Of the 400+ lakes & reservoirs SolarBees have restored worldwide, about 50% of them are source water for municipal drinking water plants. In many cases, SolarBees have paid for themselves in the first year by carbon savings in the drinking water treatment plant and/or chemical savings in the lake.
Of the 400+ lakes & reservoirs SolarBees have restored worldwide, about 50% of them are source water for municipal drinking water plants. In many cases, SolarBees have paid for themselves in the first year by carbon savings in the drinking water treatment plant and/or chemical savings in the lake.
Some have reported substantial savings in plant operating costs compared to before they installed SolarBee™ equipment.
How can circulation help my raw water reservoir?
Circulation by its nature helps the overall health of any waterbody. By creating specific types of circulation (i.e. epilimnetic- “top water” above the thermocline or hypolimnetic- “bottom water” below the thermocline), various water quality objectives for your raw water treatment can be met.
Problems such as cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) blooms and associated taste & odor (MIB, geosmin) are best controlled with epilimnetic circulation whereas iron & manganese and deep anoxic odor issues are kept in check using hypolimnetic withdrawal / circulation.
Whichever the primary use of a waterbody (raw water drinking source, recreational, small lakes & ponds, stormwater, etc), the key component for effective cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) control is to actively circulate just the upper water of the lake known as the epilimnion.
Active lake circulation solutions can treat large areas with our leading solar-powered SolarBee® Lake Circulators (up to 35 acres per circulator) and smaller, nearshore areas with our air-powered AerationPlus© Lake & Pond Circulators (up to 5 acres per circulator).
Most taste & odor problems in drinking water reservoirs can be narrowed down to two primary chemicals, MIB and geosmin.
MIB (2-methylisoborneol) creates a “musty” odor
Geosmin creates an “earthy” taste and odor.
The prime culprit was originally thought to be actinomycetes (a gram-positive filamentous bacteria common in soils) associated with suspended sediments in water; however, in the 1970’s, cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) were identified as the major source of MIB and geosmin in lakes and reservoirs.
Active mixing with a SolarBee™ can reduce or eliminate blooms thus, controlling odors.
AerationPlus© Lake & Pond Circulators are air-powered “aerator-circulators” made of lightweight and long lasting plastic. Anchored from the bottom and self floating, the AerationPlus© Model 2800 stays out of sight with no part of the machine above the water. Specifically designed for targeted circulation of near-shore areas.
Circulates 3 to 8 surface acres.