Lagoon/Pond Low Energy Mixing

Sludge Activating Aerator

out of water showing fine bubble diffusers in front of course bubble diffusers.

V1 in the water with blowers and power junction box on top of the aerator.

V2 in the water (left) with blowers onshore for more convenient air intake filter access.

The is offered in Version 1 (V1) or Version 2 (V2) configurations. The V1 is required for installations where the aerator must be located in the middle of the lagoon where shore anchoring struts cannot be used. But, in this configuration blower intake filter cleaning will require a boat to access the blowers. The V2 allows for the blowers to be located onshore for more convenient filter cleaning. On the V2 shore anchored struts are used to hold the aerator in place.

Recreational ponds, wastewater lagoons, fish grow-out ponds and small, shallow lakes have always exhibited the problem of organic matter collecting on the bottom and eventually becoming polluted. Wastewater lagoons are especially fraught with problems because their purpose is to clean the wastewater to the point that it can be released back into the environment. Over the years many different things have been attempted to assist in degrading the organic matter that builds up in the “sludge” on the bottom of these water bodies.

Various types of surface aerators have been the latest effort in this ongoing challenge. But, the more aeration and mixing that is used, the more that seems to be needed – and the more electricity is required in rural communities that have high energy costs to begin with. Eventually, the ultimate requirement is expensive dredging, vacuuming or rebuilding of the lagoon system – only to go back to the old ways of attempting to keep the water pollution at bay.

In the very advanced ‘activated sludge plants’ used for cleaning wastewater in large cities, there is a specific part of the process that is especially effective in reducing the organic matter in that wastewater. It is the secondary clarifier within the process. This clarifier holds sludge that is being digested by the indigenous bacteria that entered the plant with the wastewater. The digestion process is assisted with slow moving “rakes” that continually, slowly, mix the sludge, making it readily available to the bacteria.

The Sludge Activating Aerator by Reliant Water Technologies mimics a secondary clarifier in a lagoon or pond. By using moving water to continuously roll along the bottom of the lagoon, the sludge and all bottom sediments, become activated – eventually, completing the digestion of all of the organic matter in the bottom sediments. This process eventually performs the following:

• Eliminates the organic solids in the sludge completely through microbial digestion.
• Provides enough dissolved oxygen to keep the entire microbial population alive and thriving.
• Oxidizes, through continual vertical mixing, all of the trapped waste gases (nitrogen, ammonia and H2S) in the water column and sludge, thereby cleaning the water.
• Eliminates all odors in the body of water.
• Eliminates stratification and seasonal turnover throughout the entire body of water.
• Reduces the sludge buildup to the point that pond/lagoon dredging is set back indefinitely.

ALL of this is performed with only one unit for every 1 to 5 acres (0.5 - 2 hectares) of water surface, depending upon the depth. With only 4 HP (3kW) of energy required per unit, the aeration energy costs can be reduced up to 80%. Maintenance requirements are reduced over 90%.

V1 (above) with blower on the mixer. V2 (right) with blower on shore for more convenient blower air intake filter cleaning.

Please read further to familiarize yourself with true innovation in caring for our water bodies around the world.

Articles, Case Studies and Testimonials

	Water Mixing in Waste Lagoons Man-made lagoons have been used worldwide for the treatment of domestic and industrial wastewater, it seems, forever. All waste lagoons were first designed and thoughtfully planned considering their locations, soil makeup, and waste reduction processes prior to being...
	The Elimination of Fecal Coliforms and E. coli in Lagoons Many horse racetracks throughout the world are designed to drain water from the track into a lagoon that is located in the infield of the track. Due to the track being predominantly used for horse racing, there is a high amount of fecal coliform, especially of the Escherichia coli...
	Eliminating Sludge Islands In Your Wastewater Lagoon Old municipal and industrial wastewater lagoons have the tendency to build islands of sludge at various locations around the lagoon. It is most common for older lagoons to build such islands wherever wastewater enters the lagoons. Of course, this is because the solids entering...
	The Rehabilitation of 43 Year Old Waste Lagoons In 1967 the City of Concordia, MO built a segmented lagoon system to handle the small town’s waste requirements. The main industry in Concordia is a Tyson renderings plant, and the lagoon system was designed to also handle that plant’s final waste and water polishing...
	Revitalizing a Hog Waste Lagoon A North Carolina hog grower with a brood barn of 200 full grown sows contacted Reliant Water Technologies to see if we could assist him with one of his waste lagoons. All of his lagoons were identical, measuring only .05 acres in size, and designed to be 8 feet deep. When we...

Literature

Lagoon Master Brochure
Lagoon Questionnaire

• Areas of Influence
• Sludge Island Elimination
• Bringing a Lagoon into Compliance
• Mixing, Destratifying and Eliminating Odor
• Water Clarification
• Sludge Reduction

Technical and Application Bulletins

TB.LM-1 How the Lagoon Master Works

Video & Graphical Data

A Lagoon Aerator that Activates Sludge

Rehabilitating Old Wastewater Lagoons

The Reliant Pond/Lagoon Mixer continuously, and slowly, moves water along the bottom of a lagoon/pond, continually mixing the entire water column using a minimum of energy. When compared to standard surface aerators or directional mixers, the is more efficient, less costly to operate, and requires minimal maintenance.

The utilizes 1- 3 HP (2.2 kW) regenerative blower. Utilizing a patented coarse bubble airlift and baffling system, the continuously moves and mixes the water below the surface for 17 acre feet of water (depth x surface acreage) of a pond or lagoon. Designed for bodies of water with less than 20 feet (6 meters) of depth, a single unit will have the entire body of water moving within 30 minutes of startup.

For closed bodies of water where added dissolved oxygen is not required, complete mixing of the water will reduce, and possibly eliminate odors, reduce or eliminate chemical addition, provide a total mix of the nutrients in the water, thin algal populations, the elimination of blue green algae, and keep the body of water from freezing. Common applications are Concentrated Animal Feed Operations (CAFO), drinking water and irrigation ponds/lagoons, spray-field lagoons, storm water lagoons, equalization lagoons, and any body of water where a total mix will be beneficial.

Literature

Two Page Brochure

• Dairy Lagoon Mixing
• Drinking Water Intake Lagoon Mixing

Technical and Application Bulletins

Introductory Paper