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AquaScreen™
Controlling
aquatic weeds and plants with a benthic barrier |
Many common aquatic weeds can drastically reduce the beauty and health
of an aquatic ecosystem. Cattails are notorious for coming back after having been
manually removed and due to their root structure tend to come back thicker and
stronger as you try and remove them. Pondweed, milfoil, Canada water weed (elodea)
and wild celery (American eel-grass) are a few of the other species that can overtake
a pond and reduce the enjoyment of the pond.
Large-scale treatment
techniques such as harvesting, rototilling (bottom tillage), and suction dredging
are often too costly for small pond owners who want to reduce the weeds in their
ponds. Large machines are noisy and can damage the existing surroundings of a
pond and in most cases herbicide use is also inappropriate in many cases, due
to potential conflict with other water uses such as domestic consumption, irrigation,
and fisheries.
Introducing The Aquascreen
Controlling
these unwanted plants and weeds with a barrier method is not a new technique.
Instead of digging weeds and plants out of the pond bottom it made sense to pond
owners to bury them under barriers of homemade screens or "carpets".
Previous methods included binding large pieces of canvas or even standard window
screen together and sinking them with large metal frames or bundles of bricks
but these methods were prone to failure and not an efficient use of time or money.
The
AquaScreen has been specifically designed to meet the strength requirements
and durability that this sort of benthic barrier project demands. Installing even
small "blankets" of the AquaScreen in swimming areas will create areas
that are soft and smooth underfoot.
AquaScreen
is deceptively simple. The mesh of the AquaScreen is so fine that it prevents
weeds from growing and screens out 50 to 60 percent of the sunlight which these
weeds require for reproduction but the mesh still allows gas exchange and the
movement of microorganisms between the sediment and the water. This allows a natural
decomposition of the compressed plant-mass to take place and the resulting gases
escape through the mesh, preventing new weed growth without risk to the ecosystem.
Nothing can grow through the screen so the treated area will remain free of weeds
and floating growth.
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AquaScreen
will eliminate the annoyances of thick mud and aquatic plants underfoot thus
enhancing the experience for bathers on public and private beaches or resort areas.
Only strategic areas of beaches or shorelines need be treated with the AquaScreen
and this small expense can dramatically improve the quality of the shore where
bathers enter the water. It also keeps golf course ponds and water-hazards looking
clean and clear and will provide rapid esthetic results near docks and marinas,
riverbanks and wastewater ditches.
AquaScreen
comes in rolls of 7ft x 100ft (700 square feet). It can be cut with sharp scissors
and sewn together to form larger screen sizes or special forms to fit snugly around
docks or swimming areas.
It can be anchored into position on the pond
or lake bottom with patio stones or rocks or even rebar inserted in PVC piping
but the preferred method is by staking the AquaScreen with 10" or 12"
steel pins through the 1/2" plastic grommets that are provided with the roll. |
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Installation
Instructions
The AquaScreen is rolled out perpendicular to the shore
(the usual direction of wind-induced currents) and adjacent lengths are overlapped
(much like roofing shingles) by at least 8". All overlapped and outside edges
should be well anchored with steel pins or rocks. An effective method is to roll
the screen out from a boat, cut the piece to the desired length, and then anchor
it into place on the bottom.. Scuba divers may be needed, as aquatic weeds can
occur in water depths of 3 to 12 feet.
Installation period
Best results are achieved when the screen is installed in early winter or spring
when the growth of weeds is minimal or receding. Physically removing as many weeds
and plants before installation will also facilitate the installation and effectiveness
of the AquaScreen. Of course securing the screen to the bottom is much easier
when there is a minimum amount of plant growth.You can also install the screen
in autumn when the floating weeds begin to sink and most of the aquatic growth
period is over. Installing the Aquascreen™ over existing aquatic plants and weeds
in summer is also possible. In this case full results will be obtained after 21
to 40 days (this is the time it takes for the screen to fully compress and decompose
the unwanted vegetation).In all cases removal of existing weeds before application
of the AquaScreen will increase effectiveness. AquaScreen
is gray in color and constructed of robust woven fiberglass filaments with a monolithic
PVC coating and PVC molded directly into the mesh. It comes in standard rolls
of 7ft by 100 feet and has a lifespan of 5 to 8 years which can be extended by
removing the AquaScreen every 1 or 2 years for cleaning with a pressure hose.
It is UV resistant, withstands lateral deformation, and has a bursting strength
of 2.8psi or 1970 kg/m2.
- Use
weights or pins to anchor the bottom barrier to the bank or shoreline.
- Roll
out the AquaScreen from a boat; it can also be unrolled underwater.
- For
small areas, the screen can be assembled on dry land and towed to the desired
location.
- Gently
stretch the bottom barrier and anchor it at intervals of no more than 3 meters.
- Do not cover
your Aquascreen™ with sand, clay, mud or dirt as this will provide an environment
for weed recolonization.
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AquaScreen is sold in rolls 7ft by 100ft (700 square feet) weighing 33 pounds.
| Number
of Rolls | Price
Per Roll |  |
 1-4 |
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5-10 |
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11-20 |
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20+ |
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Call
450-243-0976 to order or email us. Visa
and Mastercard accepted.
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550$CAD
455$USD