 | The
Pond
Common problems and natural conditions affecting
water quality
Sometimes a pond, either an existing natural basin or a pond that has been constructed
on your property, begins to show signs of ill-health. Odors, poor quality water,
sludge buildup or fish kills can be warning signs that the natural balance of
the pond has been disrupted. Often the factors that cause such decay are natural
ones; a very hot dry season where the water level drops significantly can initiate
changes that will only become more pronounced as time goes on unless action is
taken. Or a very wet season may distribute high levels of organic materials from
the shoreline into the pond which can create decomposing materials that consume
high levels of oxygen.
Unsightly sludge can build up in the pond bottom
and oxygen emitting aquatic plants can be suffocated in murky water which leads
to algae blooms which disturb the pond's well being. With a pond filling up with
organic deposits and sediments people will tend to think the best solution is
dredging the pond but there are other more cost effective ways to reduce and reverse
the process and restore the pond or lake. Re-digging a pond is only a temporary
solution as these problematic sediments and thick offensive sludge are only a
symptom of a pond needing aeration. Adding an aeration system to your pond or
basin will resolve a number of discouraging problems.
The
Eutrophic Pond
Without proper aeration a pond can age and die prematurely
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Aquatic life is extremely
dependent on water quality and condition. In order to survive, all organisms that
populate ponds, waterways and basins require specific levels of varying nutrients.
The most crucial of these is oxygen. The
level of oxygen in a pond can be depleted by excesses of certain algae or by increased
levels of pollutants or organic runoff that can chemically react and decrease
the levels of available oxygen for beneficial organisms such as fish and the aquatic
plants which can help feed the fish food. As levels of oxygen decrease it becomes
difficult and then impossible for living organisms to survive and this can leads
to the pond becoming completely eutrophic. This will lead to the death of a lake
or pond.
Blooms of blue-green algae, a type of phytoplankton, often appear
in the spring and fall when nutrient conditions are high. Water that is rich in
nutrients from runoff or other natural sources and even pollution will stimulate
growth rates and the rapidly reproducing blue-green algae gives the pond a murky
pea-soup appearance. As these tiny organisms breathe and during their death and
decay they use up oxygen that can result in fish kills and death of other life
in the pond.
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Adding
Aeration to a Pond or Lake
The
best method to control water quality and algae
We offer two types of aeration systems. Our electric aeration systems have
diffuser assemblies of various sizes and compressors in multiple formats to aerate
ponds and lakes from as small as half an acre to as large as 8 acres. Our other
system is powered by a lightweight, sturdy and attractive looking 12 or 20 foot
windmill.
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A windmill,
with it's self-sufficiency and majestic nostalgia,
can drive the compressor
which pumps pressurized air to the
diffusers which are easily placed on the
pond floor.
In areas where insufficient wind is available or constant aeration
is required
an electrically powered aeration system is recommended.
Electric
systems provide continuous, efficient aeration at all times. |
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Does
higher quality mean higher cost?
Old-style aeration systems versus modern products
Vertex line of complete aeration systems
Linear
aeration for shallow ponds
Our sizing chart and pond size calculator can help choose
the system right for your pond
Read more about our windmills
How
changing seasons affect the pond
A pond without aeration will go
through very predictable stages throughout the seasons. We have outlined some
of the processes that take place during a year and you will see how aeration can
help your pond.
In
the spring, as the snow melts and the temperature rises with the longer hours
of sunshine, several processes can begin in your pond that may lead to the degradation
of your basins quality. If the pond is not aerated the water temperature tends
to remain at a uniform level. The rising water column creating by the bubbling
diffuser of an aerator will help to circulate and mix the pond water. Without
the churning action of an aerator the water can only be lightly mixed by wind
across the surface and even this only affects the top levels of the pond. Lower
levels remain untouched and the temperature tends to remain constant. The spring
runoff begins to deposit plant nutrients and organic sediments from the shoreline
which settle in the pond. With no circulation in the basin these sediments simply
collect in the depths of the pond and begin decomposing.
Over time
with the oncoming summer you may see these plant nutrients begin to encourage
a rapid growth of algae. With no aeration to assist the wind in circulating the
pond water, the suns rays will warm only the upper levels of the pond and this
warm water will float on the colder deeper water. Now the un-aerated pond is started
to develop a surface algae bloom which restricts the penetration of light rays
to the top few feet of the pond so the oxygen producing beneficial bottom-rooted
plant life can only grow around the edges of the pond where light can reach them.
They water is beginning to lack oxygen and large amounts of algae die and settle
to the bottom of the pond. An aeration system would keep the layers of the pond
in a constant slow mixing motion which prevent the surface algae from clouding
up and preventing the suns rays from helping grow the necessary oxygen delivering
plants.
This destructive cycle begins to worsen in the long hot days
of late summer as the green algae consumes all of what remains of the ponds
diminishing nitrogen supply and begin to die and sink to the bottom. The healthy
green algae is replaced by blue green algae which is undesirable for the pond.
Blue-green algae can grow without nitrogen and will soon dominate and over-power
the pond. The beneficial green algae which has died and settled to the bottom
of the pond begins to decompose using oxygen that cannot be replaced as there
is no aeration to introduce fresh oxygenating air bubbles from the bottom diffuser
station to keep the pond well mixed. With no cleansing agitation taking place
in the pond we find a layer of plant nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus
and such metals and manganese and iron to become trapped in a sedimentary sludge
on the pond floor. An aeration diffuser system(s) strategically placed on the
pond floor would have prevented this settling of noxious materials which now form
a layer of septic sludge and water of extremely poor quality.
Now
with autumn bringing lower temperatures to the pond, and with only the wind
to perform any water mixing and circulating we can only expect limited improvements
in the water quality. As the newer algae begins to die and sink to the bottom
they once again decompose and consume the available oxygen in the pond which,
because of no aeration, is severely limited.
Once winters cold
begins to allow ice to form on the pond only a minute amount of oxygen can actually
diffuse through the surface of ice which the decomposing algae in the pond are
constantly consuming and once again the detrimental layer of nutrients and metals
form an ever increasing layer of harmful sludge on the bottom. When the oxygen
supply is sufficiently reduced you will often notice a smell of hydrogen sulfide
(that rotten egg smell), taste and odor problems, unusually high fish kills, and
increasingly thick layers on the bottom of the pond. An aeration system will keep
the ice from completely closing over during the cold months and this continuous
addition of oxygenated bubbles during the winter enhances and promotes the natural
breathing of the pond. The water retains its clarity and the beneficial organisms
including healthy bottom rooted plants and cleansing algae will flourish and keep
the pond alive and the water quality high for bathing, drinking, swimming or any
appropriate use.
Sometimes a large pond that is in a poor state of health will require more
than just an aeration system. It is often recommended to combine aeration
with a bacterial therapy for your pond where beneficial bio-organisms are added
to the pond water at regular intervals while aeration is also introduced. This
two-step approach is highly effective and much less expensive than re-digging
the pond and does no damage to surrounding shorelines as re-excavating would.
Also, without the proper program for your pond, dredging must be done again and
again as the cycle of pond deterioration repeats itself over the years. The best
and cheapest results are obtained by adding aeration and treating the pond with
a natural bio-augmentation. Read more about our beneficial
bacteria
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Using
Ultrasound to kill algae
Creating
your custom aeration system
Kasco
Display Aerators
Our sizing chart and pond size calculator can help
choose the system right for your pond
Vertex line of complete aeration systems
Read
more about our windmills
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