How diffused water aeration can help combat swimmer's itch

Discover how Heathland Group's UK‑made OxiAir® range of diffused lake aeration systems disrupts snail habitats, improves oxygen circulation, and helps prevent Swimmer’s Itch in recreational lakes.

It's important to mention that due to health and safety risks, diffused water aeration should be used in recreational or sports lakes so that it doesn't interfere with the visitors. Surface water aeration systems are therefore not suitable as they float on top of the water surface.

What is Swimmer's Itch?

Swimmer’s itch, also known as cercarial dermatitis, is an itchy rash caused by microscopic schistosome larvae released from aquatic snails into fresh or brackish water. These parasites originally infect birds (ducks, geese, swans) or mammals, but sometimes burrow into human skin, triggering an allergic reaction, leading to red bumps, blisters, and severe itching within hours to a couple of days after exposure.

The lifecycle goes like this: infected wildlife excrete parasite eggs into water → eggs hatch into miracidia → miracidia infect specific snails → snails release cercariae into shallow water where swimmers may encounter them.

Risk is highest in shallow, warm, poorly circulated water, especially in the morning or under onshore winds. Personal protective actions - like swimming in deeper water, towelling off immediately, and avoiding bird feeding - are the first line of defence.

Proven Personal Prevention Steps:

• Swim in deeper Water, late in the afternoon or evening
• Avoid Swimming during onshore wind conditions
• Towelling off immediately and showering right after exiting the water
• Using waterproof or mineral-based sunscreen or barrier oils
• Wearing full-body swimwear or rash guards
• avoid feeding water fowl at swimming sites

Community-level interventions - like removing snails, applying copper sulphate, or controlling birds have generally proven ineffective, costly, or harmful to the ecosystem; most organisations now emphasise prevention over eradication.

Enter diffused water aeration: A fresh approach

Diffused (subsurface) bubble aeration systems introduce air at the bottom of the lake using permeable diffusers, releasing fine bubbles that rise and circulate the water column. This process:

• Increases Dissolved Oxygen
• Disrupts thermal stratification
• Circulates deeper water upward and disperses surface water downward, improving water movements and redcusing stagaent zones

How aeration supports swimmer's itch control

Whilte not a direct treatment, aeration can indirectly reduce environmental conditions that favour snail hosts and parasite persistence

1. Reduces snail-friendly stagnant habitat by mixing bottom water and reducing warm, low‑oxygen littoral zones where snails thrive.
2. Improves water clarity and nutrient cycling, potentially reducing organic debris and snail populations.
3. Enhances overall circulation, making shoreline conditions less stagnant and less hospitable to parasite concentration.

This kind of environmental management is consistent with strategies that target host habitats rather than relying on chemical or invasive interventions.

How our OxiAir® range supports the prevention of swimmer's itch

1. Environmental disruption of snail habitat

Your OxiAir systems circulate water from bottom to surface, breaking up stagnant littoral zones where aquatic snails thrive and release cercariae. This discourages snail habitation and helps reduce parasite density near shorelines.

2. Improved oxygenation & reduced stratification

Both OxiAir Shallow® and OxiAir HD® systems dramatically increase dissolved oxygen, mixing water columns and preventing thermal stratification - factors that reduce snail-friendly environments.

3. Consistent, low-maintenance operation

• Virtually silent systems with no elecrical components submerged in water
• Stainless-steel manifolds for year-round reliability
• Warranties: up to 6 years, depening on servicing and components

In practise: How to use diffused aeration in a sports or recreation lake

For lake managers or sports facilities:

• Install a diffused-air aeration system, ideally with fine-bubble diffusers placed near shallow littoral zones.
• Monitor oxygen levels, water clarity, and snail populations before and after installation.
• Combine aeration with educational signage and enforcement of personal preventative measures (e.g. towel always, avoid feeding birds).
• Use aeration primarily as part of an integrated prevention strategy—safe swimming doesn’t rely solely on one control method.

Integrating OxiAir aeration system into your swimmer's itch prevention strategy

Contact us for a free no-obligation quote today!

Contact us for a free, no-obligation quote on our diffused water aeration systems.