• Blog
  • Wastewater Testing
  • Bioaugmentation Applications
  • Useful Information
  • About Us
BIOLOGICAL WASTE TREATMENT EXPERT
Contact Us

Retention Pond & Polishing Pond Algae Control

7/15/2014

 
Picture
Retention ponds are used in a number of situations to remove pollutants prior to discharge into receiving streams. Small ponds are often seen near parking lots, gas stations, or neighborhoods where the ponds are used to treat for oil sheen, fertilizer run-off, and other pollutants. Larger ponds are often found at the end of wastewater treatment systems and are vital for "polishing" the effluent by removing residual TSS while removing small quantities of BOD, ammonia, phosphate, or other criteria pollutants.



When operating well, EPA found ponds remove
  • TSS  - 67%
  • Total Phosphate - 48%
  • Total Nitrogen - 31%
  • Nitrate - 24%
  • Metals - 24.73%
While the ponds are effective and easily managed for much of the year, algae related TSS can become a treatment issue during summer months. The algae bloom is related to long days, warm temperatures and the residual nutrients (N & P) in the water. This algae related TSS increase can create problems with effluent permits, disinfection with UV or chlorine, and odors/appearance issues.

Best Long term Control Strategies
  • Add mixers to circulate the contents of the pond. This is the greatest way to improve pond conditions and maintain a stable balance between bacteria, algae and pollution removal. I am a personal fan of the Solar-Bee type mixers from (http://www.medoraco.com)
  • Use bacteria additives when needed to remove pollutants such as petroleum (oil sheen) or following periods where loadings have increased or washout occurred. The bacteria can also enhance sludge removal when coupled with mixers. Aster Bio's AB-10 has been tested in various ponds to help with problem pollution degradation and algae control.
  • Copper sulfate is effective for rapid algae control, but is limited in effectiveness when no mixers are present. It is a short-run solution to the problem at best.
  • Dyes that prevent photosynthesis by algae. This solution creates is expensive and makes the water look very unnatural. However, for very shallow, small ponds near a residence it can be a solution.

Comments are closed.

    Author

    Erik Rumbaugh has been involved in biological waste treatment for over 20 years. He has worked with industrial and municipal wastewater  facilities to ensure optimal performance of their treatment systems. He is a founder of Aster Bio (www.asterbio.com) specializing in biological waste treatment.

    View my profile on LinkedIn

    RSS Feed

    Click to set custom HTML

    Archives

    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    June 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014

Proudly powered by Weebly
Photos used under Creative Commons from Picturepest, marcoverch, perzonseowebbyra, Picturepest, Picturepest, dsearls, dungodung, Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism, aqua.mech, vastateparksstaff, hile, Aaron Volkening, amishsteve, Neil DeMaster, mklwong88, KOMUnews, Picturepest, kaibara87