Update, July 15, 2021

Wow, last month we wrote that the weather here has been “normal”. Nothing could be further from the truth. We had 104 degrees Fahrenheit here June 28, 2021, and that was in the forest in total shade. So hot it destroyed foliage on sword ferns, trees, and salmonberry bushes here. Ungodly heat. All-time record high. Only one day, though that was enough to last me the rest of my life. Its very dry now 65 percent humidity outside. We have lots of water stored up, though. and much of it already filtered.

Filter one is still running.

The new filter output on the fish pond is gradually improving. So far, looks good. All the other pond filters are still running and the water in all the ponds is crystal clear. No mosquitoes, either. Lots of dragon flies. Some very large 2 inches; some very small less than 1 inch long.

We’ll have updates as the test on the new pond filter continues.

We have noticed, over the past 11 years, that water flowing onto the surface of a pond from an “un-ripe filter, will often have foam, or extensive amounts of bubbles forming. That water, being tested, has been full of bacteria, and other nasty stuff. Water flowing from a fully functioning slow sand filter onto the surface of a pond and splashing, and producing no foam or bubbles, is usually very pure. All of our ponds have very pure water. We use an overflow that allows the unfiltered water that doesn’t make it through the filter, to flow back into the pond; thereby adding oxygen to the pond, from the splashing, and avoiding water loss. Since the filters run 24/7, the water in these ponds is filtered over, and over and over again, even though only a tiny dribble flows from the filtered water outlet. Each pond filter has 2 outlets, filtered, and overflow.

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