Accelerated aging of the water body

Naturally, it takes centuries for a lake to fill up. Here, TASO has identified a sudden acceleration of this process. The problem is simple: your body of water produces more organic waste than it is capable of breaking down.

Three invisible mechanisms turn your pond into a swamp:

1. Self-Silting (The Lake Fills Itself)
   Contrary to popular belief, silt does not always come from the shores, but from the water itself.
   The mechanism: Algae and dead leaves sink to the bottom. Since the lake is “overflowing,” it can no longer process this material. It accumulates and forms organic silt that raises the lake bottom year after year.
   Result: The lake loses depth due to the accumulation of its own untreated waste.
2. Bottom Suffocation (Silt That Swells)
   The bottom of your body of water can no longer breathe.
   The mechanism: Deprived of oxygen, the siltdoes not break down properly; it rots (fermentation). This putrefaction produces gases that cause the mud to “swell” like foam, increasing its volume and preventing its natural compaction.
   Result: A layer of soft mud, “inflated” by the gases, which occupies an enormous volume in the pond.
3. Plant Colonization (The Light Trap)
   This is the final stage of the transformation.
   The mechanism: As the bottom rises, the water becomes shallower. Sunlight can now reach the bottom in the center of the lake.
   Result: This signals plants (reeds, water lilies, water primrose) to take root everywhere, not just along the edges. Open water disappears.

Conclusion: Your body of water isn’t dying of old age; it’s suffering from organic overload. It’s accumulating matter instead of recycling it.