Lake aeration is a critical component of many lake management plans. It helps maintain water quality, increase fish population and reduce mosquito populations. Lake aeration also destratifies the layers that form in lakes and ponds due to changes in water temperatures. This reduces stratification and allows oxygen to be distributed more evenly throughout the water.
Improves Water Quality
Water quality in lakes and ponds can be improved by adding oxygen. Oxygen is essential to the healthy growth of plants, algae, and fish that require high dissolved oxygen levels. Under oxygen-deprived conditions, bottom sediments release toxic gases and metals that can cause water quality problems. Proper lake aeration allows these contaminants to be released at the oxygen-water interface, reducing many factors contributing to poor water quality. Aeration systems also improve water circulation and increase dissolved oxygen levels by destratifying or mixing the separated layers of the lake. This destratification process allows cooler oxygen-rich water to be distributed into areas of warmer water and lower dissolved oxygen levels, improving the habitat for fish and other organisms that fish prey on.
Increases Fish Population
Lake aeration is a vital water-management tool for maintaining and increasing fish populations in a lake or pond. Aerators remove aerated muck, reduce algae growth and create an optimal habitat for fish to thrive in.
Another benefit of aeration is the reduction of Phosphorus (P) concentrations in ponds. Aeration accomplishes this by using an oxidation reaction which causes the phosphorus to bind with naturally occurring iron, and once this occurs, it becomes unavailable for plant and algae growth.
Reduces Mosquitoes
Aeration in pond water keeps the surface moving, making it inhospitable to mosquito egg-laying. The agitation also disrupts the surface tension on top of the water, making it more difficult for mosquito larvae to find their way to the top and hatch eggs laid there. Lake aeration can also help prevent winterkill of fish and improve water quality. Diffused aeration helps keep the water oxygenated, which reduces stratification that causes algae blooms and fish kills. The added dissolved oxygen from an aeration system also converts phosphorus in the water into forms that algae cannot use for food. Algae growth is discouraged by aeration and can often be eliminated through regular pond maintenance. Other methods of reducing mosquito populations include stocking predacious minnows that naturally feed on mosquito larvae and dragonflies that eat them as adults. Vegetation attracting dragonflies, such as pickerelweed, arrowhead, iris and rush, can also benefit lakes and ponds.
Reduces Stratification
Lake aeration is a natural process of adding oxygen to the water to improve the natural ecosystem’s appearance and health underneath the surface. Without this, a lake can become stratified with separate layers of different temperatures and oxygen levels. Stratification is caused by the difference in the density of water, with colder water near the surface and warmer water in deeper areas. It can be problematic for aquatic life and, in some cases, even lead to fish kills. An aeration system in your lake will eliminate the stratified layers and circulate the water. This allows for easier dissolved oxygen distribution and prevents a mass fish kill from occurring.