Why does my pond or lake smell?
Are you afraid of changes in the wind because the smell of your pond or lake reaches your home? Do you avoid gatherings or cookouts by the water because of its unpleasant smell? You’re not alone.
We’ve all been through a stagnant, stinky pond and lake at some point in our lives (and many times we wish we hadn’t!), But have you ever wondered where that smell comes from … or how? to stop it?
Let’s first look at the Causes. The pond or lake odor you notice comes primarily from three sources:
1. Decaying plants, fish and other organic matter: When something burps, it smells, this is a simple fact of life that makes us routinely take out the trash and search for strange smells in the refrigerator. But what happens in the lakes and ponds that make the smell so pungent? It is the lack of oxygen.
Many decomposing things in your pond are digested by aerobic (oxygen-breathing) bacteria, and this happens quickly and largely odorless. Given enough oxygen, these hungry little bacteria will clean all the odors and decaying matter from your pond.
Unfortunately, this is not what happens in most ponds: standing water tends to become layers of different temperatures. The water heated by the sun remains towards the surface and the colder and denser water remains at the bottom. Being sealed by the warmer top layer, the bottom layer does not receive oxygen. Eventually, fish and bacteria consume all the available oxygen in this area, and that’s when things get ugly.
What happens is that all inanimate organic matter (dead fish, leaves, grass clippings, sticks, fish waste, dead plants) sinks into the anoxic or oxygen-depleted area at the bottom of the pond. Here, the only degradation and digestion that occurs is done by anaerobic bacteria (which do not breathe oxygen).
These bacteria are not only seventeen times slower to break down organic matter than aerobic bacteria, but they also produce unpleasant pond odors as a by-product. These odors include hydrogen sulfide, methane, and ammonia that look like rotten eggs.
Have you ever seen bubbles rise and burst on the surface of your pond? They are likely anaerobic bacteria, releasing their pungent-smelling byproducts from the pond.
2. Rotation: Pond or lake renovation is often a reason why the water really smells bad at different times. It occurs at least twice a year in the spring and fall (sometimes more if there are heavy rains) where the upper and lower levels of your body of water mix.
The resulting solution is low in oxygen and high in harmful gases (and this is very dangerous for fish). In addition to this, all the bad odors and decomposing material once trapped to the bottom get mixed into the water column at once, which makes the water smell pretty bad.
3. Algae that produce odors: Certain types of algae just smell bad. Ponds with high concentrations of cyanobacteria or chara algae, for example, will emit a musty, earthy smell. Therefore, your pond will not only look bad due to the large algal blooms, but it also smells bad due to the algae.
Now let’s see the solution to the smells of ponds and lakes. The solution for pond and lake odors is eco-friendly aeration with the MARS system, which targets the causes of odors by doing the following:
* Oxygenating ALL areas of the water column so that aerobic bacteria reach the organic matter and do their job without odors
* Mix the entire pond from top to bottom, preventing layering and stopping the noxious and odorous effects of rotation
* Preventing algae by breaking down organic matter before the algae have a chance to use it to fuel their growth
The patented MARS aerator Double Bubble (TM) Technology Mix and aerate your pond, keeping it healthy, clear, and most importantly, odor-free!