Courtesy photo – Name this buoy! The Town of Berthoud is sponsoring a naming contest for this new buoy in Berthoud Reservoir.

Thanks to a grant awarded to the Town of Berthoud a new ultrasonic buoy has found a home in Berthoud Reservoir. The only problem is, it doesn’t have a name and that’s where the creativity of local school kids will come into play as the town is sponsoring a contest to dub the new technology.

The grant to purchase the LG Sonic buoy was awarded from the American Rescue Plan Act and Larimer County. The buoy will help control algae in the east cell of the Berthoud Reservoir. Now, the Town is looking to local elementary school students to come up with a name that captures its essence.

While many people enjoy walking, fishing, and paddle boarding around the west cell of the reservoir, the east cell holds the water that will eventually make its way into Berthoud’s homes.

Launched in June of this year, the solar-powered, ultrasonic buoy eliminates 95% of existing algae, predicts new blooms more than a week before they start, and sends real-time water quality reports to the Town’s water treatment plant. Because it sends out ultrasonic waves to knock down the algae, it clears the reservoir without harming bugs, fish, or humans.

Ken Matthews, director of water utilities with the Town of Berthoud says, “It’s an impressive feat of engineering that one little, self-contained buoy can make such a big impact on the quality of the drinking water for a whole town” He continues, “We’re hoping that by holding this contest, people will learn a little about the buoy floating out in the reservoir, and maybe inspire the next generation of water engineers.”

Area elementary students are asked to submit their most creative monikers at Berthoud.org. The winner, chosen by popular vote, will be invited to join the Berthoud Town Council meeting where the buoy will be officially named by town decree. A plaque announcing the name will be added to the fence surrounding the reservoir, and the winner’s picture will appear with the buoy in a future issue of InFocus, the Town’s monthly newsletter as well as appearing in the Berthoud Weekly Surveyor.

There are no formal rules to this contest, but there are guidelines including:

• The contest is open to all elementary school students (kindergarten through fifth grade), but parent/guardian permission is required to submit a name.
• The name should not be longer than 15 characters, so it fits nicely on a plaque.
• Please keep it clean.

August 20 is the deadline for submitting entries. Ten finalists will be chosen and listed for voting on the town’s website, Berthoud.org, and its Facebook page. Voting will end on August 27 and the winner will be notified by e-mail.