I am a brand new pond owner. My "water" is two acres in size, L-shaped, ranges from two feet to 10 feet deep, is about 15+ years old, and is located in a 15 acre non-farmed field. It had a good bloom of coontail, milfoil, and pondweed in it this summer which made it impossible to really fish. I have no electricity nearby so I either aerate with a windmill system or not at all. I have read the benefits of aeration, and seem convinced with them, but I have fished a lot of healthy ponds without it.

My questions are: 1) If anyone got one of the windmill systems, did it work for you and was it worth it?, 2) what tower height would you recommend?, 3) did it pump enough air to make an effective change?, and 4) are their situations where you may not need to aerate? Where is a great place to buy?

I am really impressed with the people and information they give under this website. It will be a resource I will use heavily as I try to learn the ropes of being a new pondsman. But, before I go spending a ton of money in many directions, I need all of your advice, opinions, and help. From weed control to windmills. You folks are the best and I need your help. Please reply as I need some advice.

I believe that the question of windmill aeration for any particular application will always be very subjective depending on the particular microclimate you are dealing with. I have a 16' Koender's windmill that works very well when I have enough wind to power it. In northern California that is not a lot of average hours per day. I still think I am better off with some aeration rather than none. Energy costs are pretty high here, so running a motor is not going to make a lot of sense for us. I also have to deal with a large temperature fluctuation and water level change. Our summer temps will range from 50 at sunrise to 110+ at midday, and my 2+ acre pond drops about 7 - 8 ft during the summer drought. We do not normally get rain between April and November. As for weeds, we really can't get Grass Carp here, you just couldn't believe government idiocy until you have had to deal with it in California, so I rely on Ducks. We hatch and grow Rouens in the spring and they do a great job in cropping the weed growth. The Coyotes, Coons, Bobcats, Eagles et al get some, but the balance is preserved. I guess when all is said and done, everybody has to deal with their own situation as best they can. I have 4 - 5 lb bass after 3 years and lots of 9 - 12" Bluegills. I got my aerator on ebay for about half retail so I can't complain about price, and in any event I have never seen anybody say don't aerate. Good Luck!
Jim

Aeration mixes air into water. Aerators also use air to move water vertically, creating currents, allowing mixing of bottom water with top water. Often, this action also generates movement and mixing of nutrients into the water column.
All that to say this...rooted aquatic plants aren't likely to be controlled using aeration alone. But, once plants are gone, consistent aeration can keep water moving, suspending nutrients into the water column, rather than letting all that plant food sink to pond bottom mud, feeding rooted plants.
Plants tend to go away in winter. If they don't prepare to rid the pond of them, and use your aeration system to maintain consistent water quality, with nutrients tied into plankton, rather than macrophytes.