The City of Gainesville’s Department of Water Resources is piloting a new strategy to combat the chronic taste and odor issues associated with the city’s primary drinking source.
According to the city, Lake Lanier has been experiencing historically high levels of algae, causing the concerning taste and odor associated with the city’s water. While the City confirmed in 2025 that these issues were aesthetic and not associated with any health risks, officials are now testing a new solution reduce the algae altogether: ultrasonic technology.
The City announced Thursday that three MPC-Buoys were deployed in mid-January by LG Sonic, a company that specializes in ultrasonic algae control. The technology has the potential to reduce the algae in Lake Lanier by 95% without the use of chemicals.
“MPC” stands for “monitor, predict, and control.” The buoys emit low-power ultrasound waves in the top water layer of the lake. The waves then block algae’s access to sunlight and nutrients, causing the algae to sink to the bottom of the lake and die off, where they will decompose naturally…