Lagoons act as stormwater buffers or wastewater treatment spaces. While they’re stand-alone bodies of water, lagoons aren’t hands-off spaces.
Lagoon performance depends on regular maintenance to keep sludge levels down and protect public health. Environmental managers, wastewater plant operators and municipal officials should invest in lagoon care to protect public health and retention basin performance.
What Is a Lagoon?
A lagoon is a smaller, shallow body of water that sits next to larger water systems. They’re separated by natural or artificial barriers like sandbars. It’s common to see natural lagoons along coastlines, as weathering creates sandbars that separate them from the ocean. People create manufactured lagoons for:
- Agricultural runoff containment.
- Municipal wastewater treatment.
- Industrial stormwater management.
- Water features.
Natural lagoons happen organically, while artificial bodies serve a specific purpose. In wastewater treatment, lagoons are low-cost, efficient methods for purifying water. Sludge — solids that enter the water — settles at the bottom and builds up. Bacteria break down organic waste, creating sludge that equipment separates, allowing clean effluent to flow.
How Lagoon Ecosystems Work
Lagoons are popular water systems thanks to their natural efficiency. Even artificial lagoons become biological ecosystems with algae, bacteria and microscopic organisms. As organic matter enters, these organisms break it down, controlling nutrient levels and keeping even sewage lagoons relatively clean.
Pollution disrupts the system. Accumulated solids, excess nutrients or chemical runoff create imbalances. If there is too much organic matter, the bacteria can’t keep up. Algae overgrow, sucking up all the oxygen in the water. This out-of-balance system reduces water quality. Cleaning techniques like sediment removal help restore this balance.
The Benefits of Lagoon Maintenance
Lagoon cleaning is important because maintenance directly affects water quality. Here’s how regular cleaning keeps lagoon systems safe and functional:
1. Reduces Health Risks
Neglected bodies of water become breeding grounds for harmful bacteria and parasites. Over time, waste solid buildup leads to:
- Water contamination: Untreated sludge has higher levels of viral contamination. Consuming contaminated water might cause bacterial and viral infections.
- Waterborne diseases: Poorly maintained retention basins may release untreated wastewater into nearby systems. Bacteria, viruses and parasites can spread illnesses to the surrounding area. Parasites and fungi might spread through people and animals, affecting the ecosystem.
- Air quality issues: Hydrogen sulfide and methane gases may accumulate from excess solids and bacteria. While they spread outside, exposure to them in higher concentrations or indoors can lead to respiratory issues. High levels of methane in groundwater can create a fire risk.
2. Protects Wildlife and Ecosystems
Even artificial lagoons support aquatic life. An ecosystem of bacteria, plants and local fauna will naturally occur in a wastewater pond. Poor maintenance can kill off these thriving ecosystems. When operations ignore maintenance, areas see:
- Algae bloom: Algae love influent that’s overly high in nutrients. When it overgrows, it causes illnesses in people and animals, chokes out native plants and reduces dissolved oxygen levels, killing local populations.
- Biodiversity loss: As water becomes less oxygenated and waste and algae kill other plants, animals further up the food chain are impacted. Fish, amphibians and birds will see less food and poor water quality, which risks their health and leads to wildlife loss and dead zones.
3. Improves Lagoon Water Quality
Cleaning lagoons improves water quality. With algae and solids under control, the system has lower nitrogen and phosphorus levels. These nutrients drive algae growth.
Reduced sludge and algae mean clearer, cleaner water. Plants have better access to sunlight, and animal populations can feed and drink the water. It’s safer for consumption and protects downstream users from exposure to contamination.
4. Maintains Regulatory Compliance
Regular cleaning helps facilities stay compliant with local and federal regulations. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates systems like lagoons and wastewater through the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) and the Clean Water Act. As sludge builds up and systems lose treatment capacity, operations increase their risk of discharging pollutants above permitted levels and into the environment.
The Clean Water Act allows the government to inspect and investigate your treatment systems. If you’re discharging above your permit level or fail to clean regularly and document it, you can face fines and imprisonment, depending on the issue. Clean lagoons demonstrate your commitment to the environment and compliance.
How to Clean a Lagoon
Cleaning wastewater ponds restores treatment capacity and effluent quality. Your approach will depend on the water’s condition, purpose and layout. Hydraulic dredging and chemical treatments are the two main methods for lagoon maintenance. Operations should use both to attack larger sediment and microscopic concerns.
Hydraulic Dredging
Hydraulic dredging or sediment removal is a highly effective cleaning method. Specialized equipment vacuums up material from the basin bottom, clearing the area. The equipment pumps the sludge to a disposal or dewatering site.
A typical particulate removal system includes a dredge, pump and discharge pipeline. The dredge floats and uses a cutter head or suction intake to stir up sediment. The system pumps this slurry into the pipeline, creating a continuous removal system without draining the lagoon.
Lagoon sediment removal needs proper equipment and handling to protect the retention basin. Make sure you’re maintaining water quality by:
- Using silt curtains or turbidity barriers. These contain the particulates while you work.
- Scheduling dredging during dry seasons or low-flow periods.
- Monitoring nutrient levels and total suspended solids (TSS) during removal.
- Choosing equipment designed for lagoon space, shallow conditions and delicate environments.
Chemical Treatments
Chemical treatments include algaecide, disinfectants, pH adjusters and coagulants. Each treatment targets a specific concern. Use algaecide for algae growth, chlorine for bacteria and pH adjusters to improve solid settling or flocculation. Combine chemical solutions with physical cleaning to maintain system health.
Make sure to distribute treatments based on the retention pond’s size, pollutants and regulations. Overuse can kill beneficial bacteria or create chemical imbalances. Always:
- Follow manufacturer and EPA guidelines.
- Monitor downstream effects.
- Use proper protection equipment.
- Train staff on treatment application.
- Test water for imbalances.
Chemical solutions offer temporary fixes — sediment removal or better lagoon management addresses the root causes. If settled solids are allowed to build up, it creates the perfect conditions for odors, algae and pathogens. Regular sediment removal and occasional chemical treatment will maintain your treatment pond’s environment.
Simplify Lagoon Cleaning With GeoForm International
No matter your lagoon’s purpose, it needs regular cleaning to prevent health and safety concerns. Investing in the right equipment supports essential infrastructure and makes the process easier.
At GeoForm International, we build the tools to help you clean lagoons easily and effectively. Our Dino 6 and Dino 8 dredges, powerful submersible pumps and digester packages are engineered and manufactured in the USA. Every piece of equipment is built for durability and designed for real-world results. We offer everything from compact pieces to high-volume sediment removers so you can stay on top of lagoon maintenance.
Explore our lagoon cleaning equipment, or reach out with questions about your next project.