Overview

The foreclosure crisis is hitting Homeowner Associations in the pocket book. Many have to cut back on expenses and repairs due to falling revenues as the result of foreclosures and subsequent lack of payments from assessments.

Too often the first things that go are expensive maintenance items like managing ponds and lakes in residential communities. Unsightly ponds and lakes cause values to decrease and homes/condos to stay on the market longer causing even more revenue short fall. M.A.R.S. Aeration stands as a solution to lower costs and Go Green at the same time.

The Problem Source

Ponds often become challenged by pond algae, duckweed and other aquatic plant overgrowth – this creates an unsightly environment that smells and is a fertile ground for mosquito breeding. The sources of this problem are the nutrients, such as grass fertilizers and waterfowl excrement, that runoff into the pond during rain events. These nutrients fuel aquatic plant growth, creating an unsightly and malodorous environment.

Traditional Approaches

The traditional approaches to managing excessive aquatic plant growth and pond algae are to treat ponds with a combination of algaecides (commonly copper sulfate) or utilize a fountain or a bubbler. The following is an overview of the conventional approaches and their shortcomings.

1. Copper sulfate is expensive and BAD for the environment

Copper Sulfate is a toxic chemical. It kills all plant growth in a pond and fatally damages the pond’s ecosystem, including having a detrimental impact on all aquatic organisms. The use of copper sulfate can never be ceased because it fails to treat the cause of aquatic plant overgrowth: the nutrients that are flowing into a pond. These chemical applications can cost thousands of dollars for even modest sized ponds.

2. Fountains are inefficient aerators

Water fountains are often used in an effort to aerate and create turbulence on the waters surface. By adding oxygen to a pond they seek to help manage for algal growth. However, as fountains sit on top of the water, they are only capable of aerating the top of the water column – and they consume large amounts of energy through launching water into the air while not providing sufficient aeration. As a result, costly chemical treatments are required to keep the pond algae free.

3. Bubblers are ineffective

Microbubble aeration systems are submerged at the bottom of the pond, and by bubbling air from the bottom upwards they are able to add oxygen to the entire water column. However, bubblers are not able to create sufficient mixing of bottom sediments and consequently are unable to prevent pond algae growth by themselves – additional chemical treatments are required.

The ‘Green’ Approach

M.A.R.S. Aeration is a chemical free pond management solution. The M.A.R.S. uses patented Double Bubble technology, which is able to both mix and aerate, to create a sustainable pond ecosystem. By using processes found in nature, the M.A.R.S. is able to effectively and efficiently oxygenate the nutrients that runoff into a pond and therefore prevent them from fueling aquatic plant growth.

M.A.R.S. Aeration creates beautiful pond ecosystems that:

A. Raise the value of your property. B. Save money in comparison to alternatives. C. Are environmentally friendly – creating sustainable pond ecosystems. D. Provide safe environments for fishing, boating and swimming.

Patrick D. Hill is a pond expert at Triplepoint Water Technologies, based outside of Chicago, IL. Both he and his colleagues are committed to providing efficient, sustainable, and environmental solutions to both the water and wastewater industries.

For more information on Green Aeration, see: Eco-Friendly Algae Control. Alternatively, you can watch informative videos on M.A.R.S. Aeration on YouTube.




By: Braden Galbreath-OLeary