Added oxygen will improve fish and other habitats.
Alabama Power is installing a new aeration system in Logan Martin Lake to improve water quality by adding dissolved oxygen into the water.
“This new system consists of seven long sections of pipe that will be anchored just off the bottom of the lake in front of Logan Martin Dam, and some distance upstream,” said Jim Crew, Southern Company Services Hydro Services manager.
The aeration system adds oxygen into the water around the dam, increasing the dissolved oxygen levels in the water discharged from the dam’s generating units. That will improve the water quality for fish and other aquatic species.
“Each pipe is basically like a big soaker hose that adds oxygen into the water that will ultimately be released downstream of the dam,” Crew added.
The process of installing the aeration system began a few weeks ago with assembling the lines along the shoreline to deploy in the lake, along with building the infrastructure needed to store and transport the oxygen to the seven lines
.
Crew said the seven lines, some almost a mile long, are scheduled to be deployed by the beginning of next week.
“Five boats will be utilized to sink the lines according to precise coordinates,” Crew said.
The Alabama Marine Police will help with the deployment process to ensure safety of the workers and other people who are on the lake while the lines are being sunk.
