A popular suburban lake in Western Sydney has gone from weed-choked and failing to clear and thriving, thanks to a correctly sized aeration blower and a change in approach from ‘replace the box’ to ‘understand the application’.
For residents, the lake is more than a water feature. It’s somewhere to walk, watch the birdlife and enjoy green space in the middle of a growing city. Over time, however, weed spread across the surface, forming a dense mat and signalling deeper water quality issues.
The council had already invested in a lake aeration system. But the side channel blower, installed by a previous supplier, never worked as intended. It struggled from the start and eventually suffered three major failures. Each repair bought only a short-term operation before the weed returned.
By late 2024, after another breakdown and mounting frustration, the council turned to Atlas Copco for a fresh opinion.
Diagnosing the real issue
Rather than focusing only on the failed equipment, the Atlas Copco team assessed the entire installation.
They visited the site and reviewed the existing blowers and diffuser layout. They also discussed the council’s goals for water quality, appearance, and community amenities.
The conclusion was clear: the problem was not just age or condition, but selection. The side channel blowers were not suited to the lake’s operating conditions. They stalled under pressure and could not deliver the continuous flow required for effective aeration across the basin.
Drawing on experience in wastewater and aeration applications, the team recommended moving away to a positive displacement solution that could reliably handle the pressure and flow.
A blower matched to the lake
The council agreed to trial an Atlas Copco ZL lobe blower on the existing aeration system. Crucially, the unit was sized to the lake, not to a catalogue line.
A ZL blower with an external variable speed drive (VSD) was selected so the air flow could be matched to the diffuser system and fine-tuned as needed. The blower was commissioned on 24 March 2025 and has been run continuously to maintain aeration and circulation.
Because the lake is surrounded by homes and parkland, sound and visual impact were also important. After initial operation in the open, the blower was enclosed in a weather- and security-proof acoustic housing, protecting the equipment and minimising noise.
Viable results over time
The impact of the upgrade is clearly visible in photos taken over the year.
On commissioning day in March, the lake surface near the shoreline was heavily contaminated with weed. By late September, around six months after the ZL blower started up, weed coverage around the main basin has been significantly reduced, and more open water was visible. By December, the lake appeared clear, with only minimal weed remaining and reflections of the sky and trees on the surface.
Behind the scenes, the blower simply kept running. Over roughly 40 weeks of operation it clocked more than 6600 hours without requiring a service, including summer days where ambient temperatures exceeded 40°C.
Benefits for ecology and community
The improvements go beyond aesthetics. With improved water quality and circulation, the lake has seen a return of biodiversity. Council staff and residents have observed a wider variety of birds using the waterway, including species nesting and raising their young. Fish populations have also increased, helping to support this renewed birdlife.
Equally, the solution has been accepted by the surrounding community. Housed in its acoustic enclosure, the blower operates with no reported noise complaints from nearby residents, a critical factor in public spaces.
For the council, reliability has been a major benefit after years of managing repeated failures. The success of the project has been strong enough that the council has ordered a second ZL blower for another local lake facing similar weed and water quality issues.
A model for other urban lakes
Urban lakes and ponds across Australia face similar challenges, from nutrient-driven weed growth to algal blooms and odours. Aeration is often part of the solution, but as this Western Sydney project shows, performance depends on matching the blower to the application.
By starting with the lake’s actual requirements, depth, diffuser layout, pressure, air flow and acoustic constraints, the council and Atlas Copco were able to deliver a reliable, low-impact solution that benefits both ecology and community.
To read the full case study and see the before-and-after images, visit:
https://www.atlascopco.com/en-au/compressors/news-and-stories/western-sydney-lake-aeration
