LG Sonic at AWWA ACE 2026

LG Sonic has partnered with several municipal water utilities, including American Water, Anglian Water, South West Water, and Vallecitos Water District, to deploy floating ultrasonic remediation and monitoring platforms. This cooperative effort targets the reduction of cyanobacteria and taste-and-odor compounds directly at the source, preventing downstream treatment complexities in drinking water facilities.

Operational Challenges in Surface Water Management
Drinking water utilities face operational constraints due to harmful algal blooms (HABs) and seasonal spikes in geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol (MIB). Traditional chemical treatments, such as powdered activated carbon (PAC) and algaecides, increase operational expenditure and can cause cell lysis, which releases cyanotoxins into the water column. Managing these risks requires continuous data collection and proactive intervention before raw water enters treatment plant intakes.

Ultrasonic Mitigation and Monitoring Architecture
The technical solution relies on the MPC-Buoy, a solar-powered platform that integrates real-time sensor payloads with low-power ultrasonic transducers. The partner utilities provide the physical deployment sites and integrate the resulting data streams into their existing digital infrastructure.

The system monitors critical parameters, including:

The platform transmits this telemetry to utility SCADA systems to provide operational decision support. Concurrently, the onboard transducers emit specific ultrasonic frequencies that disrupt the buoyancy mechanism of cyanobacteria, forcing the cells to sink below the photic zone. This prevents photosynthesis and controls bloom formation without lysing the cell walls.

Infrastructure Integration and Industrial Applications
The deployment involves positioning the autonomous platforms within raw water reservoirs and treatment plant intakes. Engineering teams from LG Sonic and the respective utilities configure the communication interfaces to ensure compatibility with local automation protocols. The cooperation will be highlighted at the American Water Works Association Annual Conference and Exposition (AWWA ACE 2026), taking place from June 21 to June 24, 2026, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC, where technical data regarding industrial automation and source water management will be presented.

Quantifiable System Impacts
By integrating these autonomous systems into industrial automation workflows, participating utilities report a reduction in chemical dependency, specifically minimizing PAC and algaecide dosing. The combination of continuous monitoring and targeted ultrasound stabilizes raw water quality, lowering overall treatment costs and ensuring compliance with regulatory standards for drinking water safety.

Edited by Evgeny Churilov, Induportals Media - Adapted by AI.

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