Burley Aquatic Developments

The Problem: -

The client has a passion for exotic water fowl and has accumulated a large and varied collection of pinioned birds the faeces from which is being deposited into the lake creating highly nutrient rich conditions and accompanying algal blooms and wildly variable dissolved oxygen levels each year during the summer months. The lake had no higher aquatic plant life marginal or submerged so no natural water filtration/uptake of solute nutrients was taking place. The lake is also lined with butyl and had no planting substrate in the lake to grow aquatic plants.

Solution: -

Hydroponic growth of aquatic plants using no growing substrate is possible in nutrient rich conditions. Coir rolls pre-planted with native marginal aquatic plants were fixed in suspension from the bank around 80% of the lakes entire margin, the roots from these planted rolls hang up to 1.2m below the water level drawing nutrients directly from the water column. The plants are protected by security weld mesh wire to deter the waterfowl from pulling out and/or eating the main roots, the birds can only browse on leafy foliage growing out of the wire cage, these cages disappear very quickly as the plants establish.

The plants have established extremely well transforming the lakes aesthetics and delighting the clients. The water quality has improved greatly with clearer water even in summer and a more normal diurnal rhythm regarding summer dissolved oxygen levels. The large mixed waterfowl population now has protective marginal cover, food by way of young fresh aquatic plant foliage and hugely increased volume of invertebrate availability plus natural materials to use for nesting. The fish population has exploded due to the volume of spawning substrate that has become available and the aquatic plants root systems hanging down below have become excellent warm protected and rich nursery areas for your fish and fry. All the lakes and water features on the Stilemans Estate are regularly maintained by Burley Aquatic Developments.