Eradication of cyanobacteria in La Tuque’s Lake St-Louis Using Ultrasound
Type of initiative
FCM Green Municipal Fund - Plans, Studies, Pilots
Sector
Water
Project value$60,000
Project Type
Pilot Project
Sub Sector
Watershed Management
Grant amount$29,700
Program type
GMF
Municipality
Ville de La Tuque, QC
Status
Fully Disbursed
Population
11,129
Project timeline
2009 - 2010
Project number
10220
Description
The Town of La Tuque undertook field tests to assess the efficiency of a new process that aimed to stop blue-green algae proliferation by using ultrasonic waves. The tests were carried out in Lac St-Louis, which was located in the heart of the municipality and had one of the highest levels of phosphorous in the province of Quebec. Working with a sound technology research group, the town installed an experimental ultrasonic transducer (which used less energy, provided four times more ultrasonic energy, and had a more efficient square sine wave less harmful to other organisms than other transducers) to compare cyanobacteria levels in the treated area with those from an untreated area. Latuque also observed the effects of the experiment on the lake’s flora and fauna. An experimental protocol was established to measure parameters such as dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature, cyanobacteria and cyanotoxin concentrations, and fluorescence. Mitigating oxygen depletion by controlling cyanobacteria development was expected to make visits to the lake a more pleasant experience. The lake was in poor health. It gave off a foul smell and presented a risk to public health due to its location in one of the most densely populated areas of the municipality.
(Project description from original funding application)
Applicant
Ville de La Tuque, QC