Q: We’ve a small dugout that’s used for watering cows and gardens in the summer. It gets so covered in duckweed you could almost walk across it by summer’s end. It makes the water smell, plugs up pumps and generally looks gross.
How do we get rid of this stuff?
A: To control duckweed and the odour problem, I suggest periodic chlorination of the dugout.
Draw water from the bottom of the dugout using a jet pump and install a chlorine injection system and then distribute the water back into all areas of the dugout using a sprinkler system.
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The more closely the procedure is followed, the more effective it will be.
Chlorinate the dugout to a level of no more than two parts per million because you are offering the water to your cattle and using it to water your garden.
You can also manually chlorinate your dugout on a periodic basis using sodium hypochlorite. Please keep in mind that duckweed can provide food for wildlife and especially water fowl.
If you have a specific water problem and would like advice, write to the Water Clinic, attention Philip Stadnyk, 850-47th St. E. Saskatoon, Sask., S7K 0X4, e-mail philip@
thewaterclinic.com or phone 800-664-2561. Stadnyk is president of the Water Clinic and a member of the Canadian Water Quality
Association. His views do not necessarily reflect those of The Western Producer.
