Our thoughts and prayers are with all who have been affected by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.

Water is one of our most precious commodities, and it requires good management practices and special care when affected by flooding.

Here are some helpful tips for those of you who have dealers and pond customers affected by these storms.

Rule #1. Be Safe

Personal safety should be the top priority. During a flood, on-site owners and families should be careful of: electrocution from downed power lines, carbon monoxide from gas breaks, structural instability of buildings and infrastructure, hazardous material spills, floating debris, and waterborne pathogens.

Make sure electricity sources are inspected and that aerators and fountains are working properly. Drain galleys and wells using sump pumps to allow critical components to dry out and allow for visual inspection before attempting to restart.

Before a start-up can happen to ensure that power is secured, check pumps, and examine for structural damage. Startup and inspect each piece of equipment one at a time to avoid overloading another system.

Only once your equipment has been inspected and cleared should it be re-deployed.
When your family is safe and infrastructure has been thoroughly checked attention can be turned to rehabilitating affected ponds and lakes.

First, attempt to limit as much inflow to ponds or lakes as possible to prevent further contamination, then consider treatment to repair any damage already in place.

AquaVet treatment options that can help recovery

Bacteria and mosquito larvae are plentiful post flood and flourish with warm temperatures. Fortunately, they are also vulnerable to copper-rich environments.

AquaVet Algae Control products offer a unique copper technology that keeps copper suspended in a solution to control algae and other single-cell organisms. This can be very helpful in the elimination of bacteria and mosquitoes and is safe for use in livestock drinking water tanks.

Relying on native microorganisms to recover sufficiently after a flood event can take weeks or months to achieve full recovery. Commercial
bio-augmentation products, like AquaVet Bio Lake Cleaner, can provide a high concentration of diversified microbes that can rapidly accelerate water cleanup.

Documentation

Consider documenting as much of the inflow of materials into your pond/lake as well as the steps taken to recover the body of water as possible.

This type of documentation will be invaluable when it comes time to work with insurance companies, FEMA, EPA and state level environmental regulators. Use this documentation to help develop preparedness and response plans for future events.

Financial Help: EPA Federal Assistance Funding Opportunities

Additional Help: Please contact the following individuals directly for questions on pond or lake water clean up:

Joe Schneider | 260.348.3255 | sea7js@gmail.com

Mike Gallagher | 800.821.5570 | mikeg@durvet.com

SEA7 Technologies, Inc. | 260.348.3255 | sea7js@gmail.com 

Sea 7 Technologies, Inc. is a leader in the freshwater management and biological solutions. Together with our Durvet customers, partners and the farm retail community, we improve water aesthetics and healthy performance while preserving the planet's resources and helping build better lives.

As the US leader in providing aquatic retail tools, formulation of exclusive prevention methods, and enzyme & microbial technologies our innovation enables a better understanding of pond and lake management for farms, portable, recreational, golf course irrigation, fishing and livestock drinking water, ponds, and tanks.