Addition or air or oxygen is frequently used as a lake management option for lakes suffering from oxygen depletion. When used properly, aeration/oxygenation can increase oxygen concentrations in the water column, decrease sediment nutrient release, minimize iron and manganese concentrations, and prevent fish kills. These systems can be designed to provide complete mixing throughout the water column, to increase oxygen concentrations in the hypolimnion without mixing the lake, or to aerate surface waters and provide aesthetic appeal. Improperly designed or installed aeration systems can increase algal growth and lead to decreased water clarity. The workshop will discuss the pros and cons of aeration systems, describe factors that must be considered to properly design aeration/oxygenation systems, and present case studies for both successful and unsuccessful applications.
Presenters
Chris Holdren is a life member of NALMS with over 50 years of experience with lake and watershed management projects. Paul Wolff is an engineer with Reservoir Environmental Management, Inc., specializing in the development and application of river and reservoir models. Alex Horne, Emeritus Professor, University of California-Berkeley has worked on over 600 water-related projects throughout the world, many of which included additions of oxygen or air to meet various objectives. Kevin Bierlein is an engineer with Hydros Consulting and has spent nearly a decade working with various types of oxygenation and mixing systems. Daniel McGinnis, Associate Professor at the University of Geneva, is a physical limnologist and engineer working on limnology, lake restoration and lake/hydropower oxygenation. Ed Molesky is the President of Aqua Link and Hydro Logic Products. Aqua Link is an environmental consulting firm specializing in pond and lake management and restoration and Hydro Logic Products manufactures its own line of pond and lake aeration equipment.