Newly-formed Tampa Bay Reservoir Receives Dual-aeration System

When engineers representing Tampa Bay Water searched for a company qualified to meet the aeration needs of their newly-formed Tampa Bay Reservoir, they found that expertise in General Environmental Systems, Inc. (GES).

Their requirements were for a system to be installed before the reservoir was filled with water, for the system to be functional at extreme variations in water level, and to be provided at a reasonable price in this large reservoir.

In February 2005, GES completed the installation of a dual, hypolimnetic and diffused aeration system in 1,100- acre, Tampa Bay Reservoir. The reservoir is an off-line system supplied by water being pumped from three nearby rivers.

With water levels expected to fluctuate more than 30 ft, the project engineers specified two different types of aeration systems. Hypolimnetic aerators will be used when water levels are over approximately 35 to 40 ft, to aerate the reservoir without disturbing the natural thermal stratification.

A diffused aeration/de-stratification system will be used when water levels drop below the 35 to 40 ft. GES successfully met the many unique challenges in the design and installation of both systems, while the reservoir was still under construction.

Source: TBW