Last week we added a new lake aerator system (Air Flo II Diffused Air System) to our irrigation lake that is located in between holes 1 and 4. Recent water tests showed the lake had developed a stratification layer. The amount of nutrients held in these two layers were drastically different due to the regular addition of gypsum to our lake to amend our sodic irrigation water. The average depth of our lake is around 16 ft and I chose to sample the water from the bottom, middle and upper zones of the lake. What we discovered is that the majority of the Calcium added to the lake stays in the upper zone. A test sample in March showed that our water in the middle and lower zones held on average 70 ppm of Calcium after treatment while the upper zone held over 500 ppm of Calcium. The lake aerator system we have installed functions by pumping air into the bottom of the lake through pipe connected to 3 - 4 domed diffuser systems placed at the bottom of the lake. The air is emitted out the white domes and then rises to the surface mixing the water along the way!
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| Picture of one of the 3 - 4 domed diffusers installed in the irrigation lake. |
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| Small area in the middle of the lake is the bubble rising to the surface |
This system will ensure that our irrigation water maintains relatively consistent levels of nutrients though out the lake while increasing the oxygen levels also. This system is scheduled to be installed in the lakes on holes 14 and 18 also to help manage and reduce the amount of algae that is commonly seen during the summer months.
