Pond Boss Forums AERATION Should I aerate? Muddy Water and Aeration

Our homeowners association manages a 30 acre lake with a depth of about 6-8 feet. There are 6 fountain aerators throughout the lake. The lake is very muddy. That is fairly typical of water bodies in southeast Texas, but I would like to try to clear them up a bit.

I've got a group of residents that are convinced the aerators are contributing to the problem. While I do not necessarily think they are necessary for our lake, a lot of residents like the fountains.

Is it possible or likely that the aerators are "stirring up" the sediments or otherwise causing the lake to look muddier than it typically would?

It's possible, but I doubt aeration is the problem.

The reason that is "fairly typical of water bodies in southeast Texas" is because they need the total alkalinity increased. Ag. lime will do that very effectively. I use aeration in my East Texas ponds and also use Ag. lime. I have beautiful water year around.

I recommend you get the water tested for ph and alkalinity and proceed from there. A link is attached that discusses this and talks about other solutions including alum and gypsum.

http://srac.tamu.edu/tmppdfs/6047018-460fs.pdf

ML is in "East" TX and probably knows best for your area. Measure your water for PH and Alkalinity, post the results. I second Meadowlark's opinion.

If your PH & Alkalinity are within the tolerance levels, look at Alum (Aluminum Sulfate), it's 3X as potient as Gypsum and works in 12-24 HRS.

Testing for pH and alkalinity are good, but the ultimate cause or reason for a lake's tendency to be muddy usually depends on hardness.

First take a gallon of lake water in a milk jug and let it sit for a day or two. It it clears you have physical disturbance, if not it is chemical, or low hardness.

Adding alum works quicker than anything else but has low residual effect and if your lake experiences lots of flow, in and out, results won't last long.

Consider lime because it last longer as it doesn't all dissolve readily. Some of it will linger on the bottom and dissolve over time. I can give you contacts if needed.

And as a practical comment. If you all are looking for a long term solution you may have to lime every 2-3 years, depending on watershed properties. Budget for lime may exceed your abilities. Then you'll have to consider living with turbid water. I'd be glad to speak with you anytime. Just call.

Ohh, and by the way, aerators aren't contributing to your muddy water, might as well blame the wind :rolleyes:

My experience suggests that lime lasts longer than 2 to 3 years. I have a 5 year old app. 4 acre pond that was limed once at construction, but shows no signs of needing additional lime. We get 60 inches of rainfall per year on average.

Todd has seen a lot more ponds than I have and under different drainage conditions results may be different...just wanted to point out that 2 years isn't necessarily a given.

The span of effectivity may also depend on method of application. In my case, the lime was applied directly to the pond bottom by spreader trucks. You can get high volumes of lime at very low cost that way and minimal labor to apply. I buy about 25 tons for pastures and hay fields in addition to ponds and pay about $750 total including spreading. That's a hard price to beat.