Pond Boss Forums AERATION Systems questions Paddle Wheel???

I know it sounds silly but hear me out before you laugh. I just completed excavation of an 1.25 acre pond. I am going to fill the pond initially with well water. I am then going to drill a well close to the pond and install a windmill. The windmill will give at least 5-6 GPM which will maintain the pond full.

I have been thinking about how the water from the windmill should be pumped into the pond. A pipe coming out and dropping into the pond just seems so boring and unsightly. Has anybody ever seen or heard of a stationary mounted small paddlewheel? My thinking is that the water produced from the windmill could turn the paddlewheel. The paddlewheel, if constructed nicely, could be a nice feature. I suspect the diameter of the paddlewheel would be no more than 4-6 feet. Also, the movement of the paddlewheel would add movement to the surface of the water assisting in areation (although probably not significantly).

Any thoughts? Again, this is more for ornamental reasons than anything else. I Googled paddlewheels and to my amazement, did not really find any information, pictures or manufactures that made them (that really made me feel like my idea was stupid!!!).

Thanks for any suggestions you may have

I don't think it sounds silly at all. If you don't get a response soon you should PM Rad. He is very familiar with some of the uses of paddlewheels in Thailand. I hope you do it.

Look under waterwheel. Paddlewheel aerators are used widely in commercial aquaculture.

http://srac.tamu.edu/tmppdfs/144249-SRAC...7c6bece5e145ee4

http://www.sullivanswaterwheels.com/

Here is a pic from Luskfan.

I love the idea of a paddlewheel.