Company News – Aquarius-Systems

Aquatic Weed Harvesting Safety & Maintenance Seminar 2025

Tue, 08 Apr 2025 14:52:13 +0000

Safety & Maintenance Seminar
Friday, May 16, 2025
Registration Opens 8:00 a.m.; Seminar 8:30 – 3 p.m.
Village of North Prairie Community Center Hall

Safety Training; Chad Lese, Aquarius Systems
Equipment Maintenance; Chad Lese, Aquarius Systems
Aquatic Plant Identification; Arthur Watkinson, WI DNR
WY-20-23 Update; Madi Johansen, WI DNR
Case Study; Dakota Koepp, Lake Pewaukee Sanitary District

$75 per person; includes registration, continental breakfast, lunch & supplies
PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED

DUE DATE: Please return registration forms and full payment no later than May 1st, 2025
MAIL TO: Aquarius Systems, PO Box 215, North Prairie WI 53153-0215 or FAX TO: 262-392-2984
PHONE: 262-392-2162 EMAIL: dawnk@aquarius-systems.com

Aquarius Systems – Helping to make Milwaukee a Best River Town

Thu, 21 Dec 2023 21:02:26 +0000

Milwaukee has more than 410 miles of streams, 85 lakes, and three rivers—the Milwaukee, Menomonee, and Kinnikinnick.Milwaukee ; plus miles of Lake Michigan shoreline. Milwaukee has been reinventing itself over the past decade, most of them involving water. The city is steadily transforming into what former Wisconsin governor Tommy Thompson hopes will be “the Silicon Valley of water.”

More than 130 water-technology companies—such as PaveDrain, which created a permeable paving system to help reduce runoff, and Aquarius Systems, which designs river skimmers and other surface-water cleaning products—now call the city home. And in 2009, the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, opened the country’s first School of Freshwater Sciences.

Aquarius Systems Wins First Wisconsin Lake Stewardship Award in Business Category

Wed, 20 Dec 2023 22:22:37 +0000

Over the course of more than 35 years, Aquarius Systems has epitomized the definition of “stewardship” for the world of environmental protection through their efforts to protect and restore Wisconsin lakes as well as lakes around the world. Since their founding in the 1950s, Aquarius Systems has supported youth water education, the North American Lake Management Society, the Wisconsin Association of Lakes and countless other groups, initiatives and programs designed to educate, promote good lake management and instill a sound stewardship ethic. By continuing to serve as a valued and valuable economic resource to the Lakes Partnership and other organizations such as the Pennsylvania Lake Management Society and the Texas Aquatic Plant Management Society, as well as an important touchstone of current and future technologies, Aquarius has clearly demonstrated through contributions of time and effort that they have made a positive difference in the continued well-being of our inland waterways, watersheds and ecosystems. This willingness to look beyond the “business” aspects of their work towards a larger ideal of responsible lake management both sets Aquarius Systems apart and sets an example for others in their field.

For exemplary leadership, hard work and a willingness to share with the community, Aquarius Systems is presented with the 2002 Wisconsin Lake Stewardship Award in the Business category.

The Wisconsin Lake Stewardship Awards are presented each year to individuals and groups that have made outstanding contributions of time and effort toward the preservation and protection of Wisconsin’s lake ecosystems. Each year thousands of individuals spend countless hours in the work of lake stewardship; only a few are recognized for their efforts. Those who are nominated join a long and distinguished list of women and men whose dedication, vision and commitment ensure that Wisconsin’s legacy of lakes will be safe and secure for generations to come.

Reprinted from the 2002 Wisconsin Association of Lakes Conference Program

Aquarius Harvester Still Performing Decades Later on Fox River

Wed, 20 Dec 2023 22:08:29 +0000

Waukesha Freeman, July 6, 2011 – Workers from Midwest Aquatics unload cut weeds from a mechanical harvester in the Fox River off of Frame Park on Tuesday. Aquatic weeds are cut, then taken from the water on a conveyor, then transfered to a second boat and removed.

This 1990 Aquarius Systems HM-320 Aquatic Plant Harvester is still running strong, a testament to the craftmanship!

Aquarius Harvesters Support Hydropower in Malawi

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 21:18:51 +0000

Nearly 95% of Malawi’s power is generated by hydropower on the Shire River, but sedimentation and weed infestation hinder efficiency. Today Millennium Challenge Corp Principal Deputy Vice President Kyeh Kim joined U.S. Embassy Lilongwe Ambassador Virginia Palmer to celebrate the commissioning and hand-over of two new weed harvesters by MCA-Malawi to the Electricity Generation Company Malawi Limited. These harvesters, manufactured and supplied by Aquarius Systems in Wisconsin, will help to improve the generation capacity of Malawi’s hydro-power plants.

New Harvester Boosts Weed Removal on Ross River

Thu, 01 Jun 2023 14:46:55 +0000

Weeds on the Ross River have a new predator in town as Council launches its brand new 6.5 tonne weed harvester to combat invasive species in the waterway.

The aquatic weed harvester arrived in Townsville, Queensland, Australia from Aquarius Systems in the United States to replace Council’s older retiring harvester. The new model includes stainless steel fittings, a quieter engine, and the capacity to complete in one hour what the old harvester could do in one day.

“The harvester is an essential piece of equipment to remove invasive species like salvinia, water hyacinth and cabomba, which are native to the Americas,” Cr Molachino said.

2023 Trash Summit

Mon, 20 Mar 2023 17:15:36 +0000

BEST PRACTICES IN WATERWAY TRASH SKIMMING / TRASH REMOVAL SUMMIT

Thursday, September 21st, 2023

$120 per person

North Prairie, Wisconsin

Environmental trends have placed greater awareness (rightfully so) on clean water and waterways. There are various tools and techniques that have gained popularity. Join us to hear best practices and insights about owning and operating a trash skimmer and trash removal program.

Agenda

8:00 – 8:30 Arrival & Registration

8:30 – 8:45 Welcome

8:45 – 10:00 Best Practices Panel Trash skimming program: Lesson learned on initiating and starting up a program, finding the right debris removal solution, and considerations for running the program.

10:00 – 10:15 Break

10:15 – 11:30 Best Practices in operating a Trash skimming program: Learn best practices in action of operating a trash skimmer program, key metrics, and insight in EPA grant opportunities for a trash skimmer program.

11:30 – 12:45 Technical Feedback/Working Lunch

12:45 – 2:00 Aquarius Systems Factory Tour

Travel to Harley-Davidson Museum

3:00 – 5:00 Harley-Davidson Museum Tour

Dinner to Follow

Download Flyer

Register Today

Contact Us

Aquatic Weed Harvester Demonstration for Texas Governor George Bush

Fri, 18 Nov 2022 18:31:09 +0000

Aquarius Systems joined forces with Ray Scott (founder of B.A.S.S.), the Lower Colorado River Authority, Texas Parks & Wildlife, the Tennessee Valley Authority and numerous fishing & environmental groups in giving a demonstration of an Aquatic Plant Harvester for Texas Governor George Bush.

The TVA brought their specially designed Aquarius harvester from Guntersville, Alabama to be tested on Lake Bastrop approximately 40 miles southeast of Austin, Texas. During the week long demonstration, research teams rode along on the harvester to study its effectiveness and environmental impact on fisheries.

On the last day of the demo, Ray Scott convinced Governor Bush to come out and take a ride on the harvester. After a quick lesson, the Governor got into the driver’s seat to put the machine through its paces.

Governor Bush stated; “I am an avid fisherman and Ray [Scott] is deeply concerned about fishing, food chains and habitat. He and I had a long talk about how do we make sure Texas lakes are not only accessible to all water users, but are the best places to fish in America. I’d love to be the governor to stand up and say anybody can put their bass boat in our lake and catch the biggest fish in America. And so the question is, is there a way to manage hydrilla and at the same time be able to have water use for all our citizens, including the best bass fishing in America? This harvester is a good way to get it all done.”

This demonstration was in response to overwhelming public pressure to find alternatives to using herbicides in Texas lakes to manage excessive aquatic vegetation.

Aquatic Weed Harvesters Originated in Wisconsin

Thu, 10 Feb 2022 16:26:05 +0000

Wisconsin is the birthplace of modern aquatic plant harvesters. The industry has grown in response to what most Americans consider a problem: Too many plants interfering with the recreational use of our lakes and waterways.

The first machine was built in response to fussy Chicago housewives! Around the turn of the century, ice was harvested from Wisconsin lakes destined for Chicago iceboxes. The housewives there didn’t like cleaning out the weeds when the ice melted. This boat was designed to cut down the weeds in the fall so that clean ice could be harvested in the winter.

Kiel Man Honored for 50 Years of Lake Stewardship

Wed, 29 Dec 2021 22:21:49 +0000

Aquarius Systems turned 55 this year and during that time we have seen harvester operators come and go. Oftentimes operators are college kids looking for some summer work or retired community members looking to keep active and make a little money.

However, that is not the case with the operator of the Cedar Lake Sanitary District. Roger Laack has been operating an aquatic weed harvester on Cedar Lake for 50 years. With a permit from the DNR, Roger would clear navigation lanes around the lake and remove vegetation around piers.

Congratulations Roger and thank you for your dedication to lake management!