OxiAir HD® Diffused Lake Aerator Installation at Center Parcs Longleat Forest

Center Parcs holiday village situated in the ancient Longleat forest, UK, is known for its Giant Redwoods, striking scenery, family-friendly fun, and of-course its lake offering an array of water sports and leisure activities.

Client Enquiry

Center Parcs site at Longleat Forest in Wiltshire requested an aeration system capable of effectively supplying high volumes of oxygen to their 23,000m2 (5.68 acres) water sports lake plagued by algae. Since it is a recreational lake, it was paramount that the water aeration system they chose would be safe for their visitors whilst carrying out the heavy-duty of maintaining healthy DO levels (dissolved oxygen levels) in a large body of water.

You can get a free no-obligation quote by filling out our easy-to-follow questionnaire or by calling us on 01493 801600

What was the issue with the lake? 

The most prevalent issue was single cell algae causing smells from the lake during summer periods and pea-green water.

This has unfortunately resulted in the closure of the lake and in turn loss in profits from the water sports activities the park offered. The cost of the lake closure totalled more than the cost of a supplied and installed aeration system. Over the years we have come across many similar situations, where the owner of the lake doesn't consider water aeration until a drastic situation such as this one occurs. We recommend prioritising the health of your lake, pond, fishery or any other body of water prior to it showing algae build up and unsightly changes in colour.

Whilst single cell algae are a fascinating species that in manageable amounts form an important part of aquatic ecosystems, mainly by providing food to aquatic life, they can cause harm to your lake. Not only can they be unsightly and smelly but they can also disrupt the delicate balance of the lake and even cause harm to human life especially during algal blooms. HABs (Harmful Algal Blooms) are capable of contaminating water making it unfit to swim in.

Interestingly, Diatoms (a type of a unicellular algae) are the only known single cell organism on our planet which walls are composed of transparent, opaline silica. It looks stunning under a microscope. So we don't want to demonise algae entirely.

Why was the OxiAir HD® diffused aerator the best product for the job?

The OxiAir HD® is one of our best-selling diffused water aerators excelling at delivering sustainable DO (dissolved oxygen) levels to all areas of the lake and ensuring a constant turnover of the water column preventing thermal stratification in addition to removing the unwanted algae. The former reduces the effects of stagnation, stratification and aids strongly in the efficient release of sediment gases which would otherwise be trapped in the lower layers of the lake during the warmer months of the year.

Main Challenges

The size of the lake was the biggest challenge we faced with this project. Planning is a key part of our water aeration installation service. Prior to arriving at the site we worked on a layout diagram to make sure all areas of the lake have access to oxygenated water. In order for this to work efficiently we need to calculate the depths of shallow and deep water and ensure that the correct balanced air flow levels are delivered to the disc membrane diffusers that were strategically lowered from our boat into the lake, sinking until reaching the lake bed where they will stay.

To calculate where the aerators should sit at the bottom of the lake we had to take into consideration the shape and size of the lake, as well as consider natural air movement, fish stock and general usage requirements of the lake visitors.

Due to the size of the lake, 23,000m2 (5.68 acres), we needed to install 27 diffusers. As a general guide we suggest a single diffuser per surface acere. This is based on an open location with good air movement, low stock levels and uniform depths of 2 meters or more as well as uniform shape. Most lakes are not this straight-forward; however, and require much more in-depth planning.

The well-being and enjoyment of the park customers was also the priority: 

• They needed an aeration system that wouldn't disturb the park visitors during their activities whether it was fishing, kayaking or swimming.
• Health and safety standards had to be upheld, the aerator needed to be subsurface so that it wouldn't interact with the lake goers or get tangled with water sports equipment.
• The hose used to supply the disc membrane aerators with oxygen from the pump had to be heavy enough to stay at the bottom of the lake bed.
• The pump motor had to be as quiet as possible so as to not disturb the park visitors who were there to rest from the noise of day-to-day life.

Power Supply

In total we installed 27 diffusers with 2 OxiAir HD® units. 15 of the 27 diffusers were connected to the larger unit with a single phase 230v / 50Hz power supply.

The OxAir HD® is suitable for all locations within the UK, Europe and around the world because they are designed for 50Hz and 60Hz power supplies. We supply and install our water aerators around the globe. Get in touch with our customer service team if you'd like to discuss an international project. We always look forward to taking on new challenges and can develop custom water aeration units to fit your needs.  

If your lake, pond or other body of water has a limited access to power supply, or none at all, then we would recommend our SolarAir® solar-powered water aeration system.

Conclusion

Overall, the installation process took us 2 days, 27 disc membrane diffusers, approx. 3000 meters of HeathSink® hose, and 2 OxiAir HD® units. Center Parcs Longleat Forest site management and ourselves were pleased with the efficiency of the whole operation. With the diffusers now in place and the OxiAir HD® delivering oxygen to the lake clearing the algae, Center Parcs will soon be able to re-open their lake and water sports activities to the joy of their visitors.