Suction Harvesting The Methodology vs. The Myths
Introduction: When one first hears about suction harvesting, images of a nozzle randomly vacuuming up
the lakes bottom immediately come to mind, like a Hoover cleaning up your living room floor. In reality,
nothing could be further from the truth. While Suction Harvesting can be compared to a unique form of
dredging, one must look past the perception to learn what the reality under the water is and all the benefits
it brings.
Background: Suction Harvesting has been around and toyed with since 1982 when a group from the
Army Core of engineers in the U.S. and the U.K. built and experimented with a primitive machine, that
tested the theory of taking unwanted invasive aquatic vegetation out by the rooting system to see what the
re growth would be.
Aquacleaner Environmental has refined and developed technology for suction harvesting as a means of
controlling and reversing the infestation of invasive plants that are overrunning lakes and bodies of water
throughout the US, and as a viable means of performing Water Front Restoration. If left on it’s own, all
lakes and bodies of water will follow a path that will lead to issues and possibly their demise due to the
natural factors that effect these bodies of water.
The current technology that is in use only masks the problem long term and appeases those affected short
term. We believe that the removal of these invasive plants in their entirety, with as much of the rooting
system as possible is truly the best way of offering longer term relief and with continued use, long term
reduction of their spreading.
We also believe that lakes and bodies of water are altered through time because when water travels, it
brings things with it that can begin it’s demise or at the very least result in less enjoyment for the users of
it (run off filling in a waterfront shoreline with silt). We have seen a cycle occur in the water where
organic material even from leaves blowing into the water at the shoreline, forms a layer of silt, which then
allows invasive plants to grow closer to the lakes shoreline. These plants die every year, decompose,
turning into silt, releasing more seeds of invasive’s and then blooming next season with more density. The
removal of various types of material from a lake only helps to restore it to the condition it was years
earlier. A hard pact bottom makes it harder for aquatic vegetation to flourish, and for the weeds to take
hold and multiply. Aquacleaner Environmental is dedicated to restoring individual waterfront properties
and lakes as a whole in an environmentally friendly and conscious manner.
Aqua Cleaner Vegger
Science behind the Aqua Cleaner: Your waterfront property is basically an aquatic garden. It is the optimal
environment for aquatic vegetation to grow in because it has all the ingredients that vegetation needs to flourish;
water, sun, and a rich soil. If you look at your back yard and use that as an example you can further understand the
dynamics of what takes place in the water. You have the perfect yard but your neighbor has a bunch of dandelions.
The wind blows the wrong way and now you have dandelions (the water is a much better medium than air). If you
try to remove the dandelions by pulling them or cutting them they will still grow back. However if you dig them out
and excavate the roots, the odds are much greater that the re-growth will be minimized. Because water is
constantly moving, it carries fragments from these invasive plants. When these fragments land on your property
they can take root and grow. Using chemicals only makes the problem worse because when a plant dies, it drops to
the bottom, decomposes and breaks into fragments, which causes additional re-growth next season. Again,
harvesters also make the problem worse because when you cut a plant you are spreading fragments that will fall to
the bottom and take hold as well. (Ask any landscaper, and they’ll tell you… if you want thicker grass, just keep
cutting it).
How It Works: Suction Harvesting is the most effective way of removing aquatic vegetation because it removes the
blooming vegetation by the roots, as well as the years past plants laying on the bottom in their semi decomposing
state. This process can reduce the re-growth to as little as 10% next season but we have experienced as much as
50% depending on variables. It leaves no remains (floaters), can operate in the tightest areas (around docks and
break walls) and is environmentally friendly. We can suction up a fish and it comes through the hose without going
through a motor, and then is returned into the water.
The Aqua Cleaner machine is essentially an underwater vacuum cleaner. The machine is mounted on 5’ X
10’ pontoons and floats on the water. The system also has a compressor that continuously provides air by
way of a hose and respirator. The diver uproots the targeted plants, the years past decomposing plants and
feeds them into a vacuum hose that conveys them to the surface. There, a second worker bags them in 50-
pound onion bags. The weeds and all the solids go into the bag, while the water passes through the mesh
bag and back into the lake. When a bag is full it is placed onto a raft that is later taken to shore where the
bags can be composted or trucked offsite.
Premise: That removing invasive aquatic vegetation by there rooting system and removing them out of
the water in their entirety, is the best way to slow down the spread and start reversing the infestation.
A) Marine habitat – The technology of our machine allows for a fish to sucked into the nozzle, and come
out swimming on the other end, where the person operating the bagging system can remove it and place it
back in the water. The operation of this equipment can be timed so as to not disturb the marine habitats
and our company methodology has been that we do not start operations until spawning season is over or
in some cases prior to it’s commencement.
B) Water quality – A major issue of concern for several reasons;
The Disturbance of the a lake bottom and what it might case in residual affects, and the spreading of
turbidity over a large area, I’m assuming is your offices biggest concerns relative to our process. The idea
that working through years of organic material that has accumulated will release elements in the water
column like Nitrogen, Phosphorus, BOD’s that will result in blue green algae or other forms of algae is a
tangible one depending on the severity and method of the disruption. Our experience with over 7 years of
use with the Aqua Cleaner machines, show no signs of this occurring.
As you are well aware each lakes bottom will vary in it’s consistency and it’s composition. Firmer
bottoms with sand, rock or clay, will only cause a minimum turbidity cloud, one that typically doesn’t
spread very far, and settles very quickly (typically with in 1 hour).
Silted in area’s do create a larger turbidity cloud that will spread in approximately 100’ circumference
with calm tides. Use of a turbidity curtain will contain this easily.
An important point worth noting is that our water quality study has shown that our machines and the
method in which we use them does not cause algae blooms or any residual affects to an area we have
worked. We have had extensive use on several lakes with multiple machines and never heard of any after
affects that had resulted. Our study was conducted in a 2-acre pond with a silty bottom and wall-to-wall
infestation of an invasive plant. During this project we operated 2 machines for almost 6 weeks, removed
over 2400 bags of vegetation and the only noticeable spikes in the water column resulted during a 2-day
heavy rain where we were not even working.
We believe we have had great success because while some organic silt does get disturbed by the suction
from the nozzle and our hand pulling of plants, silt does mix with water and end up at the back of the
machine as turbulent water, that this causes no bi products or after affects. Since nothing ever passes
through an impeller and the composition of the sediment is not altered, we feel it came out the same way
it went in.
C) Disposal – The disposal of aquatic vegetation is always part of our companies on site plan and varies
depending on what the history of the lake is relative to chemical applications. We learn the history of a
lake typically from the client, the lake association and state regulatory agencies. When there is no
problems we generally have our clients dispose of the vegetation through normal organic compost piles
from their local municipality or as a community compost site.
Technical Information: While it’s true that what we do under the water is unseen, what we do should
make sense because of the logistics involved with using our equipment. How we operate the equipment in
the water is relative to:
What type of plants we are taking out
The consistency of the bottom
The density of the Plants
There is a huge difference in the rooting system of Spatter Dock, Lily Pads, and Cat Tails vs. those of
Milfoil or Hydrilla. Plants with large roots need to be tilled, and with our system we use everything from
a divers Hands, and in some cases an aggressive claw and winch, or excavator mounted on a barge.
Plant Selectivity: Identifying invasive plants is usually a simple process through educating our divers
what to look for, and while under the water we are continually moving around so that we work past the
turbidity that is created in the prior spot. Milfoil and Curley leaf pondweeds are visibly different then
lilies or eelgrass. It is worth noting that on a micro level (individual home owner’s) that we have found a
balance between the need of the marine life and ecosystem they inhabit. Many of our clients will ask for
removal of all aquatic vegetation on their property so they can enjoy their recreational activities
unobstructed by aquatic vegetation. Our normal response is that we are comfortable removing half of the
vegetation on their property, leaving half for the marine life. DEC offices in some regions and states have
found this to be a fair balance between both, and truly a balance is what we’re suggesting.
Protocol For Suction Harvesting
1) Define area’s to be worked on
2) Define types plants to be removed
3) Agreed procedures for use of the machine
4) Design transportation plan for moving spoils to shore
5) Use of turbidity curtains when the area to be worked on meets certain requirements
6) Set disposal procedures
7) Time frame for seasonal operations depending on each particular lake and the areas that are hot
spots.
Suction Harvesting – Comparisons:
1. Chemicals – A short term solution to aquatic vegetation problems because they only kill a portion of the
plants, which drop to the bottom, turn into silt, and allow for substantial regrowth, are harmful to your
water ways, and while killing the plants, still leave remains floating in your water
2. Weed Harvesters – Cutting vegetation is the old, obsolete method for removing weeds. It has many
drawbacks. They leave clippings to collect all over your property and create a mess. Harvesters also
spread and ensure new seedlings because clipping a weed in half causes seedlings to fall from the broken
weeds and re seed lake bottom. In addition harvesters are large, bulky machines that can’t cut close to your
docks. These machine also kill huge amounts of fish as they move directly and quickly through a weed bed.
3. Grass eating Carp – While being a good long-term solution for an entire waterway, carp are of no value to
your own property. Typically when you purchase these fish, they are so small that they can’t eat much
vegetation till they are years older. They are also picky eaters and will only eat from a select menu. There is
also no way to control the quantity of vegetation that they consume.
4. Excavators – This is the only other way to remove unwanted aquatic vegetation and perform
dredging, however it is very messy and ineffective because an excavator can only reach out 15’
from shore and when using it for dredging removes silt that that has a high percentage of water in
it, making it impossible to capture much of the desired material.
Suction Harvesting The Methodology vs. The MythsIntroduction: When one first hears about suction harvesting, images of a nozzle randomly vacuuming upthe lakes bottom immediately come to mind, like a Hoover cleaning up your living room floor. In reality,nothing could be further from the truth. While Suction Harvesting can be compared to a unique form ofdredging, one must look past the perception to learn what the reality under the water is and all the benefitsit brings.Background: Suction Harvesting has been around and toyed with since 1982 when a group from theArmy Core of engineers in the U.S. and the U.K. built and experimented with a primitive machine, thattested the theory of taking unwanted invasive aquatic vegetation out by the rooting system to see what there growth would be.Aquacleaner Environmental has refined and developed technology for suction harvesting as a means ofcontrolling and reversing the infestation of invasive plants that are overrunning lakes and bodies of waterthroughout the US, and as a viable means of performing Water Front Restoration. If left on it’s own, alllakes and bodies of water will follow a path that will lead to issues and possibly their demise due to thenatural factors that effect these bodies of water.The current technology that is in use only masks the problem long term and appeases those affected shortterm. We believe that the removal of these invasive plants in their entirety, with as much of the rootingsystem as possible is truly the best way of offering longer term relief and with continued use, long termreduction of their spreading.We also believe that lakes and bodies of water are altered through time because when water travels, itbrings things with it that can begin it’s demise or at the very least result in less enjoyment for the users ofit (run off filling in a waterfront shoreline with silt). We have seen a cycle occur in the water whereorganic material even from leaves blowing into the water at the shoreline, forms a layer of silt, which thenallows invasive plants to grow closer to the lakes shoreline. These plants die every year, decompose,turning into silt, releasing more seeds of invasive’s and then blooming next season with more density. Theremoval of various types of material from a lake only helps to restore it to the condition it was yearsearlier. A hard pact bottom makes it harder for aquatic vegetation to flourish, and for the weeds to takehold and multiply. Aquacleaner Environmental is dedicated to restoring individual waterfront propertiesand lakes as a whole in an environmentally friendly and conscious manner.Aqua Cleaner VeggerScience behind the Aqua Cleaner: Your waterfront property is basically an aquatic garden. It is the optimalenvironment for aquatic vegetation to grow in because it has all the ingredients that vegetation needs to flourish;water, sun, and a rich soil. If you look at your back yard and use that as an example you can further understand thedynamics of what takes place in the water. You have the perfect yard but your neighbor has a bunch of dandelions.The wind blows the wrong way and now you have dandelions (the water is a much better medium than air). If youtry to remove the dandelions by pulling them or cutting them they will still grow back. However if you dig them outand excavate the roots, the odds are much greater that the re-growth will be minimized. Because water isconstantly moving, it carries fragments from these invasive plants. When these fragments land on your propertythey can take root and grow. Using chemicals only makes the problem worse because when a plant dies, it drops tothe bottom, decomposes and breaks into fragments, which causes additional re-growth next season. Again,harvesters also make the problem worse because when you cut a plant you are spreading fragments that will fall tothe bottom and take hold as well. (Ask any landscaper, and they’ll tell you… if you want thicker grass, just keepcutting it).How It Works: Suction Harvesting is the most effective way of removing aquatic vegetation because it removes theblooming vegetation by the roots, as well as the years past plants laying on the bottom in their semi decomposingstate. This process can reduce the re-growth to as little as 10% next season but we have experienced as much as50% depending on variables. It leaves no remains (floaters), can operate in the tightest areas (around docks andbreak walls) and is environmentally friendly. We can suction up a fish and it comes through the hose without goingthrough a motor, and then is returned into the water.The Aqua Cleaner machine is essentially an underwater vacuum cleaner. The machine is mounted on 5’ X10’ pontoons and floats on the water. The system also has a compressor that continuously provides air byway of a hose and respirator. The diver uproots the targeted plants, the years past decomposing plants andfeeds them into a vacuum hose that conveys them to the surface. There, a second worker bags them in 50-pound onion bags. The weeds and all the solids go into the bag, while the water passes through the meshbag and back into the lake. When a bag is full it is placed onto a raft that is later taken to shore where thebags can be composted or trucked offsite.Premise: That removing invasive aquatic vegetation by there rooting system and removing them out ofthe water in their entirety, is the best way to slow down the spread and start reversing the infestation.A) Marine habitat – The technology of our machine allows for a fish to sucked into the nozzle, and comeout swimming on the other end, where the person operating the bagging system can remove it and place itback in the water. The operation of this equipment can be timed so as to not disturb the marine habitatsand our company methodology has been that we do not start operations until spawning season is over orin some cases prior to it’s commencement.B) Water quality – A major issue of concern for several reasons;The Disturbance of the a lake bottom and what it might case in residual affects, and the spreading ofturbidity over a large area, I’m assuming is your offices biggest concerns relative to our process. The ideathat working through years of organic material that has accumulated will release elements in the watercolumn like Nitrogen, Phosphorus, BOD’s that will result in blue green algae or other forms of algae is atangible one depending on the severity and method of the disruption. Our experience with over 7 years ofuse with the Aqua Cleaner machines, show no signs of this occurring.As you are well aware each lakes bottom will vary in it’s consistency and it’s composition. Firmerbottoms with sand, rock or clay, will only cause a minimum turbidity cloud, one that typically doesn’tspread very far, and settles very quickly (typically with in 1 hour).Silted in area’s do create a larger turbidity cloud that will spread in approximately 100’ circumferencewith calm tides. Use of a turbidity curtain will contain this easily.An important point worth noting is that our water quality study has shown that our machines and themethod in which we use them does not cause algae blooms or any residual affects to an area we haveworked. We have had extensive use on several lakes with multiple machines and never heard of any afteraffects that had resulted. Our study was conducted in a 2-acre pond with a silty bottom and wall-to-wallinfestation of an invasive plant. During this project we operated 2 machines for almost 6 weeks, removedover 2400 bags of vegetation and the only noticeable spikes in the water column resulted during a 2-dayheavy rain where we were not even working.We believe we have had great success because while some organic silt does get disturbed by the suctionfrom the nozzle and our hand pulling of plants, silt does mix with water and end up at the back of themachine as turbulent water, that this causes no bi products or after affects. Since nothing ever passesthrough an impeller and the composition of the sediment is not altered, we feel it came out the same wayit went in.C) Disposal – The disposal of aquatic vegetation is always part of our companies on site plan and variesdepending on what the history of the lake is relative to chemical applications. We learn the history of alake typically from the client, the lake association and state regulatory agencies. When there is noproblems we generally have our clients dispose of the vegetation through normal organic compost pilesfrom their local municipality or as a community compost site.Technical Information: While it’s true that what we do under the water is unseen, what we do shouldmake sense because of the logistics involved with using our equipment. How we operate the equipment inthe water is relative to:What type of plants we are taking outThe consistency of the bottomThe density of the PlantsThere is a huge difference in the rooting system of Spatter Dock, Lily Pads, and Cat Tails vs. those ofMilfoil or Hydrilla. Plants with large roots need to be tilled, and with our system we use everything froma divers Hands, and in some cases an aggressive claw and winch, or excavator mounted on a barge.Plant Selectivity: Identifying invasive plants is usually a simple process through educating our diverswhat to look for, and while under the water we are continually moving around so that we work past theturbidity that is created in the prior spot. Milfoil and Curley leaf pondweeds are visibly different thenlilies or eelgrass. It is worth noting that on a micro level (individual home owner’s) that we have found abalance between the need of the marine life and ecosystem they inhabit. Many of our clients will ask forremoval of all aquatic vegetation on their property so they can enjoy their recreational activitiesunobstructed by aquatic vegetation. Our normal response is that we are comfortable removing half of thevegetation on their property, leaving half for the marine life. DEC offices in some regions and states havefound this to be a fair balance between both, and truly a balance is what we’re suggesting.Protocol For Suction Harvesting1) Define area’s to be worked on2) Define types plants to be removed3) Agreed procedures for use of the machine4) Design transportation plan for moving spoils to shore5) Use of turbidity curtains when the area to be worked on meets certain requirements6) Set disposal procedures7) Time frame for seasonal operations depending on each particular lake and the areas that are hotspots.Suction Harvesting – Comparisons:1. Chemicals – A short term solution to aquatic vegetation problems because they only kill a portion of theplants, which drop to the bottom, turn into silt, and allow for substantial regrowth, are harmful to yourwater ways, and while killing the plants, still leave remains floating in your water2. Weed Harvesters – Cutting vegetation is the old, obsolete method for removing weeds. It has manydrawbacks. They leave clippings to collect all over your property and create a mess. Harvesters alsospread and ensure new seedlings because clipping a weed in half causes seedlings to fall from the brokenweeds and re seed lake bottom. In addition harvesters are large, bulky machines that can’t cut close to yourdocks. These machine also kill huge amounts of fish as they move directly and quickly through a weed bed.3. Grass eating Carp – While being a good long-term solution for an entire waterway, carp are of no value toyour own property. Typically when you purchase these fish, they are so small that they can’t eat muchvegetation till they are years older. They are also picky eaters and will only eat from a select menu. There isalso no way to control the quantity of vegetation that they consume.4. Excavators – This is the only other way to remove unwanted aquatic vegetation and performdredging, however it is very messy and ineffective because an excavator can only reach out 15’from shore and when using it for dredging removes silt that that has a high percentage of water init, making it impossible to capture much of the desired material.
For more details and videos visit http://www.SuctionHarvesting.com
