Sometimes plans change. Setting out on a monthly patrol to do our part towards keeping the Marina Reservoir clean of man-made litter, our 3-person team returned with 17kg of bottles (glass and plastic), cans, plastics, and styrofoam, but only after disposing of 30kg of algae with the public cleaners. Kayak patrols have the advantage of being able to go into shallower waters than the cleaners' powerboats, thus our support was appreciated. While some algae is necessary, excess algae is not desirable. Aside from potentially harming wildlife, excess algae can suppress aquatic life, and release toxic chemical into the water. Factors that contribute to excessive algae growth include introduction of nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen compounds into the water body and increasing temperature. Climate change is potentially the biggest contributor to the increased amounts of algae in our reservoirs.