West Zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services, Inc. (Maynilad) is installing three new units of Ultrasonic Algae Control Equipment near the intake structure of the company’s Putatan Water Treatment Plant (PWTP) in Laguna Lake, which will help to monitor algal blooms and prevent algae proliferation that could affect the lake’s raw water quality.
Costing around Php9-million, the three units of solar-powered Ultrasonic Algae Control Equipment are designed to eliminate algae within a 500-meter radius, and provide real-time data on the quality parameters of the raw water that could indicate growth in algae concentrations. The equipment can also identify the types of algae present in the lake.
The deployment of this equipment is among Maynilad’s initiatives to address possible raw water problems in Laguna Lake that may arise due to algal blooms, which result from shifts in the nutrient balance of the lake owing to chemical/ industrial/ agricultural wastes/leachates. Other initiatives include the upgrade of its silt curtain that surrounds PWTP’s intake structure, and the constant replacement of the plant’s filters.
The photo shows Maynilad personnel deploying one of three new Ultrasonic Algae Control Equipment to the lake. Maynilad currently has six units of this equipment installed around PWTP.