Protecting Sundridge Sewage Lagoon

SonicPure Restores Water Quality in Ontario Lagoon

Though algae can pose aesthetic concerns and are often considered a simple nuisance, their presence in critical water resources can quickly become far more than just visually disturbing.

Such was the case in the Canadian province of Ontario, where uncontrolled blooms of blue-green and green algae in a key supply lagoon led to severe operational challenges. The excessive growth was producing dangerous levels of effluent and total suspended solids (TSS) far beyond what the system’s filtration infrastructure could manage.

A Growing Problem

As algae levels continued to rise, the Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks faced an urgent need to bring the system back into compliance. The contamination had already pushed readings beyond the allowable limits under Environmental Compliance Approval (ECA) — Canada’s equivalent of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Compounding the issue, the excessive biological load was overwhelming the lagoon’s Submerged Attached Growth Reactor (SAGR) disc filter. The filtration system simply couldn’t keep up with the algae growth, threatening not only regulatory compliance but also the stability of the entire treatment process.

An Ultrasonic Solution Restores Balance

The city of Sundridge, where the lagoon was located, sought an environmentally responsible and cost-effective way to address the issue. After consulting with SonicPure we recommended deploying a SonicPure Sentinel — a proven non-chemical solution for harmful algae control.

When the system was activated in mid-August, at the peak of summer, the cyanobacterial cell count exceeded 2,000,000. Within just 30 days, the Sentinel had reduced the cell count to 4,420 — a 500-fold reduction. After two months, the number dropped further to just 1,600 cells.

To validate the results, Schaffer, the project lead, conducted a 90-day comparative trial. One reservoir was treated with SonicPure, while a neighboring reservoir relied on traditional copper sulfate treatment. By the end of the test, the SonicPure treated reservoir was visibly cleaner, achieving the same or better results without the use of chemicals or recurring treatment cycles.

A Sustainable Alternative to Chemicals

While a few algae species, such as Chlorophyceae (Chlamydomonas sp.) and Cyanophyceae (Pseudanabaena sp.), are less affected by ultrasound, these represent a tiny fraction of the more than 2 million algae subspecies that ultrasonic technology can effectively target.

Ultrasound works by transmitting high-frequency sound waves through the water, disrupting algae’s cellular buoyancy and photosynthetic processes. The result is a clean, chemical-free reduction of harmful algae without harming beneficial bacteria, aquatic life, or surrounding ecosystems.

The Ontario project demonstrated that ultrasound not only matches the effectiveness of copper-based treatments but also eliminates the health, safety, and environmental concerns associated with chemical use — all while providing continuous, autonomous operation.

Results that Speak for Themselves

“Ultrasound technology delivers a 500X reduction in cyanobacterial cell count,” said Schaffer. “We were able to meet compliance, improve water clarity, and restore system performance — all without a single chemical treatment.”

A Blueprint for the Future

The success in Ontario highlights a growing shift among water management authorities toward sustainable, non-chemical treatment technologies. With reliable, real-time monitoring and proven field results, ultrasound systems like SonicPure’s Pulsar and Sentinel Series are rapidly becoming the standard for safe, long-term algae control in wastewater lagoons, reservoirs, and municipal water systems.

By replacing outdated chemical methods with smart ultrasonic technology, cities like Sundridge are proving that clean water and environmental responsibility can go hand in hand.

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