Pollution Engineering - October 2008 - (Page 38)

Seattle Aeration Solution Many golf courses have beautiful ponds as water hazards or landscape features. However, rotten and unpleasant smells are often emitted from them, and they can easily become cloudy and dirty-looking. In addition, these stagnating ponds are prime breeding grounds for mosquitoes. At the Interbay Golf Center in Seattle, a 15,000-sq. foot pond was suffering algae problems throughout the summer months. The pond, a relatively shallow water retention facility, was also a wildlife shelter that, along with the course, was registered with the Audubon Sanctuary Program. “To protect the habitat, we are trying to get away from using chemical treatments like copper sulfate and herbicides,” said Rocky Tharp, golf course superintendent. “We built this pond as a small ecosystem that is part of an environmental case study. So we don’t want to be spraying ducks and geese with copper sulfate.” Tharp said his crew has tried beneficial organisms as an alternative to chemicals, but has not had much luck with them. “So, in addition to increasing the pond biodiversity and adding oxygenating plants, we have decided to try some type of aeration system. But, of course, the electric powered aerators can be expensive to purchase and install, especially if you don’t have a nearby power source,” said Tharp. If the windmill aeration system, now being installed on the golf course, works for that pond it could lead the way for other parts of the Seattle Parks Department that have water features. Wind until a few years ago when the De ago, Department of Environmental Conservation issued new regulations on its application due to potentially toxic effects on fish, swimmers and the surrounding habitat. “We did quite a bit of exploration on the Net, and aeration appeared to be the best solution,” said Krawczyk. “Oxidation would solve the manganese problem, and there are harsh chemicals that will provide that. But we didn’t want to use harsh chemicals. Plus, the reservoir is in a remote location, so chemical treatment wasn’t a good solution anyway.” Constructed in 1928, the Attica reservoir is a man-made lake that is fed by the surface waters of Crow Creek. It is located in a wooded area, miles from the water treatment plant. The remote location also made running power to an electric aeration device problematic, although the water department wanted to avoid the cost of energy anyway. “We considered other options as well,” Krawczyk added. “We had a couple of air compressors at the water treatment plant, non-reactive : biodegradable : easy application instant control : economical : non-hazardous We understand that emission control is a small portion of your project dollars, but choosing the wrong technology can end up costing you in delays and neighbor complaints. Do the smart thing—JUST FOAM IT! 800-733-3626 PLE06084RUSM.indd 1 • www.rusmarinc.com 5/12/08 10:24:53 AM 38 Pollution Engineering OCTOBER2008 http://www.rusmarinc.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Pollution Engineering - October 2008

Pollution Engineering - October 2008 Contents The Editor’s Desk EnviroNews PE Events Legal Lookout Green Connections Clearing the Air Water for People There’s a New Show in Town Catching Wind for Clean Water Taking the Pressure off Blower Selection Pulsed Plasma Positive Redundancy Product Focus: Municipal Water Treatment Product Focus: Monitoring Equipment PE Products Classified Marketplace Advertisers Index State Rules

Pollution Engineering - October 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.