New technology tested in oxygen-poor rivers has led to 40 percent fewer fish deaths, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) said.
The agency identified sections of rivers in Tainan with lower oxygen levels and excessive rates of fish deaths, EPA Office of Water Quality Protection head Yen Hsu-ming (顏旭明) said.
The institute and National Cheng Kung University’s Tainan Hydraulics Laboratory set up 30 smart aerators along sections of Wuye River (五爺溪) and the Tainan Canal, Yen said.
The aerators, developed by the Industrial Technology Research Institute, monitor oxygen saturation and start enriching the water if the saturation drops below 2mg per liter, Yen said.
Chiu Kuo-shu (邱國書), a technician at the agency, said that through photosynthesis, algae produce oxygen during the day, but the saturation might fall at night, when most fish deaths occur.
Oxygen saturation in Taiwanese lakes and rivers is usually lowest from March to August, and especially during longer periods of hot weather, Chiu said.
The aerators release nano-sized bubbles of oxygen, which stay in the water longer than larger bubbles, which travel to the surface faster, Chiu said.
Tainan Water Resource Bureau Deputy Director-General Chan Yi-chin (詹益欽) said that the Tainan Canal, a popular tourist spot, often has low levels of oxygen, leading to excessive fish deaths.
With the aerators, the bureau has recorded a 40 percent decrease in fish deaths compared with last year, and with the smart technology, it can easily monitor the situation remotely, he said.
The system might be introduced to more oxygen-poor river sections in the city, he added.
The system could also be applied to other fields, such as wastewater treatment or aquafarming, he said.
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