Nature's Pond Care by Koenders Water Solutions Inc.

Jun
02
This article discusses how Nature’s Pond Care, powered by Koender’s Water Solutions can help municipalities with sewage lagoons, retention ponds, water reservoirs, recreation ponds and golf course ponds.

Sewage Lagoons

Many municipalities around the world rely on sewage lagoons to decompose waste. Population growth has many municipalities under pressure to not exceed their permitted sewage lagoon capacity levels. Other factors include changing legislation, aging infrastructure, and unusual weather. All of these factors are increasing the demand to upgrade and small communities are facing large expenditures and loss of their urban land area due to lagoon cell expansion. But there is a safe and affordable solution for municipal sewage lagoons that doesn’t involve improving or expanding the facility.

For close to 30 years we have been helping municipalities defer costly upgrades and expansions to their sewage lagoons. The solution to overcapacity is to speed up the process where waste is treated. There are two steps to increase waste treatment capacity with Natures Pond; bottom-up aeration and bio-augmentation.

Bacterial Breakdown

Bacteria play an important role in breaking down waste. The purpose of aeration is to change the bacteria culture to become aerobic. There are two types of bacteria; anaerobic and aerobic. Anaerobic are not efficient in breaking down waste. It dies in the presence of oxygen so it collects on the bottom of the body of water to avoid it. Aerobic bacteria need oxygen to survive. They use cellular respiration to convert oxygen into the energy they need to break down molecules.

Through the use of bottom up aeration, which infuses oxygen into the water, anaerobic bacteria are reduced and the aerobic bacteria can thrive; increasing the efficiency of waste breakdown in the lagoon.Lagoons that use aeration have seen an increase in the aerobic bacteria population. Containing up to ten times more than un-aerated lagoons. A study conducted by the CNRC measures the effects of Koenders Windmill Aeration Systems on a test lagoon with two chambers, one chamber is aerated and one is not in order to compare how effective aeration really is. The results of the test were:

  • A 54% increase in HAB levels during the aeration period.
  • The composition of the Test Lagoon was different between the pre-aeration and post-aeration periods for a wider range of parameters when compared to the Control Lagoon.
  • Aeration was significantly better at removing Ammonia-nitrogen and Total Nitrogen. Ammonia-nitrogen removal in the Test Lagoon was 67% compared to 37% removal in the Control Lagoon.
  • Total Nitrogen removal in the Test Lagoon (24%) was higher than the Control Lagoon (15%).

This study reinforces the CNRC report’s conclusion regarding the growth and establishment of a healthy aerobic bacterial community. They observed that aeration over winter also aids in the early establishment and growth of the aerobic bacterial community.

See study details here.

Bio-augmentation is the process of adding beneficial micro-organisms. Nature’s Pond Blend is a natural blend of bacteria and enzymes that, when added to sewage lagoons, speeds up the process even further. Aeration will provide an oxygenated environment that is suitable for bacteria, but bacteria replicate at different rates so it still may take awhile for the population to grow. By adding a special select group of beneficial bacteria that targets waste matter such as Nature’s Pond Blend does, a lagoon will not only provide more beneficial bacteria to consume waste matter but it will also excrete enzymes that will metabolize and break down organics, fats, oils and greases (FOG), a necessary step in speeding up the decomposition process of sewage lagoons and other bodies of water that have high levels of FOG and other waste matter.  

Retention Ponds

Storm water retention ponds are another body of water that municipalities are concerned with. When rain water flushes through streets and parking lots it can pick up unwanted nutrients, dangerous chemicals and substances along with it. When it washes down the storm drains and into the retention pond the water must be treated before it can be released. If not treated this water becomes a breeding ground for insects and mosquitos. They can also become smelly and over grown with algae and weeds. An unsightly retention pond is a poor reflection on the community so its water that needs to be treated.  However, the challenge is what is the best way to treat it.  How do we treat this water naturally in an environmentally friendly way, that is not only safe for the environment but is safe for the staff doing the treatments?

There is no need for use of toxic herbicides or algaecides, there is no need for applicators licenses and treatment professionals.  This solution is simple, natural and sustainable. The best way to return these to a healthy state is to use an all natural method. Aeration and Natures Pond Care products are once again the answer.

Aeration causes a similar effect on these retention ponds as the sewage lagoons; oxygenating the water to provide a better environment for bacteria to consume organic matter. The bottom up aeration can help prevent build up of sediments in the bottom of the pond that can otherwise be costly to remove with dredging machinery. And just like in the lagoons, Nature’s Pond Conditioner can reduce nutrient loads in the water so that clean and clear water can be returned to the environment and the retention pond is safe for the environment, wildlife, and people around it.

Aeration and Natures Pond Conditioner get to the root of the problem, not just masking it with costly chemicals. But, municipalities can go further to prevent problems with their retention ponds before they happen, preventing nutrients from entering the pond in the first place can help. Grass clippings, fertilizer runoff, and tree leaves all contribute to the contamination of the water. Preventing these substances from entering storm drains can prevent the retention pond from becoming overloaded with nutrients. 

Water Reservoirs

Reservoirs are used by municipalities to store raw water that feeds to the community treatment plant and used for drinking and household water. The reservoirs are in a natural state so the quality of the water is not easily controlled. If the reservoir water is not of the best quality it can affect the communities drinking water, making it foul smelling or tasting and a brownish colour. This is caused mainly by the contents of blue-green algae, manganese, and iron in the water. These elements can cause problems in the water treatment plant, leading to poor water quality reaching the homes of residents.

The best way to prevent this from happening is to aerate the water reservoir. Aeration prevents the sedimentation of manganese and iron because the bottom up motion prevents the water from stratifying temperatures. The increased oxygen levels support the good bacteria that break down and consume organic matter, reducing manganese and iron levels and blue-green algae growth.

The water we drink is of the utmost concern to municipalities, and by aerating reservoirs you can rest assured all is being done to ensure safety of the community. Koenders Water Solutions offers two different kinds of aeration systems that can support each community’s needs.  Some reservoirs are situated far outside of the community and does not have access to electricity. For this reason, Koenders Windmill aeration systems are perfect for these municipalities. Windmill energy is efficient, environmentally friendly, and cost effective; providing aeration to reservoirs using only the power of the wind. These windmills can operate even at wind speeds as low as 5km/h. but, for communities whose reservoirs have access to electricity, and may not receive as much wind, Koenders Electric Aerators are the solution. Energy efficient, economic, easy to operate, and quiet; Electric Aerators are reliable sources that can support any reservoir. 

Recreational Ponds and Municipal Owned Golf Courses

Municipalities are often responsible for the care of recreational ponds and lakes used for fishing and swimming by residents of the community. Similarly, many golf courses are municipal owned and have several ponds that require maintenance. Golf Courses are expected to be perfectly landscaped, but there is nothing worse than an unruly pond to ruin an image. Algae, weeds, and foul odours can be displeasing to the senses, and affect a customer’s experience; so, pond care for golf course ponds is extremely important.

Recreational lakes and ponds can make a community a desirable place to live or vacation. If a community has a clean and clear body of water, stocked with healthy fish and attracts wildlife, its considered a beautiful place to live. But if a body of water isn’t cared for properly, it can do more harm than good for the community. Algae, weeds, and foul odours that repel wildlife can be harmful to the ecosystem and an eyesore.

Unhealthy, untreated and stagnated ponds are also key breeding grounds for mosquitoes.  With Zika and West Nile virus at potentially epidemic levels its extremely important that communities take care of their water bodies so that these risks of mosquito born diseases are reduced in their areas.

These types of ponds can be treated naturally and effectively at minimal cost to the municipality. Nature’s Pond Care’s three-step program is ideal for ponds of all sizes and uses 100% natural ingredients.

Step 1: Nature’s Pond Conditioner, a natural blend of beneficial bacteria and enzymes along with Pond dyes and plant extracts can help break down and consume organic matter to reduce the amount of muck, sludge, and algae in the pond.

Step 2: Bottom up aeration will oxygenate the pond, providing a better environment for all living things within the water including bacteria and fish.

Step 3: Remove unwanted aquatic vegetation manually with a Cutter N’ Rake. Killing off weeds with chemicals is not effective; when the weeds die and sink to the bottom they create a layer of organic matter at the bottom of the pond. Simply removing it beforehand will eliminate any need for costly dredging removal.

By following these three steps municipal owned ponds can be revived naturally. Nature’s Pond three step program has been proven time and again by thousands of customers all over the world to improve the health and beauty of their ponds. 

Testimonials

See what real municipalities and customers that use Koender’s products have to say:

Government of Manitoba: “We installed 2 of your Koenders Windmill Aeration Systems over 10 years ago on 2 of our 3 sewage lagoons up in Thompson MB. Five years ago we installed a 3rd windmill aeration system for our #3 settling pond. These aeration systems have done an amazing job in speeding up the decomposition of organic matter coming into our primary and secondary lagoons. They aerate these ponds all year round during the freezing cold winters and extremely hot summers and the only maintenance that we have done on them is change out the maintenance kits which we were told is typical every 5-7 years. These units have been a huge assistance to us in managing these lagoons at a time when more and more people are moving into the area. Higher populations are putting larger demands on the sewage lagoons and these aeration systems have assisted us to keep up with these increased load demands.”

Royal Oaks Golf Course, Whitman Air, MO: “Golfers Love Our Windmill. We installed the Koenders Dual Diaphragm aeration windmill in 2012 to aerate a one and half acre pond at our golf course, it is 4ft deep on one side and 10ft on the other, so we just placed one airstone on each side of the pond and controlled the airflow with the 2-way selector valve to ensure sufficient oxygen reaches the entire pond. Before installing your windmill, we had fish kills and the pond was completely covered in Algae. Now with the Koenders windmill we haven’t had any fish kills and the pond is now clear. Golfers are always interested to see how well the windmill is working, especially when you get 10 mph and higher winds, it really starts bubbling.”

City of Prineville: “Since 1993 the City of Prineville has operated the Meadow Lakes Golf Course. This course is part of the City’s wastewater treatment plant and is used to dispose of treated effluent. The course contains 10 large ponds of treated effluent, providing a water hazard on all 18 holes. As the ponds contain treated wastewater in such close proximity to the public, the Department of Environmental Quality would not allow for water features to be used that would spray or aerate the water. Over the course of the last 18 years, the organic loading in the ponds has increased significantly. The ponds were originally designed is such a way that the naturally occurring bacteria would utilize dissolved oxygen to decompose this organic material. Unfortunately, the bacteria were unable to keep up with the organic loading and issues arose. At certain times of the year, the level of dissolved oxygen in the pond would reach zero and the bacteria would begin to use sulfate as an oxygen source for respiration. By consuming the oxygen atom from the sulfate molecule, hydrogen sulfide was produced and the golf course was overwhelmed with the classic “rotten egg” odors. The City recognized that the ponds needed to be aerated to prohibit the production of hydrogen sulfide and to clarify the water. However, there was no power source near the ponds to provide aeration and trenching miles of power lines through the turf and irrigation systems was not possible. The City teamed with Koenders windmills on a solution. By placing 5 separate windmill systems on various ponds, the City has cost effectively solved the problem. The windmills have now been working for 1.5 years and the hydrogen sulfide smell has not been an issue once. Also, water quality is slowly improving. Overall, Koenders Windmills have been a great, cost effective solution for the City of Prineville.”

 


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RENEW

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