Consider the negative impact of ingesting polluted water and air. These same principles hold true in aquatic ecosystems and in managing golf courses, landscapes, and properties. 

However, people often treat visible symptoms of poor water quality, such as excessive algae blooms, aquatic vegetation growth, bad odours, and clogged sprinklers, valves, and pumps, instead of preventing them in the first place. 

By increasing your understanding of the problems that lead to water quality issues, you’ll be better able to develop a balanced management and prevention programme for your water.

What environmental factors impact water quality?

As greenkeepers, course managers, or property management professionals, we’re aware of our responsibilities and our ability to make a positive impact on the environment. 

Therefore, it’s important we consider factors that impact water quality. The most significant factors affecting water quality are light, temperature, nutrients, and oxygen.

1 – Light

Most of the energy that controls the metabolism of a lake comes directly from solar energy utilised in photosynthesis. Photosynthesis occurs in the upper layer of water, or the euphotic zone, as this is the only area in the water column that sunlight is able to penetrate.

Shallow bodies of water, which are less than 9ft/3m in depth, more commonly experience problems such as bottom-rooted weeds or benthic algae and need additional consideration when determining the correct water management solution.

2 – Temperature

Thermal stratification, or temperature layering, impacts water quality in a lake due to its effect on dissolved oxygen level. As the sun shines on the water’s surface it warms it, and because warm water is less dense, cold water becomes trapped at the pond’s bottom.  

As a result, the water becomes stratified, or separated into layers, and these layers don’t mix, which encourages algae growth throughout the warm surface layers of water. As water temperature increases, its capacity to hold oxygen drops – for example, water at 52ºF/11ºC can hold over 40 percent more oxygen than water at 80ºF/27ºC.

3 – Nutrients

There is also a direct correlation in the level of available nutrients and the population of algae and aquatic weeds, which makes this another important consideration for grounds teams and management professionals.

How does excess nutrients and eutrophication affect water quality?

The term eutrophication applies to the increase in the nutrient load of a water body over time. It occurs in water bodies, such as lakes, estuaries, or slow-moving streams, and can cause the growth of planktonic algae and blue-green algae.

Eutrophication depletes available oxygen and creates an unfavourable environment, which can lead to the death of aquatic animals, reduce ecological diversity, and cause bad smells.

Understanding the difference between aerobic and anaerobic bacteria – and how this affects water quality

Nature has provided a clean-up process that will metabolise or decompose excess nutrients; this is called organic digestion and involves two types of naturally occurring bacteria present in all lakes and ponds: aerobic and anaerobic.

The most effective is aerobic bacteria, which require the presence of oxygen. Highly efficient, they are roughly seven times faster in organic digestion than anaerobic bacteria.

Anaerobic bacteria, on the other hand, exists in oxygen deficient water and soil and are much slower in breaking down nutrients, allowing soluble organic nutrients to recycle into the water column. 

Furthermore, noxious by-products such as methane, ammonia, and hydrogen sulphide are created by anaerobic decomposition.

How to improve water quality with professional aeration

Balance is critical to any aquatic ecosystem – and without it, water will suffer. There are several key steps you can take to prevent imbalances, and knowing the causes of them can help find the best solution for your application.

Some methods include proper pond construction, chemical applications, and the addition of oxygen through aeration systems and devices.

Natural aeration is excellent, but when this fails the next best thing is a professional aeration. Creating currents that eliminate stagnant water, aeration mixes cool water at the bottom of a  lake, reservoir or pond with warm water at the surface, helping prevent and eliminate thermal stratification. 

Aeration  replenishes the depleted oxygen, encouraging the production and longevity of healthy aerobic bacteria, which consume excess nutrients and return water to a healthy and stable state. 

Which professional aerators are best for improving water quality?

Water quality management is a science and every lake, pond and reservoir is different. With this knowledge, you should be able to  identify problems earlier, consider prevention rather than cure, and provide some solutions to existing issues in order to create water features for everyone to enjoy for years to come.

Professional Otterbine aeration systems provide many benefits, but most importantly they improve water quality, creating clean and healthy ponds and lakes.

If this is of interest, or if you have any other queries, then do get in touch with us at Reesink Hydro-Scapes on 01480 226948.