Lake, reservoirs, and pond owners benefit as ultrasound provides an environmentally and non-chemical way to treat large bodies of water. The largest unit is capable of covering as much as 31 acres for blue-green algae types.  It is always recommended to cover the entire body of water the ultrasound waves for the most effective results.   Large lakes and reservoirs typically require multiple units to be deployed based on the shape and type of algae present.   Many Home Owner Associations find their members have a high interest in being “green” and will do what’s required for a healthy lake.

Oddly enough, the danger to aquatic ecosystems more often stems from too much of a good thing! That good thing is nutrient enrichment, or eutrophication. Eutrophication is the change that occurs in a water body when it receives excessive amounts of otherwise limiting nutrients, sparking rampant growth of algae and other aquatic plants.

For a time this algae bloom appears to be a healthy development: oxygen becomes abundant and plenty of energy moves through the food web. But the picnic is soon over, especially in warm or stagnant water. Algae proliferate to form an unattractive and often smelly scum on the surface, blocking light from reaching the fish and plants which need sunlight to survive. Eventually the mass of algae dies and sinks to the bottom, where this new flood of organic matter feeds a surge in bacteria and other decomposers.

Increased decomposition quickly exhausts the oxygen in the lower layers, causing some of these same populations to collapse. In the absence of oxygen, a different type of decomposer takes over - a kind that breaks down into products like methane and hydrogen sulfide instead of water. The noxious chemicals can kill many aquatic animals. Eutrophication will reduce the diversity of organisms in a lake or pond and produce fish kills.

Generally speaking the age of your lake or pond will determine how much of an issue you have with aquatic weeds, grasses, and other plant life such as cattails. Algae blooms can appear practically overnight as the total nutrient load is now too great. An additional overload of nutrients are entering your water from all types of fertilizers used on lawns, or from nearby golf courses and farms, or from excess phosphates entering your pond from the incoming water source.

This was a time when chemical products typically were the only solution to remove the nuisance algae blooms or pervasive weeds. Applying large chemical loads to a lake or reservoir is extremely costly and difficult to implement. A chemical application is only a short term fix and unfortunately drops the oxygen levels in your water very quickly and dramatically – basically choking your fish and plants. Chemicals typically also kill the aerobic and anaerobic bacteria a healthy pond needs to consume the nutrient load. Chemicals have a residual effect and can be active in your water for as long as 30-90 days. If there is a consistent flow through your pond or lake, the chemicals you applied could flow out of the pond sooner than you intended into a preserved estuary, a natural marsh, or into our shared streams, lakes or rivers.

Implementing a healthy ecological “green” pond or lake management plan early will help your community avoid the difficulties one would experience with older non-cared for ponds and lakes. If your water environment has reached a difficult stage, you can correct your issues in an environmentally friendly way. One must take the steps to allow Mother Nature to do her job – but bear in mind your water did not get in bad condition overnight – and an ecological green approach is slower to bring it back into balance. If you would like to eliminate chemicals from your lake or pond management plan, take this 3 pronged approach to work in combination with Mother Nature.

1. Install an aeration system to keep a consistent level of oxygen throughout your pond. Bottom aeration, surface aeration, or an aerating fountain will keep the necessary oxygen levels throughout your pond and for fish to have healthy respiratory systems.
2. An aeration system de-stratifies your pond by turning over the entire water column and cooling the water. A stratified stagnant body of water is hot on the surface and forms layers with the coolest temperature on the bottom. The hot surface promotes algae blooms.
3. Utilize a pond dye to shade your pond from intense UV rays and lower the overall temperature of the pond. Shallow ponds especially fall victim to algae blooms when the waters surface temperature is high. Pond dyes are available in blue or black.
4. Install an ultrasound algae control transducer to kill the majority of algae types that are prone to bloom in your pond. Ultrasound for algae control is a state of the art technology and is quickly emerging as a sound and reliable solution. Ultrasound also is effective in stimulating the transfer of nutrients in and out of bacteria cells which will increase the rate in which decomposition happens and even reduce sludge levels in the pond.
5. Add beneficial bacteria to your pond to consume the nutrients and consume suspended solids in the pond. Bear in mind that bacteria breathe oxygen. Adding beneficial bacteria to a pond must be coupled with aeration to provide proper oxygen levels for the bacteria to consume.
6. Stocking various breeds of fish in your pond will provide the answer to excessive aquatic weeds or algae as the breeds are known to eat weeds and algae as their main source of food.
7. Allow for a natural plant life buffer to surround your pond which will slow down the nutrient load entering your pond from rain and run off. If you do mow your lawn up to the edge of the pond, try to mow so that the glass clippings are collected in a bag or blown away from the ponds edge so they do not enter the pond.

Once these principals are implemented you can easily manage your pond or lake and have a healthy ecosystem for your fish and aquatic plants for many years. We all need to cooperate with Mother Nature by using sound principals to manage our water. Chemicals are temporary and a reduction in use in even one body of water will eventually add up to quite a difference in our shared water resource. “Green” pond management is the right thing to do! Call us Today!