Recreational ponds, wastewater lagoons, fish grow-out ponds and small, shallow lakes have always exhibited the problem of organic matter collecting on the bottom and eventually becoming polluted. Wastewater lagoons are especially fraught with problems because their purpose is to clean the wastewater to the point that it can be released back into the environment. Over the years many different things have been attempted to assist in degrading the organic matter that builds up in the “sludge” on the bottom of these water bodies.
Various types of surface aerators have been the latest effort in this ongoing challenge. But, the more aeration and mixing that is used, the more that seems to be needed – and the more electricity is required in rural communities that have high energy costs to begin with. Eventually, the ultimate requirement is expensive dredging, vacuuming or rebuilding of the lagoon system – only to go back to the old ways of attempting to keep the water pollution at bay.
In the very advanced ‘activated sludge plants’ used for cleaning wastewater in large cities, there is a specific part of the process that is especially effective in reducing the organic matter in that wastewater. It is the secondary clarifier within the process. This clarifier holds sludge that is being digested by the indigenous bacteria that entered the plant with the wastewater. The digestion process is assisted with slow moving “rakes” that continually, slowly, mix the sludge, making it readily available to the bacteria.
The LAGOON MASTER Sludge Activating Aerator Sludge Activating Aerator by Reliant Water Technologies mimics a secondary clarifier in a lagoon or pond. By using moving water to continuously roll along the bottom of the lagoon, the sludge and all bottom sediments, become activated – eventually, completing the digestion of all of the organic matter in the bottom sediments. This process eventually performs the following:
- Eliminates the organic solids in the sludge completely through microbial digestion.
- Provides enough dissolved oxygen to keep the entire microbial population alive and thriving.
- Oxidizes, through continual vertical mixing, all of the trapped waste gases (nitrogen, ammonia and H2S) in the water column and sludge, thereby cleaning the water.
- Eliminates all odors in the body of water.
- Eliminates stratification and seasonal turnover throughout the entire body of water.
- Reduces the sludge buildup to the point that pond/lagoon dredging is set back indefinitely.
ALL of this is performed with only one LAGOON MASTER Sludge Activating Aerator unit for every 1 to 5 acres (0.5 – 2 hectares) of water surface, depending upon the depth. With only 4 HP (3kW) of energy required per unit, the aeration energy costs can be reduced up to 80%. Maintenance requirements are reduced over 90%.
