The Effect of Lake Destratification on Water Quality

Abstract

This study reports the effect of a modified axial flow pump on the water quality of a stratified lake. The physical‐chemical and biological data collected were used to determine the destratification efficiency of the pump under varying mechanical conditions.

Effects of lake mixing with an axial flow pump on water chemistry and phytoplankton

“…Although Ham's Lake is relatively shallow, it thermally stratifies from May through October (Steichen, 1974 for Arbuckle Lake .…”

“…Lakes have been destratified by mechanical pumping (Hooper et al, 1953 ;Flick, 1968 ;Irwin et al ., 1966 ;Steichen, 1974) or by using compressed air (i .e ., aeration) (Riddick, 1957 ;Meyer, 1962 ;Ford, 1963 ;Fast, 1966 ;Laverty & Nielson, 1970) . Prior to 1971, reservoirs were generally destratified by bubbling or pumping water from the bottom to the top .…”

“…Recently, Quintero & Garton (1973) designed an axial flow pump consisting of a 1,07 m crop drying fan . During 1973 and1974, the Garton pump destratified Ham's Lake (area 4o ha) . It was anticipated that the Garton pump could be enlarged to keep a larger lake continually destratified and Arbuckle Lake (area 951 ha) was selected as a site to test a larger device .…”

Distribution of benthic macroinvertebrates in an artificially destratified reservoir

“…The lake was built in 1965 by the Soil Conservation Service as a flood detention reservoir. The surface area is 40 ha and the volume is 115 ha-m at principle spillway level (Steichen 1974). The deepest part of "the lake is 9.5 m and the length of the central pool is about 1.3 lan.…”

“…The thermocline forms at 4 m and dissolved oxygen is depleted below that (Steichen 1974). In 1973, the lake was artifically destratified by pumping surface water to the bottom (Quintero and Garton 1973).…”