Hypolimnetic Aeration: An Overview

Abstract

Abstract Hypolimnetic aerators are now being widely used throughout Europe and are beginning to appear in small and medium sized eutrophic lakes in temperate North America. This activity has produced approximately 42 published reports dealing with experiments conducted at 16 lakes. Taken together, the evidence from these experiments suggests that well designed aerators do not cause significant destratification or warming of hypolimnetic water, but do result in measurable Increases in hypolimnetic oxygen concentration and decreases in dissolved hydrogen sulfide, methane and ammonia. Early experiments suggested that phosphorus sedimentation was unpredictable, but recent work has demonstrated that when the ratio of total iron to soluble reactive phosphorus exceeds 10:1 and pH is < 7.5, phosphorus sedimentation is assured and internal loading greatly reduced. Early experiments also showed that ammonia volatilization was unpredictable, but at pH > 8.0, ammonia volatilization will occur. Because both phosphorus sedimentation and nitrogen reduction are pH dependent, both cannot be optimally removed during the same period of time and so the experimenter is advised to select for the maximum removal of one or the other through pH manipulation. Hypolimnetic aeration induces oxygen consumption and this must be considered when choosing an appropriate compressor size. Most studies show little impact on phytoplankton blomass, but one recent experiment showed that aeration during spring turnover resulted in reduced concentrations of chlorophyll a and TP. Zooplankton populations are, for the most part, unaffected and a number of American studies have shown that hypolimnetically aerated lakes can support cold water fish populations. The aggregate practical and experimental experience suggests that well designed hypolimnetic aeration systems yield measurable improvements in water quality and will almost certainly prove to be one of the major methods used for future in situ lake restoration.