The green film floating on the surface of the pond isn’t algae — it’s actually a floating aquatic plant known as common duckweed. This plant moves from pond to pond by attaching itself to waterfowl when they enter the pond. Common duckweed loves slow-moving, nutrient-rich water and can completely take over a pond if not dealt with accordingly. Therefore, the key is to try and prevent it from getting out of control by reducing nutrients and circulating the water, which is exactly what we did in this pond. We applied bacterial treatment and ensured the aeration system ran 24/7 throughout the summer season.
In June 2016, we met with the RM of East St. Paul to view their troubled ponds. They hired us to install aeration into one of their ponds upon our recommendation. The pond was thick with algae and duckweed. One month later, it was nearly clear, while the adjacent ponds were still solid green.
BEFORE
AFTER