LINNE Industries has announced that it supplied Delaware State University with three PondHawk solar-powered pond aeration systems for its research project on water quality and aquatic weed control for golf course ponds. The project was made possible by a grant from the Delaware Biotechnology Institute’s Center for Advanced Technology program.
“The research project was driven from our work with golf course superintendents,” said Sandra Burton, co-founder, LINNE Industries. “We are excited to partner with Delaware State University on this innovative study and look forward to providing superintendents, course owners and communities with meaningful data to make decisions on their water features.”
The PondHawk systems will be compared with two other pond management strategies in this nine-pond study. Over the next 12 months, experts at the Delaware State University Aquaculture Research and Demonstration Facility will measure aeration’s impact on pH, nitrogen, phosphorus, algae, and mosquitos while LINNE Industries assesses the energy and maintenance costs.
LINNE Industries and Delaware State will host a kickoff event from 1:30 to 4 p.m. on Sept. 24. Golf course owners, managers, superintendents, and anyone interested in pond management is invited to attend to learn more about the study and talk with the study principals.
“We have been interested in testing alternative energy sources at the Aquaculture Research and Demonstration Facility for a while now, and this project is allowing us to explore this technology”, said Dr. Dennis McIntosh, Delaware State University’s principal project investigator.
The Delaware State University Aquaculture Research and Demonstration Facility is a 13-acre complex located on the university’s main campus in Dover, Del., and has a combination of aquaculture production technologies in place. As designed, the pond facility includes 34 freshwater ponds ranging in size from 1/8 to 1 ½ acres and has a water quality analysis laboratory, temperature, and humidity-controlled storage space, and a fully functional maintenance and repair shop.
