With a warm British Summer Time in full swing, water management specialist Otterbine is advising greenkeepers to aerate water hazards now, before oxygen depletion or stress situations occur.
Maintaining high water quality is an essential part of successful golf course management all year round, but, as greenkeepers will know, both the light and heat generated by the spring/summer sun can quickly lead to severe problems in lakes and ponds.
The resultant warmer water and excess nutrients, combined with low oxygen levels and minimal circulation, prematurely ages water and throws the natural ecosystem out of balance. This can lead to algae, aquatic weeds and odours, as well as sludge build up and even dead fish.
In order to avoid this, a proper water management system should be put in place as soon as possible. Robert Jackson, Irrigation Manager at Lely Turfcare, Otterbine’s UK distributor, explains why it’s vital to act now rather than later.
“Waiting until symptoms of poor water quality appear before implementing good water management could be detrimental to both the environment and greenkeepers’ budgets,” he warns.
“These unwanted symptoms impact on the golfer’s experience and the golf club’s reputation, and may also require costly fixative programmes. Once a lake has lost its ecological balance, it goes into crisis, at which point the cost of restoring it dramatically rises. As well as often being more expensive to implement, reactive solutions tend to be less friendly to the environment too,” Robert explains.
To prevent or eliminate stagnant water in a pond or lake, the most natural water quality management solution is to introduce aeration; which is where Otterbine’s aeration systems can help.
With solutions suitable for small ponds to vast lakes, Otterbine’s wide range of aeration systems comprise aerating fountains, industrial aerators and diffused air systems. Each has unique features that work to increase oxygen levels and circulate oxygen rich water, keeping water quality high, and inhibiting algae, aquatic weeds and odours.
or more information on Otterbine aerators and aerating fountains, contact distributor Lely Turfcare on 01480 226948, email otterbine.uk@lely.com or visit www.otterbine.com