SolarBee

The SolarBee is a solar powered water re-circulator, bringing water up from 8 feet below the surface and dispersing it over the surface of the pond. This sets up a long distance flow as surface water is pulled down to replace the water being pumped up to the surface. It operates 24 hours a day by using a powerful battery for night, but it will stop if heavy clouds persist for several days. This moving water has been effective in Skinequit in controlling the growth of the most toxic types of blue green floating algae, especially Microcystis and Anabaena, which plagued the pond most summers before the SolarBee was installed in 2007.

The machine has a large impeller blade, driven by a slow speed high torque motor. Swimmers and boaters should stay two or more boat lengths away to avoid any chance of physical injury and to prevent damage to the computer which controls the voltage and various sensors. The unit has warning signs on all three sides warning of the dangers.

More information about the SolarBee can be found on their website at http://lakes.medoraco.com. Medora is the parent company of SolarBee and is located in North Dakota.