🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <4fqfl4$alk@bottom.MTS.Net>, cormcoun@mts.net wrote:

> Is there anyone who has proof that when discharging a lagoon directly
into a fresh water lake, does 
> damage.  Our lagoon is discharged twice per year, after bacteria testing
is done.  We are concerned 
> about the nutrients that are discharged.  Our community is trying to
stop this practise but are told by our 
> government that we first need proof that our lake is being damaged.  We
would prefer to have the 
> lagoon discharged into a swampy area first instead of directly into the
lake.  Anyone please help.

   Release of nutrients can be checked by running nitrogen and phosphorus
tests.  These two are usually the limiting factors for algae blooms. 
Turbidity might also prove useful.
   You didn't say what kind of lagoon, so it's unclear what other items
might be discharged into the lake.  Assuming nothing but domestic waste
(household sewage) is being discussed here, the following is probably
accurate:
   Discharging into a swampy area would cause the nutrients to be mostly
absorbed by plants in the swampy area, though some will still make it
directly to the lake.  If the runoff from the swampy area is to the lake,
any dead plants, etc. will eventually discharge to the lake.  Eventually
your lake will receive nearly the same nutrient loading, though in
different form, than it does now.  Sometimes that can be enough change to
make the lake acceptable to the neighborhood, sometimes not.
   To eliminate nutrient loading completely, a tertiary wastewater
treatment plant would have to be built.  These plants are essentially big
tubs air is bubbled into with skimmers.  The bacteria / algae inherent in
the water then eat the nutrients and form big mats on the surface.  These
plants are then skimmed off and disposed off in a landfill.  The nutrient
poor water is then discharged to your lake.
   You need to decide how much nutrient loading your lake can take without
offending the neigborhood or causing excess damage to the lake's
ecosystem. Then you have to decide how much money your area / companies
are willing to spend to build a tertiary plant to reduce the nutrient
loading.
   I used to work in this industry, but that was 15 years ago.  Good luck.

-- 
Kirk Mueller
kdmueller@ccgate.hac.com        (310)334-2586
Hughes Aircraft Co., Radar and Communications Sector
El Segundo, CA  USA
---  All comments are strictly my own. ---