like to share with your neighbors? Here’s the place. Simply send an email to the newsletter publisher (shelleyhaaker@yahoo.com) and we will schedule it in the next issue. Thanks to JoCarol for our first submission. NEWS FROM THE HAYNES FAMILY.
Paige just graduated from Wake Forest University in WinstonSalem N.C., Cum Laude, with a degree in Political Science and a double minor in International Studies and Spanish. She wants to go into the State Dept. or diplomatic corps with a focus on Eastern Europe. After backpacking through Croatia, Hungary and the Ukraine, she starts a 6 month internship in Washington DC. Lindsey just celebrated her one year wedding anniversary and is working in New York at the bridal company 57 Grand, where she is designing, manages production and is in charge of their wedding blog/online store called www.revel-blog.com. One of her designs is in the current issue of The Knot magazine. Her groom has a position at PriceWaterhouseCoopers.
Brook Meadows 2012 Graduates HIGH SCHOOL
Lauren Andre David Dunkel Chanel van Eeden
COLLEGE Neil Anderson David Aue Robert Haaker Melanie Harrell Paige Haynes Katelin McSweeney Amanda Rice Katherine Smart Brook Meadows Homeowner's Association Newsletter - July 2012
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