Where ever there’s water, there’s a need to keep it healthy and in good quality. The water contained in supply reservoirs and other holding areas is no different and needs to be monitored closely as it can easily become dirty, contaminated or otherwise unusable. With the help of our full line of water aeration products, Kasco has the solution and expertise you need to keep the water at your intake level clean.

Irrigation ponds, water supply reservoirs, industrial process holding ponds and other water containment reservoirs are often equipped with an intake pipe servicing a wet well where water is collected then distributed via pump for the relative use. Typically, these intakes are in the lower depths of the pond to ensure adequate supply even when pond levels recede.

Potential Water Quality Risks

There is a water quality risk here related to stratification of water bodies. Water cycles through seasons with differing density layers. In the summer, the warmest water is at the surface and the cooler water is at the bottom. These layers are separated by a thermocline. The upper layer has healthier amounts of dissolved oxygen and the lower levels can become anaerobic and develop Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S). This can manifest itself in sulphur/rotten egg smell of the water. If you have ever wandered into a pond or lake and stirred up the muck from the bottom, you have likely experienced this phenomenon first hand.

Irrigation water low in dissolved oxygen can rob plants of oxygen through the root system and diminish oxygen levels in soil. In municipal and industrial applications, the potential for H2S can be a health hazard. These conditions can have an adverse effect on plant health and/or the health of workers. Subsequently, if you are pulling water from below the thermocline, you are drawing the lowest dissolved oxygen water and the poorest quality of water available to you.

How Aeration Can Help

Mixing the water from bottom to top will achieve a consistent quality throughout the water column, rid your pond of those problematic anaerobic zones, and provide your intake with much healthier water. The chart below illustrates what mixing the water can do for temperature and dissolved oxygen throughout the water column.

Mixing Results from a Case Study

The table below shows how quickly Robust-Aire was able to mix and unify the water’s temperature. The data was taken on May 29th, after only 4 hours of using Robust-Aire, and after 1 day of using Robust-Aire. After just 1 day, the water was a consistent 63 degrees from .3 ft. to 12 ft. with a D.O. level spanning 7.48 mg/l  to 7.7 mg/l. If you’re looking for ways to improve the water entering your intake, mixing is the best first step you can take. Contact Kasco today and discuss with our staff of experts what you can do to de-stratify and thoroughly mix your irrigation, municipal or industrial reservoir.