About
LagoonSource exists because the useful information about running a wastewater lagoon is scattered across EPA training decks, state manuals and manufacturer literature, and almost none of it is written for the person actually operating the system.
Who writes this
Jon Klotz, M.S. Hydrology
Principal Hydrologist, Natural Waterscapes LLC
Close to 30 years of field experience in water resources and waterbody management, working on earthen waterbodies, embankments, aquatic vegetation and water chemistry.
That background matters here for a specific reason. Lagoon problems are rarely equipment problems in isolation. They are loading, oxygen, mixing, sediment and water chemistry problems that show up as an equipment question, and diagnosing them well takes the whole picture rather than a product catalog.
How the guides are written
Every guide on this site follows the same rules, and they are worth stating plainly.
- The answer comes first. Each guide opens with a direct answer before any preamble, because most people arrive with one specific question.
- Numbers are attributed. Where a figure comes from EPA training material, a published design reference or manufacturer documentation, the guide says so and lists the source.
- Ranges stay ranges. Where the published figure is a range, it is carried through as a range instead of being collapsed into a confident single number.
- Limits are stated. Screening tools are labelled as screening tools. On a permitted system, state design standards and a licensed engineer have the final word, and the guides say that where it applies.
- Dates are visible. Every guide shows when it was last updated, and they are reviewed on a schedule rather than left to drift.
How the equipment side works
The guides and the catalog are the same business, and pretending otherwise would be dishonest. What we hold ourselves to is that the guidance has to be right whether or not it leads to a sale.
In practice that means the guides say when a problem is a pretreatment problem rather than an equipment problem, when biological treatment will not work, and when the honest answer is a dredging project rather than anything we sell. Freight-sized equipment is quoted to your site rather than listed at a price that excludes delivery, because a list price plus a freight surprise is not a real number.
Corrections
If something here is wrong, tell us and we will fix it and note the change. Field experience from operators is the best correction mechanism this kind of content has. Reach us at help@lagoonsource.com or through the contact page.