By Dr. Mervin Brown

Pond aeration improves water quality by maintaining good dissolved oxygen levels in the water especially where oxygen is really needed... at the bottom.

Pond and lake bed aeration adds oxygen to all of the water, including the bottom. This is very important because once the lake or pond has oxygen near the bottom, new insect larvae, snails, and other fish food can begin to live there.

Bottom aeration is simply using an air compressing windmill or an electric aerator to pump through an air line attached to an aeration stone which is then placed on the bottom of the pond. The rising air bubbles from the aeration stone release oxygen in the waterÊand brings oxygen-poor bottom water to the surface where it is exposed to the atmosphere.

Thus, large volumes of water brought to the surface by the rising air bubbles lose poisonous gasses to the atmosphere and pick up more oxygen while on the

surface. ÊAeration speeds up the process of oxidizing or burning up the pollution in the water. The result is fresh, sparkling clear, sweet-smelling water which supports abundant fish life, free from excessive algae and weeds.

REDUCE ALGAE - Aeration reduces algae growth by removing its food (nutrients) Ð Nitrogen, ammonia, and soluble phosphates are driven into the surface air and out of the pond. Iron and manganese are oxidized and drop out of solution to the bottom of the pond. Once oxidation of these metals begin, they don't go back into solution. Aeration increases aerobic bacteria which eat the other nutrients on which algae and weeds need to grow. The aerobic bacteria eat these nutrients before the weeds and the algae can... Forcing it to starve and die.

Aerobic bacteria are the good guys: They breathe oxygen and exhale CO2 like us. They have a TREMENDOUS appetite eating anything organic very quickly. The aerobic bacteria begin to eat the organic sediment at the bottom of the pond and will continue to eat it as long as they are given oxygen.

Aeration also works for de-icing a winter pond. Moving water won't freeze so there remains a 20' diameter of ice free water above the air stone. The more aeration in the winter, the less algae in the summer.

For windmills, we recommend a 12 foot tower. Tower leg extensions of four foot are available making a 16 foot and 20 foot tower if needed.

Aeration Stone: We recommend that you put some gravel in the bottom of a five gallon bucket, and place the aeration stone on top of the gravel. Attach a cord and float securely to the bucket and lower the aeration stone and the bucket into the water. Use the cord/float for retrieval and repositioning if needed.

AERATION in well water storage tanks removes iron, manganese, zinc and other metals through oxidation and precipitation. Metals are oxidized and drop out of suspension because they become heavier.

AERATION removes sulfur and other poisonous gases (methane, ammonia, nitrogen) by phase distribution. SO2 and other gasses are more soluble in air than water so are transferred to the rising air bubbles and then to the atmosphere via a tank vent. AERATION: removes hydrogen sulfide and anaerobic bacteria which produces methane. AERATION: leaves all beneficial minerals intact Ð removes only metals, phosphates and gasses.

For more information, contact Malibu Water Resources, 800-490-9170: Fax 310-457-4298:..

A Guide to Healthy Drinking Water : "All You Need To Know About The Water You Drink" In actuality, this book is written for the general public as well as the drinking water suppliers and professionals. However, It will also serve as research tool to water drinking water quality students, engineers, and instructors, nurses, and hospital care professionals. This book will also help water and wastewater treatment facilities who are concerned about chemicals in their water. The book is well organized to contain all and beyond, the USEPA lists of microbes, inorganic chemicals, organic chemicals, and radioactivity required to be tested by the water suppliers, who must report the test results to their customers annually in the Annual Water Quality Report (AWQR) or Consumer Confident Report (CCR). Several commercially popular bottled drinking waters were analyzed for the presence of contaminats. The reslts are discussed in the text.