Lake Restoration – Dealing with the Problem

To achieve lake restoration, we must restore the natural processes that allow a lake to assimilate the nutrient load that it receives. While nutrient inputs should be reduced or eliminated wherever possible, this process has historically failed to achieve lake restoration. The CLEAN-FLO Lake Restoration Process achieves lake restoration by using and accelerating natural processes already in lakes to achieve natural lake restoration the same as nature has restored lakes for thousands of years.

The Lake Restoration Problem

Development within watersheds has increased greatly in recent years and many lakes have been subjected to an ever-increasing load of nutrients and sediments, resulting in decreased lake water quality, thereby interfering with lake restoration efforts. Increased nutrient loadings are most commonly due to excessive use of fertilizers, malfunctioning septic systems, poor erosion control and improper waste disposal within the watershed. As development continues to increase, the amount of total hard–surfaced area also increases and the volume and velocity of the water moving through the watershed into surface waters is increased. This run-off erodes soils and transports organic materials and nutrients from surface soils. Inorganic materials, in the form of sand, silt, and clay are also transported to receiving waters, resulting in decreased lake water quality.

Lake Restoration by Controlling Input

In an ideal world, applying effective lake restoration controls within the watershed to control the quality and limit the quantity of run-off should be the best solution. However, even in the best situation, watershed controls are not 100% effective in achieving lake restoration. These lake restoration control measures can reduce nutrient loadings but they are only as effective as the enforcement effort behind their implementation. The elevated nutrient loadings that find their way into streams, lakes and ponds cause: algae blooms, proliferation of rooted aquatic plants, low dissolved oxygen levels, increased water temperature, odors, increased bacteria levels, and stunted fish populations or fish kills and do not accomplish complete lake restoration. Many studies have shown that watershed management only reduces pollutants in lakes by about 5 – 35 percent. This usually is not enough to make a noticeable difference in lake restoration for aquatic lake weed and lake algae growth, does little or nothing to improve fish health, nothing to reduce mucky lake bottoms or reduce disease bacteria or odors.

Natural Lake Restoration Processes

Healthy lakes have a natural lake restoration capacity to cleanse themselves. Each lake is an individual ecosystem with a food chain of organisms that assimilate the incoming nutrients. The food chain moves nutrients up from the simplest single-celled bacteria, to people catching fish. This natural lake restoration system works very well to improve lake water quality, keeping the ecosystem in balance until excessive nutrient inflow overwhelms the ability of the ecosystem to assimilate the nutrients. Once this occurs, the excessive nutrient levels adversely affect the aesthetic qualities of the lake by stimulating the growth of nuisance algae and plant life. Algae blooms can quickly turn a lake “pea soup” green or cause the formation of “smelly” floating algae mats. Lake weeds can interfere with swimming, boating and fishing.

Lake Bennett before Lake Restoration by Clean-Flo Aeration System
Bennett Lake before.

Lake Bennett after Lake Restoration by Clean-Flo Aeration System
Bennett Lake after.

Attempted Lake Restoration with Chemical Treatment

Traditionally, aquatic weed or algae problems have been addressed by using chemical treatments. Chemicals are applied at the water surface or directly to floating mats. The chemicals kill the weeds and algae and the dying vegetation sinks to the bottom of the water-body where it rots. As the vegetation rots, the plant nutrients in it that have been absorbed from the water are released back to the water column and become nutrients for the next weed growth or algae bloom. But something far worse occurs; as the vegetation decays, it uses up the oxygen at the bottom. Many studies have shown that an average of about three times as much nutrients are released from bottom sediment of lakes without oxygen, than what typically comes in from the watershed each year. The next weed or algal growth will occur when conditions of light and temperature are favorable, and the concentration of the water treatment chemical in the water column is reduced below toxic levels. The effectiveness of the water treatment chemical is quickly reduced as it settles to the bottom and is diluted by lake inflow and mixing with waters from untreated portions of the lake. The dead mass of vegetation accumulates on the bottom of the lake adding to the mass of organic sediments already there. Herbicides and algaecides do more harm to water quality than they do good. They sometimes cause fish kills and add toxic substances to the water and sediments, and have completely failed to achieve true lake restoration.

The Beginning of the lake Restoration Problem

If there is oxygen present, the accumulated organic sediments begin to decompose aerobically. This organic material serves as food for bacteria and organisms that live in the substrate (bacteria, insect larvae, worms, etc.). These organisms require and consume dissolved oxygen as they digest the organic sediments. As sediments and biological activity increase, dissolved oxygen levels are depleted and become limiting. Low or no dissolved oxygen conditions can occur quickly, eliminating aerobic organisms and slowing the breakdown of the organic sediments. Then the growth of anaerobic bacteria, the bacteria that thrives in an environment of low or no dissolved oxygen, increases. Anaerobic digestion of the organic sediments begins, releasing toxic gases into the water that kill beneficial aerobic bacteria and insects.

The Real Lake Restoration Problem

Anaerobic digestion of lake sediments is a much slower process than with aerobic digestion. Where aerobic digestion can result in the control or reduction of organic sediment levels, anaerobic digestion almost always allows organic sediments levels to increase. During anaerobic digestion, bacterial enzymes and lack of oxygen make the nutrients in the bottom sediments soluble. Then the nutrients return to the water column and are available to support new weed and algae growth. Anaerobic conditions at the lake bottom have a damaging effect on the food chain that supports fish populations as well as reducing or eliminating fish habitat, ultimately resulting in a reduction of the fish quality, size and quantity.

Water treatment system and water treatment chemicals for lake restoration, lake algae control, lake weeds, and improved lake water quality.

Treating the Symptoms

Chemical treatment of lakes for algae control and aquatic plants can be a valuable tool in the aesthetic management of a lake, but it does not eliminate the condition that causes the problem. Water treatment chemicals cannot be applied to prevent an algae bloom. They can only be applied to eliminate the bloom. The bloom captures dissolved nutrients from the water column and creates algae. The chemical treatment kills the lake algae, and the dead and dying organisms settle to the bottom where they decompose releasing soluble nutrients back to the water column. Once the biomass is formed, nutrients are effectively locked into the lake’s ecosystem to be recycled forever. Some chemical treatments, copper in particular, can accumulate in lake sediments when used year after year. Accumulated copper can reach levels that are toxic to aquatic organisms or result in the growth of algae that is resistant to the effects of copper. Herbicides for aquatic weed control create similar problems.

The Natural Lake Restoration Process

The natural assimilation of nutrients in the lake ecosystem begins to breakdown when these natural processes are limited or eliminated by low oxygen levels. Aerobic organisms are much more efficient at digesting organic material than anaerobic organisms. Aerobic organisms feed on organic material contained in the sediments and assimilate these nutrients into increased body mass and reproduction. Aerobically assimilated nutrients become part of the food chain, rather than being recycled within the water column, as they are when anaerobic conditions exist. By maintaining aerobic conditions at the bottom of a lake, fish, the top consumer will also improve in quantity and quality as the fish aid in the lake restoration process. Maintaining the aerobic environment will also reduce or prevent the accumulation of organic sediments. Aerobic conditions at the lake bottom benefit all aspects of the aquatic environment, resulting in true lake restoration.

The CLEAN-FLO Approach

The CLEAN-FLO Continuous Laminar Flow Inversion and Oxygenation System restores and maintains aerobic conditions in lakes. The CLEAN-FLO system employs natural non-turbulent inversion to aerate the lake from bottom to top. The CLEAN-FLO system allows natural lake restoration processes to naturally occur within a lake using oxygen (air) and natural lake restoration bacterial and enzyme products. Click here to read about our Lake Aeration Systems.

Lake Specific System

Each CLEAN-FLO system is engineered specifically for the lake in which it is to be installed. The design process begins with an assessment of water quality data and existing conditions. Watershed characteristics, and physical dimensions and depths are also evaluated. A system is then designed to address the specific conditions that exist in the lake.

Please feel free to contact us. We would be glad to discuss your lake, its condition, and how we could be of assistance. Our approach to lake restoration management is different than many service providers. We believe in solving the problem rather than treating the symptoms. Let us solve your problem with natural lake restoration.

Improve lake fishing and improve water chemistry using natural lake restoration processes. When is the best time to start?

Aeration Systems Main

Next Aeration System Page: River Restoration System