Lake & Water Feature Maintenance

Aquatic Vegetation Harvesting

Mechanical harvesting of vegetation and debris is a vitally important management function in lakes, in sloughs, and in many rivers. While chemical treatments can be effective in killing unwanted plants, chemical applications also result in many unintended consequence including: (a.) accumulation of decaying plant matter which provides nutrients for future plant growth, (b.) increased turbidity due to plant decomposition and the reduced nutrient uptake provided by living plants, and (b.) increased sediment accumulation with consummate losses of depth and temperature control.

A balance of mechanical removal with careful biological and limited chemical applications is a hallmark of AEI's integrated approach to water management. Please contact one of our experts to discuss your challenges.

Every year Aquatic Environments accumulates over 5,000 operating hours within our fleet of six harvesters servicing accounts from Seattle to San Diego. As an authorized distributor of Aquamarine Harvesters in the West, AEI is able to provide quotations for the sale of new equipment or for the operation of our harvesters to solve your toughest weed management challenges. Given our rigorous in-house maintenance program and tens of thousands of operating experience in both fresh and saltwater applications, AEI is also qualified to repair, reconstruct, and maintain weed harvesters owned by government agencies or homeowners associations.

Lake Management

Sound aquatic maintenance management programs are driven by science, experience, and a philosophy that water features are never static features of the landscape. In other words, lakes and fountains can be actively managed to add significant value to properties and to inspire visitors and employees alike. Conversely, they can rapidly deteriorate into unsanitary mosquito breeding grounds under improper care.

AEI has come to understand and rectify the mechanical, chemical, and biological issues that separate healthy lakes from sources of management aggravation. In fact, AEI is capable of reclaiming nearly any sized body of water via a combination of aquatic plant harvesting, sediment removal, shoreline restoration, bio treatment, and aeration systems.

As a licensed applicator of aquatic weed control chemicals and a distributor and factory certified repair center for Aqua Control Aeration Systems, Otterbine Aerators, Aquamarine Aquatic Weed Harvesters, AEI is ready to supply the correct ratios of biological, chemical, and mechanical resources to manage water quality on almost any body of water.

Fountain and Waterfall Maint.

Since people are naturally drawn to water features, a properly functioning water feature can stimulate many positive effects on employees and customers. People look to water features for inspiration, rejuvenation, and recreation. If these effects were untrue, beach and lakefront homes would command prices no higher than their inland neighbors.

Unfortunately, yesterday's water feature can easily become tomorrow's headache. Forces of time, improper maintenance procedures, and lowest first cost construction practices can turn the dreams of architects and designers into nightmares for the building engineer.

AEI approaches water feature design, construction, and maintenance from an integrated perspective. Whether we are replacing stained tiles in a lobby fountain or constructing large scale cascading pool systems such as our recently completed water feature at San Francisco's historic Conservatory of Flowers, AEI constructs and maintains your system to please the most discriminating California customers.

AEI's service crews undergo extensive background checks prior to employment and receive scheduled training in customer relations, water feature management, and aerator servicing. AEI crews are dispatched from our Concord office or are assigned to regional service centers covering the San Jose, Sacramento, Central Valley, and North Bay accounts.

Underwater Inspection & Repairs

Experience has taught us that most aquatic problems originate from places invisible to the naked eye. Maintaining water quality and hydraulic functions of lakes and large water features requires scheduled inspections, maintenance, and repairs of subsurface mechanical systems. As an example, the stainless steel intake screens on an aerating fountain were severely impacted with debris and mussels within several months of installation. Without scheduled underwater inspections and scheduled maintenance- these screens would continue to restrict water flows to the fountain and could shorten the life of the pump.

Identifying an underwater problem with divers is the first step in bringing a body of water back to equilibrium conditions. AEI utilizes the Aquamog as a capable assistant to the dive crew when working in mudflats, or in shallow waterways where the peripheral damage caused by cranes and excavators is unacceptable.