Our Results
What these numbers represent
Hydralife works by competitive exclusion. Excess nutrients in the water are the food source that nuisance algae and the cyanobacteria behind harmful algae blooms depend on. The beneficial phytoplankton we add consumes those same nutrients first, the phosphate, ammonia and nitrate, which removes the food source before a bloom can form. It is a biological approach, so the water stays usable for irrigation throughout. The entries below are our own field samples, taken on site and recorded before and after treatment.
How does Hydralife reduce nutrients in a lake or pond?
Live beneficial phytoplankton consumes the phosphate, ammonia and nitrate that nuisance algae and cyanobacteria need to bloom. When the phytoplankton gets there first, the food source a harmful algae bloom depends on is no longer available. The records below show that drawdown measured in the field, in parts per million.
How to read these results
We track five readings on every visit: ammonia (NH4), nitrite (NO2), nitrate (NO3), phosphate (PO4), and water temperature. Phosphate is the number to watch. It is the limiting nutrient for most nuisance algae and for the cyanobacteria that drive harmful algae blooms, so when phosphate comes down, the conditions a bloom needs come down with it. A small nitrate reading after dosing is normal as the biology cycles nitrogen through the water column.
Green water is the goal, not a defect. A living green tint means beneficial phytoplankton is established and holding the nutrients inside cells, where nuisance algae and cyanobacteria cannot reach them. Often a daphnia bloom follows, the visible sign of a healthy food chain.
Pond types on this page: irrigation pond and park pond.
Water managers who trust Hydralife
Hydralife is trusted by golf course superintendents, municipal parks and golf divisions, and private pond owners across Colorado and beyond. Every result on this page comes from our own field sampling, taken on site before and after treatment.
Front Range golf course irrigation pond
Irrigation pond. Littleton, Colorado. Fed by reclaimed water from a reservoir and a wastewater treatment facility. 2026 season. Result confirmed.
Headline result: ammonia and phosphate reduced to barely detectable levels in 9 days.
Before treatment, 6/10/2026: NH4 1 to 2 ppm, NO2 0 ppm, NO3 0 ppm, PO4 0.5 ppm.
After treatment, 6/19/2026, 9 days later: NH4 0.25 ppm, NO2 0 ppm, NO3 0 ppm, PO4 0.25 ppm.
The director of agronomy reported that for the first time in six years managing the property, this pond carried no filamentous surface algae, while three untreated ponds on the same property still did. The course irrigated about 380,000 gallons each night during treatment, so the pond was drawing down and refilling from a reclaimed source continuously. A daphnia bloom developed along the entire shoreline, the visible signature of a healthy food chain. No toxic algae bloom formed. Performance climbed once water temperature rose above 60 degrees.
Reported by the Director of Agronomy and Superintendent, Ravenna Country Club.
Municipal public park pond
Park pond. Denver, Colorado. Fed by the South Platte River and a wastewater treatment facility. 2026 season. Result confirmed.
Headline result: phosphate and ammonia drawn down to 0 ppm in 21 days.
Before treatment, 5/29/2026: NH4 0.25 ppm, NO2 0 ppm, NO3 5 ppm, PO4 0.25 ppm.
After treatment, 6/19/2026, 21 days later: NH4 0 ppm, NO2 0 ppm, NO3 5 ppm, PO4 0 ppm.
This pond was under a cyanobacteria advisory when treatment began. After the beneficial phytoplankton consumed the available nutrients, the municipal lake manager reported that the pond looked good and that the toxic cyanobacteria had been neutralized. Phosphate and ammonia both reached zero over the first cycle.
Reported by the Lake Manager, Denver Parks and Recreation, Lily Pond.
Municipal golf course irrigation pond, reclaimed water
Irrigation pond. Denver, Colorado. Fed by reclaimed water from a wastewater treatment facility. 2024 late season. Result confirmed.
Headline result: ammonia and phosphate to 0 ppm in 6 days, and the pond itself became a turf biostimulant.
Before treatment, 7/26/2024: NH4 0.25 ppm, NO2 0.25 ppm, NO3 20 ppm, PO4 0.5 ppm.
After treatment, 8/3/2024, 6 days later: NH4 0 ppm, NO2 0 ppm, NO3 10 ppm, PO4 0 ppm.
A three-quarter-acre pond that irrigates roughly 550,000 gallons per cycle and refills with reclaimed water after each irrigation, arriving at about 0.5 ppm ammonia, 10 ppm nitrate and 0.25 ppm phosphate. This was a late-season inoculation. Ammonia and phosphate were neutralized, and the beneficial phytoplankton reproduced faster than the course could irrigate, so the pond delivered phytoplankton, a turf biostimulant, into the turf with every cycle.
Reported by the Director of Agronomy and Head Superintendent, City Park Golf Course, City and County of Denver.
Frequently asked questions
How does Hydralife reduce the nutrients in these ponds?
By competitive exclusion. The beneficial phytoplankton consumes the phosphate, ammonia and nitrate in the water, the same nutrients nuisance algae and cyanobacteria need to bloom. Once those nutrients are held inside beneficial cells, the food source a harmful algae bloom depends on is no longer available.
Why is phosphate the number to watch?
Phosphate is the limiting nutrient for most nuisance algae and for the cyanobacteria that drive harmful algae blooms. When phosphate comes down, the conditions a bloom needs come down with it, which is why we report it as the headline reading on each pond.
How long does it take to reduce nutrients in a pond?
It depends on nutrient load, water temperature and how often the pond turns over. In the field results on this page, phosphate and ammonia reached barely detectable levels in 6 days on a reclaimed-water golf course pond, 9 days on a Front Range irrigation pond, and 21 days on a municipal park pond that began under a cyanobacteria advisory. Performance rises once water temperature is above 60 degrees.
Is the water still usable for irrigation during treatment?
Yes. This is a biological approach, not a chemical one, so the water stays usable for irrigation throughout. There is no closure window and no fish kill risk.
Why does the water look green after treatment?
Green water is the intended outcome. A living green tint means the beneficial phytoplankton is established and holding nutrients inside cells where nuisance organisms cannot reach them. A daphnia bloom often follows, which is the food chain feeding on that phytoplankton.
Have a pond carrying too many nutrients?
The higher the nutrient load, the harder the beneficial phytoplankton works. Send us your water and we will read the numbers and recommend a dose.