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Swimming Pond / Lake water quality


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Looking for helpful advice an opinions, so far I have had so much conflicting information thrown at me!

18 months ago I drained and enlarged a lake.  It is now 150m x 100m with an average depth of 4m, with some parts as deep as 10m.  The soil all around is a sandy clay, and at the moment at the bottom at the moment there is around 20cm of silt.  There is virtually no vegetation around the outside of the lake, no animals and there are no fish in the lake whatsoever.  The lake itself is filled by an underground aquifer and run off from rain water. The temperature here in Thailand is generally around 30 degrees celsius.

The water colour is a stunning blue colour and after testing visibility both underwater and with a secchi disk provides 6m of clarity.  The water chemistry i have determined thus far is pH 4, KH 17.8, GH 890, Nh3 0, NO2 0, NO3 0.  So, very low pH, low KH and very high hardness.

The aim for the lake is to use it as a floating water park, so there will be people swimming in the water. I absolutely want the water to be devoid of any fish.  Clearly for this to work as a water park and be safe for customers I need to ensure that both biologically and aesthetically good. I don't think filtration on such a large body of water is particularly viable, but I was thinking of the following steps:

1. Dig a berm around the perimeter to control run off during rainy season, treating with gypsum before it runs back into the lake 

2. Adding chlorine to the water to maintain biological cleanliness

3. Adding gypsum to the lake on a regular basis to keep the TSS low

4. Making a sand beach around the perimeter (this is nice for customers and will help with some basic filteration)

Sorry for the long post, but I would really appreciate comments, suggestions and any ideas you might have.  I have enclosed a picture of the lake.

 

DJI_0011.JPG

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This is a pool forum, so I am not sure this is the best place to look for help with your lake. You might try this. 

http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=441547

Here is the best idea that comes to my mind. It requires pumps to operate. I am not sure of your electrical situation at the lake area. I do not think chemicals are the solution, except perhaps to balance ph and alkalinity, though I am not sure how much a wetland filter will balance it out, or even be harmed by it.

https://www.living-water-pond-maintenance.services/large-pond--lake-management-filtration.html

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://m.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DSRuHEH_iBH4&ved=2ahUKEwjQuZ3Hj4roAhVFV6wKHee_CxAQwqsBMAB6BAgFEAQ&usg=AOvVaw10UU9n1WrdhM2mKBpEkiNy

Best of luck. It looks like a beautiful place.

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Thanks, I appreciate you taking the time to respond.  I will check out the links you posted.  The reason for posting here is I believe the members here have more experience on the bacterial side of things as it will be devoid of life and used for swimming activities.  

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9 hours ago, Mark SJ said:

Thanks, I appreciate you taking the time to respond.  I will check out the links you posted.  The reason for posting here is I believe the members here have more experience on the bacterial side of things as it will be devoid of life and used for swimming activities.  

On that note, you have a natural clay and silt bottom that will eat up as much chlorine as you want to throw in it, and if you are unsure of the chemical composition of the sand, you may have issues from unwanted reactions between the sand and any sanitizer or oxidizer you use. I think your best bet is a natural environment which is loaded with bacteria of a good kind. The system I sent the link for relies on bacteria and provides places for it to grow and thrive, providing you with clean, clear water. But it will never be a swimming pool, and you should not treat it as such. Water movement is key, stagnant water will be nearly impossible to maintain for your purposes.

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