If your dam is more muddy puddle than clean water source, you no doubt want to know how to floc it. This is the process where small particles in a liquid come together. By doing this, these tiny bits stick together to form bigger clumps. Then, they become heavy and fall to the bottom of the dam.
The good news? With the right flocculant and a straightforward process, you can clean your dam water quickly, generally within 24 hours.
To help, here’s a fast and easy step-by-step tutorial on how to floc your dam effectively with WaterTreats Clearwater Flocculant to achieve clear water. But first, let’s understand the source of the problem we’re dealing with.
Why Does Dam Water Get Muddy?
Dam water becomes muddy because of soil particles that go into the water and stay suspended.
Muddy water remains dirty since the small pieces of dirt all possess the same charge and repel one another. However, a flocculant causes the dirt to cling together because it has the opposite charge.
Factors like soil, water level, wind, waves, and aquatic life can all influence whether muddy water happens and whether or not the particles settle or stay suspended.
When they don’t settle on their own, you can speed up the process by adding a flocculant, an agent that is specifically designed to eliminate the charges and clump particles together into heavier masses that quickly settle.
What is Flocculation and Why Use It?
The process of flocculation brings together tiny suspended particles into heavy clumps. They’re known as flocs, and these settle on the bottom of your dam and clear up the water.
WaterTreats Clearwater Flocculant is designed specially with an opposite electrical charge to those particles. This means that it attracts and binds them into heavy clusters that sink out of the water, leaving your dam looking much clearer.
How to Floc a Dam in 24 Hours
So you want to floc your dam. Here is a step-by-step process that will help you get the best results:
Step 1: Work Out How Much Product You Need
To start, you need to work out how much flocculant you need for your dam. The fact is, you only get one shot at getting floccing right. If you add a certain amount of flocculant and you see the particles begin to floc, but they don’t floc enough to sink to the bottom, you can’t just top your water up with more flocculant later. You need to add more flocculant immediately or you’ll have to start the process over entirely because eventually the flocculant leaves the water.
This means for optimal results; you need to hit the water all at once. Because of this, when you buy flocculant, we recommend ordering 20% more than you have calculated you need. That way, you have a little extra on hand if need be.
We suggest starting with 20L WaterTreats Clearwater Flocculant per 1,000,000L of dam water. Before applying, dilute the Clearwater Flocculant with 5-10 parts fresh water to 1 part Clearwater Flocculant.
Once you have your flocculant in hand, its then a good idea to do a jar test to determine exactly how much flocculant to apply based on the exact conditions of your water.
Step 2: Select the Right Sprayer for Application
To make sure the flocculant spreads evenly and reaches all the suspended particles throughout your dam, you’ll need the proper spraying equipment.
A sprayer that can distribute the WaterTreats ClearWater Flocculant evenly over the water surface is crucial for effective flocculation.
Using a boat sprayer, or a sprayer sized sensibly to suit your dam, you can spray the entire dam all in one session. Effective application sets the stage for fast and thorough removal of muddy water.
Step 3: Start Spraying the Flocculant
Once you’ve established the correct amount and selected your sprayer, you can now spray the flocculant.
Begin spraying in an even distribution across the surface of the dam. You‘ll notice the flocculant settling as tiny raindrops as you spray, and a slight milky colour to the water. That’s fine. It just means it‘s mixing well with the suspended matter.
If there’s wind, you can stand back a little and let the wind help you spread the flocculant across the water.
After spraying for a brief time, be observant of floc formation. You might see streaks or clumps forming in the water. This is an excellent sign that the process is working and the particles are bonding together.
Continue spraying until you achieve your calculated dose, but not enough to result in an overdose. Excessive usage of the flocculant can lower efficiency and make things difficult, so make sure you stick to your calculated dose.
Step 4: Switch On an Aerator to Accelerate the Process
The next step? Get that water moving. After applying the flocculant and seeing the floc particles start to form, it’s a good idea to turn on an aerator in your dam. Aeration helps improve water circulation and increases oxygen levels, which supports the settling of the flocculated particles.
The light movement from the aerator helps smaller clumps combine into larger ones, making them settle faster and clearing your dam water more quickly.
Step 5: Let the Floc Settle and See How It Changes
After several hours of using the flocculant and activating your aerator, you should start to see the water clear at the edge of the dam. The initial clearing is a good sign that the process of flocculation is going according to plan.
During the night, the bound particles will continue to settle, and by morning, you should find yourself back to a much clearer dam.
An important note to mention is that WaterTreats ClearWater Flocculant is non-toxic, which means you can be certain your dam is clearing up without harming the environment surrounding it.
Step 6: Keep Your Dam Water Clean for the Long Haul
Once you’ve gone through the effort of flocculating your dam, the last thing you want is for it to go murky again. To keep your water clear, you need to tackle the underlying causes of turbidity, ideally before floccing, but definitely afterward as well.
Here’s how to keep that clarity going:
- Prevent runoff by covering bare soil around your dam to keep sediment out.
- Line edges with rocks or plants to stop erosion and protect your banks.
- Keep livestock away to prevent mud disturbance and bank damage; offer troughs for drinking.
- Stop dirty water from entering your dam by diverting runoff or using sediment traps.
- If your water is still murky, use biological treatments like Biostim to tackle algae and organic buildup.
Conclusion: A Clear Dam in Just 24 Hours, If You Do It Right
Flocculating a dam is a very effective and rapid process of transforming muddy water into clean and usable water, typically within a day.
With WaterTreats ClearWater Flocculant, a non-toxic, easy-to-apply formula, and a bit of planning, you can greatly improve your dam water in 24 hours. Just remember floccing is a solution, but maintenance is the key to keeping it muddy water at bay.
Take a look at WaterTreats Clearwater Flocculant here, or get in touch with us for FREE advice.