The N3, for lakes and stratified water
Public water comes with public questions: is it safe, is it working, what did it cost, who signed off. The N3 is built for lakes of 5-20 acres, including deep water that stratifies in summer, and every part of it is designed to produce answers a council, a board, or a regulator can check.
What it is
The N3 is the platform at municipal scale: shore or barge mounted, fed by single-phase or three-phase power, throttling in stages against a dissolved-oxygen setpoint so it spends energy only when the lake needs it. Oxygen comes from ambient air, with a concentrator option where the load demands more. Nothing is applied to the water; there is no chemical to permit, post, or re-order.
The full platform story, from the self-clearing water path to the telemetry, is on the N-Series page.
Data that survives scrutiny
Every reading the N3 takes is tagged with the calibration record of the sensor that took it, and dissolved oxygen is measured by an optical sensor, an EPA-approved measurement method. The unit also meters the oxygen it injects against the change the water actually shows, so what you report to council is delivered performance, not equipment runtime. The record is continuous, exportable, and kept to the published methodology.
Permits, up front
Some states require an aeration or shoreline permit for equipment in natural waters, and at least one has paused new nanobubble permits while it reviews the category. We track the rules by state, sequence work where it can proceed, prepare the application materials as part of the engagement, and put the calibrated record this machine produces in front of regulators, because that is the evidence they are asking the category for. The current state of play is kept up to date at permits and regulators.
Engineering targets
Every figure marked "target" is an engineering target for units now in build. Targets are published so you can plan, not to impress you; they can move during production, and the measured value replaces each one when units ship. Changes are logged where the number lives.
| Specification | Value | Claim |
|---|---|---|
| Coverageincluding stratified depth | 5-20 acres | target |
| Poweror 208-480 V three-phase | 240 V single-phase | by design |
| Mounting | shore or barge | by design |
| Output controlto a DO setpoint | staged | by design |
| Sensorscalibration-tagged | DO, temp, pH, ORP | by design |
| Enclosure | NEMA 4X (IP66) | by design |
| Electrical panel | UL 508A path | by design |
| Telemetry | cellular, included | by design |
What it targets to cost
$28,000-42,000target
The band covers the unit; site work, installation, and Stewardship price with the basin, in the proposal. It is a target under the same rule as the table above: it can move during production, and published ranges tighten as the first installations price out. For context, the only public prices this category has produced are documented purchase orders well above this band; they are cited, with sources, on what it costs.
Questions procurement asks
Is the equipment UL listed?
The electrical panel is built on the UL 508A path, in a NEMA 4X (IP66) outdoor enclosure, with GFCI protection and a lockable disconnect. The electrical documentation package, including the listing status at the time of your procurement, comes with the proposal so your review has the paper it needs.
Do we need a permit for this?
In some states, yes: equipment placed in natural waters can require an aeration or shoreline permit, and at least one state is currently reviewing nanobubble systems specifically. We track the rules by state and prepare the application materials as part of the engagement. Our permits page keeps a plain public account of what is settled and what is not.
Can we start with a pilot?
The first installations run a 12-week instrumented validation against the proof standard we published before any water had a record. A municipal installation can enter on the same terms: a dated baseline, a written prediction, weekly public-format reporting, and the record is yours whichever way the curve goes.
What data do we actually get, and who owns it?
You get the continuous record: dissolved oxygen, temperature, pH, and ORP, every reading tagged with the calibration record of the sensor that took it, exportable in open formats. The record belongs to the water body and its steward. Monthly reports are written to be forwarded to council exactly as sent.
The lake is deep and stratifies. Does a shore unit reach it?
Depth is the point: return lines are placed from the assessment profile so oxygen reaches the stratified layer where problems form, and the N3 mounts on shore or on a barge depending on the basin. The assessment maps temperature and oxygen top to bottom before any placement is chosen.
Tell us what your water is doing.
A specialist reads your description and replies with a plain answer: what it usually means and what we would measure first.