Case Study: Bacteria and Enzyme Treatment Study by Cason & Associates, LLC
Case Study: Bacteria and Enzyme Treatment
Submitted By: Cason & Associates, LLC, Berlin, WI 54923
These ponds are located in Wisconsin. There is an Upper and Lower man-made pond, each with a natural bottom substrate and banks. They contain branches / trees dropped in around the banks of the ponds to create natural fish and wildlife habitat.
MixAir Technologies aeration system was installed to provide year around aeration in each pond. Two TB16 Twister Diffusers were placed in each pond. Each pond is 200 ft. long by 75 ft. wide. They both have an average depth of about 5 feet, with a maximum depth around 10 feet. During the summer of 2009, a bi-weekly bacteria and enzyme program was implemented on the ponds. The Upper was treated using Orb-3 Professional Value-Added Dry Bacteria and Orb-3 Professional Enzymes, while the Lower pond was treated using Orb-3 Elemental Basics and Orb-3 Mid-Size Pond Dry Bacteria [Ed: This product has since been renamed to Orb-3 Dry Bacteria, SKU# U126-000].
Prior to any types of bacteria and enzyme treatments, the ponds were in poor condition. They suffered from severe algae blooms due to the highly nutrient rich water quality. They were only used for some fishing, but never for swimming. Before the treatments, water samples were sent to a lab to be tested for total Nitrogen and Phosphorous levels. The following are the results of the initial tests.
|
Pre-treatment Results |
|
|
|
Parameter |
Upper |
Lower |
|
Nitrogen, NO2 + NO3 as N |
Not Detected |
Not Detected |
|
Nitrogen, Kjeldahl as N |
0.65 mg/l |
1.1 mg/l |
|
Phosphorus, tot. as P |
0.091 mg/l |
0.15 mg/l |
From June through September 2009, bacteria and enzyme treatments were performed on each pond. The following tables show the date and treatment information for each pond, as well as Secchi disk readings and details of other treatments.
|
Upper Pond |
|||||
|
Date |
Pro Enzyme (gal) |
Pro Value Added Bacteria (lbs) |
Pro Enzyme & Bacteria (gal) |
Secchi |
Curtine Ultra (gal) |
|
6/4/2009 |
1 |
4.5 |
|
3' 8" |
|
|
6/12/2009 |
0.5 |
1.5 |
|
3' 8" |
|
|
6/29/2009 |
0.5 |
1.5 |
|
1' 6" |
|
|
7/9/2009 |
0.5 |
1.5 |
|
N/A |
|
|
7/29/2009 |
0.5 |
1.5 |
|
N/A |
0.75 |
|
8/11/2009 |
0.5 |
1 |
|
2' 0” |
|
|
9/1/2009 |
|
|
1 |
3' 0” |
1.0 + 10oz Reward |
|
9/14/2009 |
|
|
0.5 |
2' 4" |
|
|
Lower Pond |
||||
|
Date |
Elemental Basics (gal) |
Mid-Size Dry Bacteria (lbs) |
Secchi |
Curtine Ultra (gal) |
|
6/4/2009 |
1 |
4.5 |
1' 6" |
|
|
6/12/2009 |
0.5 |
1.5 |
2' 0” |
|
|
6/29/2009 |
0.5 |
1.5 |
1' 6" |
|
|
7/9/2009 |
0.5 |
1.5 |
N/A |
|
|
7/29/2009 |
0.5 |
1.5 |
N/A |
0.75 |
|
8/11/2009 |
0.5 |
1 |
2' 4" |
|
|
9/1/2009 |
0.5 |
1.5 |
3' 0” |
1.0 + 10oz Reward |
|
9/14/2009 |
0.5 |
1.5 |
2' 4" |
|
In addition to the bacteria and enzyme treatments, dye was applied in each pond throughout the season to inhibit plant growth. Therefore, the secchi disk readings should not be used to assess water quality. Also, it is important to note that Orb-3 Professional Enzyme & Bacteria was used as a substitute in the Upper pond for the last two treatments, and that there were two algae treatments throughout the season.
In the fall of 2009, water samples were collected from the ponds in a similar fashion as the initial sampling. They were sent to the same lab, and tested for the same parameters of water quality. The following are the total Nitrogen and Phosphorous levels compared with the initial levels in the water.
|
Upper Pond |
|
|
|
|
Parameter |
Pre-treatment |
Post-treatment |
%Change |
|
Nitrogen, NO2 + NO3 as N |
Not Detected |
Not Detected |
No Change |
|
Nitrogen, Kjeldahl as N |
0.65 mg/l |
0.48 mg/l |
26% Decrease |
|
Phosphorous, tot. as P |
0.091 mg/l |
0.035 mg/l |
61.5% Decrease |
|
|
|||
|
Lower Pond |
|
|
|
|
Parameter |
Pre-treatment |
Post-treatment |
%Change |
|
Nitrogen, NO2 + NO3 as N |
Not Detected |
Not Detected |
No Change |
|
Nitrogen, Kjeldahl as N |
1.1 mg/l |
0.55 mg/l |
50% Decrease |
|
Phosphorous, tot. as P |
0.15 mg/l |
0.072 mg/l |
52% Decrease |
As seen in the table above, there was a notable decrease in total Nitrogen and Phosphorus after the bi-weekly treatments. Also, there was a decrease in the number of algae treatments when compared to the 2008 season. A total of five algae treatments were completed during the 2008 season, using considerably higher concentrations of algaecide. This could be due to differences in environmental conditions, but a decrease in available nutrients, namely phosphorus, helps control nuisance algae blooms and weed growth.
As previously stated, the ponds were used in the past for some fishing, and not much else. In the summer of 2009, the Upper pond was used quite often for swimming. The water appeared much cleaner, and the bottom had much less muck and debris.
With only one season of treatment, the ponds experienced drastic improvements in both water quality and appearance. Bacteria and enzyme treatments are a recommended method of preventative maintenance, as observed, with fewer algae treatments in the 2009 season compared with past seasons. With continued maintenance treatments of bacteria and enzyme, control of limiting nutrients can be achieved.