Preparing Ornamental Ponds and Wastewater Lagoons for Spring

September 20, 2024

Why talk about spring algae blooms in the fall? Now is a great time to prepare ponds and wastewater lagoons to look and function better next spring, when the threat of green water reemerges after a winter of dormancy.

Spring algae blooms are prompted by warmer spring weather, stagnant water, and abundant nitrogen and phosphorus (also known as eutrophication). Take away the eutrophication, and the algae is less likely to thrive or even survive because of a lower food supply.

Bioaugmentation, the addition of beneficial microorganisms, is one way to reduce eutrophication. For example, BCP655™ contains bacteria strains capable of using ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite as a nitrogen source for growth and reproduction. Since these bacteria continue to function at temperatures as low as 50 °F (10 °C), they can be added to ponds and lagoons during the fall so they will already be there removing nitrogen by the time algae start waking up and getting hungry again next spring.

Don’t give algae a reason to take over your pond or lagoon. Reduce the attractiveness of the “menu” by giving the good bacteria of BCP655^™ first dibs at nitrogen. Ask Bionetix^® for more tips on preparing your pond or lagoon for spring!

Keywords: ornamental ponds, wastewater lagoon, fall pond prep, fall pond shutdown, eutrophication, bioaugmentation, Bionetix, algae blooms, how to prevent algae, wastewater algae problems

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