The applications of Phoslock on impounded sections of the Canning and Vasse Rivers in 2000 / 2001 by the Western Australian Water and Rivers Commission, the Swan River Trust and CSIRO Land and Water were the first full scale applications of Phoslock and were undertaken as trials during the development of Phoslock to determine whether the application of Phoslock could significantly reduce the bio-availability of phosphorus in the water column and sediments of these rivers.

The Canning River application involved the application of 40 tonnes of Phoslock to an 800m section of the river in January 2000, while the Vasse River was treated within an initial application of 20 tonnes of Phoslock on a 650m section during October 2001, followed by two subsequent applications of 10 tonnes each in December 2001 and January 2002.

The applications resulted in reductions in phosphorus concentrations in the water column to below detection limits and substantial reductions in phosphorus efflux from sediments during the course of the trials. A reduction in phytoplankton growth was also clearly evident in the phytoplankton dominated Vasse River. The results from the applications are contained in the downloadable documents presented on this page.

An additional application of 50 tonnes of Phoslock on the Canning River was undertaken by the Western Australian State Government in February 2010.