Category: Aeration

Aeration

July 24, 2018 5 min read

Lagoon Midge Flies: How to Control Chironomids and Red Worms

Lagoon midge flies, or chironomids, are common during warm summer temperatures, and swarms of them can drive local residents indoors. Midge fly larvae, or red worms, in a lagoon provide insight into lagoon conditions and their effect on effluent quality. Read on to learn why they appear, what they indicate about lagoon conditions, and how […]

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Aeration

January 31, 2018 7 min read

Aerated Lagoon Optimization to Reduce Energy Consumption

Energy costs for aeration represent the largest expense for a wastewater lagoon facility, so any increase in efficiency directly improves the bottom line. Since aeration systems are designed to be efficient at the lagoon’s full design capacity, they can be inefficient and wasteful at actual flow and BOD levels. In this article, we’ll outline why […]

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Aeration

January 16, 2018 5 min read

Lagoon Surface Aerator: “A self-destructing piece of equipment”

The winter of 2017–18 is already one for the books, with record cold temperatures in the Midwest and eastern U.S., and snow as far south as Florida. So far, most of the western U.S. has enjoyed relatively mild conditions, but there’s still a couple of months of winter left to go. In a previous blog, […]

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Aeration

August 14, 2017 4 min read

LDIB-TV: Biological Lagoon Additives with Aquafix

To paraphrase an old saying, some companies that sell hammers try to turn every problem into a nail. We’re not that kind of company. We manufacture lagoon aeration, among other things, and while we know that sufficient aeration and mixing in a lagoon can improve treatment and prevent problems like odor and sludge buildup, we […]

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Aeration

June 22, 2017 5 min read

Why are there red streaks in my lagoon? About lagoon Daphnia

We love hearing from operators—their questions give us insight into what may be going on in other lagoon systems. An operator asked if we could identify some red bugs he saw floating on the edge of his lagoon. At first we thought midge fly larvae, which are little red worms that hatch into swarming clouds […]

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Aeration

January 16, 2017 7 min read

Lagoon Aeration 101: A video comparison of aeration technologies

Lagoon aeration can account for over 50 percent of energy costs, so efficiency is an important consideration in choosing aeration equipment and designing a system. In this episode of Lagoons Do It Better TV: Lagoon Aeration 101, our own Patrick Hill and Brady O’Leary give you the lowdown on different measures of efficiency, like SOTE […]

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Aeration

November 1, 2016 5 min read

Lagoon aeration: Can you have too much?

Lagoon aeration is a topic we cover regularly, evaluating technologies, comparing partial mix vs. complete mix systems, troubleshooting low dissolved oxygen (DO) levels and the problems too little aeration can cause, like odors and sludge accumulation. But is it possible to overaerate? Can you have too much lagoon aeration? In this article, we’ll describe the factors […]

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Aeration

June 21, 2016 6 min read

What are these red worms in the lagoon?

We’re often in the field, visiting wastewater lagoon facilities and learning about the challenges operators face. Last week, an operator in Georgia showed us a video of lagoon sludge swarming with tiny, wriggling red worms (see video below). Since we’re always interested in lagoon conditions and how they contribute to effluent quality, we decided to […]

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Aeration

June 6, 2016 6 min read

Lagoon Duckweed: Friend or Foe?

Duckweed, or water lens, is a rapidly growing, invasive aquatic plant that loves wastewater lagoons due to the presence of nutrients ammonia and phosphorus. Since summertime is high season for lagoon duckweed, it seems like a good time to talk about it—what it is, what it does, and whether it’s a friend or a foe […]

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Aeration

May 6, 2016 5 min read

Troubleshooting Low Lagoon Dissolved Oxygen

Lagoon dissolved oxygen, or DO, is the lifeblood of the wastewater lagoon system. The bacteria and other microbes that consume biological oxygen demand (BOD) need 1.5–2 lbs. of dissolved oxygen per pound of influent BOD, and as much 4 lbs. of oxygen per pound of BOD during the spring, when warming temperatures increase biological activity. Insufficient […]

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Case Studies Aeration

March 9, 2016 4 min read

Facility maximizes lagoon aeration efficiency, saves money

Replacing coarse-bubble system with Triplepoint’s Aerators saves sanitary district over 40% on electricity and maintenance costs. Energy consumption represents the highest operational cost for an aerated wastewater treatment lagoon system. Here’s how one sanitary district improved their lagoon aeration efficiency and reduced power, operations, and maintenance costs by replacing their obsolete coarse-bubble aeration system with […]

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Aeration

January 21, 2016 5 min read

Wastewater Pathogen Removal: Do Lagoons Do It Better?

When it comes to controlling disease-causing pathogens, lagoons do it better—but do they do it well enough? The purpose of wastewater treatment is to remove before discharge any substance that can have a negative effect on the environment. In previous articles, we’ve discussed BOD removal, nutrients like ammonia and phosphorus, and contaminants like pharmaceuticals and personal […]

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