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Pond and Lake Aeration Systems: Bringing Balance
by
Richard Dennis
The role of pond and lake aeration systems is to bring balance to the dissolved oxygen (DO) levels and temperatures throughout the water column. All too often, when warm summer months kick in, you ll find green slimy masses of algae taking over beautiful water features, and sometimes even large reservoirs. Without an aeration system, the stagnant water will cause problems such as excessive algae.
As the water quality worsens, it can start to become cloudy, murky and very smelly due to the release of anaerobic gasses. This situation can also cause health and environmental issues such as fish kills and high levels of human pathogens. It is imperative to keep good circulation in any water feature.
Pond and Lake Aeration Systems: Bringing Balance
Although the symptoms of low oxygen reveal themselves as algae, odors, sludge and generally poor water quality, the true problem is high nutrients and low dissolved oxygen levels. While it may be tempting to try adding chemicals, such as copper sulfate, that are known to be effective in killing algae, that would not be addressing the cause of the algae blooms. Furthermore, continual use of algaecides will only perpetuate and worsen the problem over time. Pond and lake aeration, on the other hand, treats the problem at its source.
Aeration systems do not actually kill the algae, but instead produce an ecological balance, which discourages the conditions in which the algae blooms occur. In the presence of at least 2 parts per million (PPM) of DO, new communities of bacteria will begin to thrive and multiply. When these aerobic bacteria are established, they consume nutrients about three times faster than algae can, thereby starving the algae of nutrients. Furthermore as these bacteria grow and multiply, they become natural fish food. In this way an aeration system helps convert organic pollutants into equitable biomass rather than algae. On the same note, aeration is a great way to optimize bioremediation projects.
However, the role of an aeration system is not to simply inject air into the water. An effective aeration system will also break up thermal stratification by circulating the entire water column, bottom to top, several times per day. This is important because thermal stratification acts as a physical and chemical barrier for both water treatment and aquatic habitat. By homogenizing the temperatures and DO levels we create an aquatic environment that delivers oxygen to the aforementioned bacteria in the sludge and expands habitat for larger aquatic organisms.
Once the water is properly aerated, the serious problems like odors and fish kills will clear quickly. Over time the ecosystem will stabilize and the occurrence of large algae blooms will subside and the overall health of the system will be greatly enhanced for both the aquatic organisms and us humans.
The EP Aeration Difference
We at EP Aeration use no chemicals and offer low-energy, environmentally friendly pond and lake aeration systems. We also use Laminar Flow Technology and have many successful years of business under our hard hats. Please contact one of our experts today for more details at EP Aeration.
EP Aeration:
E P AERATION has devoted its more than 40 years of collective experience in water treatment, ozone generation, and land management to developing a product and service line which can address almost any water quality problem. From bottom-laid, fine-bubble aeration/ozonation systems for lakes, ponds, reservoirs and large water features, to ozone systems for use in recirculation/closed-loop treatment systems, to wastewater treatment, and a full line of supplementary products (such as bio-remediation through bacteria, and shade products to limit the penetration of sunlight).
E P AERATION has the solution for your water problems. The company also draws on technical and engineering expertise from a number of corporate associates. For more information, please visit EP Aeration.
By Richard Dennis, Director of Sales/Technical ConsultantEP Aerationhttp://www.epaeration.com
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Pond and Lake Aeration Systems: Bringing Balance