This story ran in our paper this morning.
About a pond in our area.
An algae treatment not on the list.
What do you all think?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pond scum no match for Corps

This story was published Tuesday, September 23rd, 2003
By John Stang Herald staff writer

Pond scum? We don't need no stinkin' pond scum.
So says the Army Corps of Engineers, which has used some high-tech gadgetry to
jazz up algae-eating microbes in a formerly funky smelling pond at Pasco's
Riverview Park.
The 7-acre Corps holding pond at the southern end of Pasco's 18th Avenue next
to the Columbia River had accumulated an almost impenetrable 3- to 4-inch-thick
layer of algae and other yucky green stuff on top.
The pond is designed to collect runoff water from yards, fields and businesses
between the blue and cable bridges. A Corps pump then sends the water into the
Columbia River.

The pond has been doing its job for about 50 years. But during that time, it
also has collected significant amounts of phosphates and nitrates from
fertilizers used in nearby yards and industry.
For decades, the algae has grown, ever wider and thicker.
The pond's entire surface had become covered with a layer of algae so thick
that a flat-bottomed johnboat could not be pushed through it.
Since the sun could not penetrate, life in the 3 to 5 feet of water beneath the
algae became sluggish.
Gary Snyder, head of Clean Water Research and Technology of Spokane, described
the subsurface world as a can of soda that had been opened and left to sit for
a long time. The carbonated bubbles fizzle away, leaving a flat liquid.
In the pond's case, oxygen bubbled away, and the pond's minnows and bluegill
became lethargic. The birds that preyed on them lost interest.
And as the microbes that eat algae became almost dormant, layers of
ever-thickening algae stagnated and decayed.
And stunk big time -- enough to routinely send rotting vegetation smells to the
nearby ballfields, homes and businesses.
People complained to the Corps about the smell, said Jimmie Brown,
environmental compliance coordinator for the Corps' Walla Walla district.
The Corps tried ways to circulate air through the pond, but nothing worked.
Finally, the Corps contracted with Clean Water Research and Technology to use a
device called a water resonator.
The small solar-powered resonator -- which is mounted on a raft -- knocks loose
the hydrogen atoms that were left from former water molecules. Those had
latched onto water molecules, preventing any more oxygen from escaping.
The resonator enables enough oxygen to escape from the water molecules for the
dormant microbes to become peppy and start munching on algae.
On Monday, after four weeks of treatment, most of the surface algae was gone.
The Corps has decided to keep the resonator in place for two more weeks.
Meanwhile, the minnows and blue gill have become lively again, and river
otters, pelicans and herons have returned to hunt the fish.
"The place is now teeming with wildlife," Brown said.

k30a
and the watergardening labradors
http://www.geocities.com/watergarden...dors/home.html

Not seeing any response to this article forewarns the following sentence:

Did this go beyond rec.ponders thinking abilities, as was it zzzzoom, over
the head? smirkjust kidding!really! ;o)

K30 you might remember a somewhat-spammer to the group several years ago
who sold big aerators? I guess his product has proven itself, just like our
filters, they do a much better job the more air the bio-bugs, that work
aerobically, perform, produce and thrive. Big aerators on sewer treatment
plants have been used for I don't know how many years, too.

What can rec.ponders learn from this? I'd say one point is, if your filter
isn't working up to par, prior to rebuilding, a big air stone directly
inside it or a skimmer might be enough to help. ~ jan

On 23 Sep 2003 14:20:29 GMT, ESPMER (K30a) wrote:

This story ran in our paper this morning.
About a pond in our area.
An algae treatment not on the list.
What do you all think?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~

Pond scum no match for Corps

This story was published Tuesday, September 23rd, 2003
By John Stang Herald staff writer

Pond scum? We don't need no stinkin' pond scum.
So says the Army Corps of Engineers, which has used some high-tech gadgetry to
jazz up algae-eating microbes in a formerly funky smelling pond at Pasco's
Riverview Park.
The 7-acre Corps holding pond at the southern end of Pasco's 18th Avenue next
to the Columbia River had accumulated an almost impenetrable 3- to 4-inch-thick
layer of algae and other yucky green stuff on top.
The pond is designed to collect runoff water from yards, fields and businesses
between the blue and cable bridges. A Corps pump then sends the water into the
Columbia River.

The pond has been doing its job for about 50 years. But during that time, it
also has collected significant amounts of phosphates and nitrates from
fertilizers used in nearby yards and industry.
For decades, the algae has grown, ever wider and thicker.
The pond's entire surface had become covered with a layer of algae so thick
that a flat-bottomed johnboat could not be pushed through it.
Since the sun could not penetrate, life in the 3 to 5 feet of water beneath the
algae became sluggish.
Gary Snyder, head of Clean Water Research and Technology of Spokane, described
the subsurface world as a can of soda that had been opened and left to sit for
a long time. The carbonated bubbles fizzle away, leaving a flat liquid.
In the pond's case, oxygen bubbled away, and the pond's minnows and bluegill
became lethargic. The birds that preyed on them lost interest.
And as the microbes that eat algae became almost dormant, layers of
ever-thickening algae stagnated and decayed.
And stunk big time -- enough to routinely send rotting vegetation smells to the
nearby ballfields, homes and businesses.
People complained to the Corps about the smell, said Jimmie Brown,
environmental compliance coordinator for the Corps' Walla Walla district.
The Corps tried ways to circulate air through the pond, but nothing worked.
Finally, the Corps contracted with Clean Water Research and Technology to use a
device called a water resonator.
The small solar-powered resonator -- which is mounted on a raft -- knocks loose
the hydrogen atoms that were left from former water molecules. Those had
latched onto water molecules, preventing any more oxygen from escaping.
The resonator enables enough oxygen to escape from the water molecules for the
dormant microbes to become peppy and start munching on algae.
On Monday, after four weeks of treatment, most of the surface algae was gone.
The Corps has decided to keep the resonator in place for two more weeks.
Meanwhile, the minnows and blue gill have become lively again, and river
otters, pelicans and herons have returned to hunt the fish.
"The place is now teeming with wildlife," Brown said.

k30a
and the watergardening labradors
http://www.geocities.com/watergarden...dors/home.html


See my ponds and filter design:
http://users.owt.com/jjspond/

~Keep 'em Wet!~
Tri-Cities WA Zone 7a
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