Why are so many of today’s lakes and ponds covered in unsightly and foul-smelling vegetation? Many lakes and ponds suffer from an invasion of excessive amounts of nutrients. Fertilizer runoff, septic system leaching and destruction of naturally occurring wetlands are often sources of rich nutrients that promote weed growth. Even the influx of Canadian geese and other species can accelerate nutrient buildup. As a result, lakes and ponds may become clogged with not only rooted weeds, but also floating weeds such as duckweed, watermeal, and azolla. The best solution for ending this ever worsening cycle of weed growth is to eliminate these non-point sources of nutrients, but that usually isn’t practical.

Another less than perfect solution is chemical treatment. Chemical treatments may kill most of the floating weeds on your lake or pond, but the dead weeds sink to the bottom of the water where they settle and decay. The decayed matter provides nourishment for any weeds that have survived the chemical treatment. The remaining weeds flourish and the cycle continues. We believe that chemical treatment can actually make the problem worse.

We knew there had to be a better solution, so we invented it — a mechanical system that can harvest floating weeds by using an efficient skimming mechanism to physically remove weeds from the water. After years of developing and testing dozens of prototypes, the made-in-America ProSkimmer System is now available to provide a fast, effective, chemical-free and environmentally sound alternative to chemical treatment. The ProSkimmer System will remove not only the floating weeds that choke your pond, but also spring pollen and autumn leaves that can add additional nutrients to the water. In addition, the ProSkimmer System aerates your pond’s water while it filters out the nutrient-rich floating aquatic weeds that can be discarded or used as compost.

The ProSkimmer System consists of an in-water floating collection unit that connects by hose to an onshore filtration unit. The heart of the ProSkimmer System is its in-water floating collection unit, a special skimmer that has been designed to extract only those weeds and organic debris that float on the surface of the water. The in-water floating collection unit creates a powerful vortex of water that draws in floating weeds and debris. The uniquely designed stainless steel pump generates a powerful flow in which water, weeds and debris are collected and pumped through a hose to the on-shore filtration unit. The weeds and debris remain behind on shore in the filtration unit while the clear, filtered, aerated water flows through the return hoses and back into your lake or pond.

The ProSkimmer System has two modes:
Maintenance Mode is used for occasional removal of floating weeds and organic debris. The weeds and debris are deposited directly into a large collection basket that is housed inside the on-shore filtration unit.
Continuous Mode is used for steady removal of large quantities of floating weeds and debris. Extension legs raise the filtration unit by up to 3 feet, creating an incline that allows weeds and debris to slide down a filtration chute directly into your own receptacle — such as a wheelbarrow, garden cart or even a bucket loader.