Your Cart
No products in the cart.
Free shipping on all orders over $450
CI360™Lagoon Wastewater
WW · 6 stages · one sequence · biology first, correction second
A lagoon does not fail on the day the complaint arrives. It fails quietly, over seasons — a blanket nobody surveyed, a strain left running through a temperature it cannot work in, a corrective product carried so long it became the program.
Lagoon WastewaterStabilize. Recover. Then correct.
Section 01 · Program overview
One sequence, six stages — and every product owns exactly one of them
Six stages. One sequence. Two escalation paths.
CI360™ is a task-based program, not a product shelf. A lagoon program runs in order: establish base biology, match the biology to water temperature, recover the capacity sludge has taken — and only then escalate into upset recovery or a parameter-specific correction. Each stage has one job and one product lane. The program fails when the lanes blur: a corrective product carried as routine chemistry, a seasonal strain running through the wrong temperature band, or a base biology dose raised to compensate for a sludge problem it was never going to reach.
Base biology is not sludge recovery. Sludge recovery is not oxygen support. Oxygen support is not ammonia or COD correction. Those are four different limiting conditions and they respond to four different interventions. The single most valuable thing this program does is stop a municipality from answering every lagoon symptom with a heavier dose of the same pail.
Six stages · click a segment on the dial or a stage in the list
S1Base biologyThe backbone every program stands on000–060°
S2Seasonal matchMeasured water temperature picks the strain060–120°
S3Capacity recoverySludge reduction and oxygen release120–180°
S4Upset recoveryRebuild the biomass, then step back180–240°
S5Collection systemGrease and grit stopped before the cell240–300°
S6EscalationParameter lanes and diagnostics300–360°
Selected stageOther stagesDashed inner arc = the maintenance loopRed arc = escalate on data, not on habit
Lagoon & Lift StationBio-AcceleratorsSewer Infrastructure= catalogue section of a linked product
The operating route
1AssessWater temperature, sludge depth, effluent trend, collection-system load
2AssignOne product to each stage — no corrective product left in the base lane
3ApplyBy label rate, on measured surface area, logged with the temperature reading
4VerifySurvey, effluent results, odour reports, and cost against working volume
Failure mode 01One product answering every symptomOdour, sludge, ammonia and a spring crash are four different failures. When a single pail is dosed at every one of them, three of the four go untreated and the invoice grows anyway. Diagnose the limiting condition before you open anything.
Failure mode 02Sludge that was never surveyedThe blanket is the only lagoon problem that turns into a capital problem. It builds silently, takes working volume off the top of the cell, and shortens retention long before anyone connects it to effluent quality. A cell without an annual survey is being managed on guesswork.
Failure mode 03Seasonal strain left in the wrong bandWarm-water strains stop working below their band and cold-water strains are wasted above it. The published bands are narrow and specific. Switching on the calendar instead of on a thermometer costs a full season of treatment.
Failure mode 04Recovery chemistry that became routineUpset blends are a course with a start and a stop. Carried month after month they mask a base biology that never re-established, and the cell never returns to a stable, self-sustaining state.
Failure mode 05Collection-system load treated in the cellGrease from an untreated wet well and grit from an unflushed main arrive in the lagoon as extra load the cell was never sized for. Chemistry at the cell is the most expensive place to solve a problem that started three lifts upstream.
The one-product-per-stage rule
Six stages, one system
- Base biology runs continuously and is never the escalation — it is what everything else is measured against.
- The seasonal layer is selected by a thermometer reading, and only one strain runs at a time.
- Capacity recovery is placed on the deposit, not broadcast over the surface.
- Oxygen release buys the biology time inside the blanket; it does not replace aeration or fix loading.
- Upset recovery is a course with a defined end, after which the cell returns to base biology.
- Collection-system chemistry protects the cell by removing load before it arrives.
Planning mistakes this program avoids
- Raising the base biology dose to catch up on a problem base biology cannot reach.
- Running warm-water and cold-water strains together so nobody has to read a thermometer.
- Budgeting a dredge before the biological reduction program has been given a measured season.
- Treating chronic odour with more oxygen release instead of reviewing the loading that drove oxygen down.
- Buying by the pail instead of by the working cubic metre, and never comparing the two.
Safety floor
Follow site SOPs, current SDS, product labels, PPE requirements, and applicable provincial and federal regulations. Never combine caustic line openers with acid products, and never mix an oxygen-release granular with any other chemistry in a container or a hopper. Lagoon and lift station work is confined-space and drowning-risk work: berms, wet wells, and access hatches all require the site’s own entry and fall-protection procedures. Discharge, dosing, and dye-tracing activity may be conditions of your approval to operate — confirm before you change the program.
Strength is not a strategy
Do not answer every lagoon complaint by increasing the dose. Odour is usually dissolved oxygen. Rising ammonia in autumn is usually temperature. Slipping BOD on a cell that used to hold it is usually retention time lost to sludge. A heavier dose of base biology corrects none of the three, and it will not tell you which one you have.
Working from a pail count, not a cell survey?The Bench turns cell dimensions and a sludge reading into working volume, retention time, seasonal quantity, and cost per thousand cubic metres — on your own delivered cost.
Open the BenchSection 02 · Stage S1–S2 · Base biology & seasonal match
Base Biology & Seasonal Match
The continuous backbone every lagoon program stands on, and the strain the water temperature actually selects.
ResultA stable microbial backbone with one seasonal strain running at a time
“Biology first, correction second. Nothing downstream of this stage works properly if the backbone was never established.”
This is the stage that decides whether the rest of the program is treatment or firefighting. A lagoon with a stable microbial backbone absorbs load variation, recovers faster from a shock, and holds its numbers through a shoulder season. A lagoon without one produces a new symptom every few weeks, and every symptom gets answered with a different pail.
The seasonal layer sits on top of the backbone, and it is selected by a thermometer rather than a calendar. The published bands are narrow and they do not overlap: cold-water support holds activity between 3 °C and 15 °C, high-temperature support is built for 25.5 °C and above. Between the two bands there is no seasonal product — hold base biology and watch the trend.
The biology logic
1Establish the baseContinuous, low-intensity, at the influent · before anything corrective
2Read the waterMeasured cell temperature, not the date on the calendar
3Select one strainCold band or warm band · never both at once
4Switch ahead of the turnChange before ammonia moves, not after it does
5Escalate only on dataIf the base is stable and the numbers still slip, the limit is elsewhere
The chemistry cabinet · colour dot = the catalogue section each product lives in · tap a name to open its product page
Base biology — the continuous layerLiquid backbone at the influent, dry bacteria where a solid feed suits the site, and a biostimulant for loads that swing.
CI Digester BioEnzymeBase biology · liquid
CI Chemzyme Dry Bacteria StrainDry bacteria and enzyme
CI Excelsior Advanced BioEnzymeBiostimulant support
Seasonal layer — pick one by thermometerTwo published temperature bands, two strains, water-soluble bags applied from the berm.
CI ColdZone BioLiftCold water · 3–15 °C
CI HotZone BioLiftWarm water · 25.5 °C and up
Stage-to-product map · sheet WW-02
SheetWW-02StageS1–S2 · Base biology & seasonalStandardBackbone continuous · one strain in band · every dose logged with a temperatureProducts5
| Task / condition · best-fit products | Why it belongs · operator note | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Base biological maintenanceCI Digester BioEnzyme | Concentrated blend of facultative aerobic and anaerobic bacteria with specialised enzymes; digests fats, oils, grease, proteins, starches and cellulose across lagoons, aerated basins, septic systems, traps and drains.This is a steady feed, not a shock. Pulsing a heavy dose to catch up wastes product and still lags the problem — if treatment is slipping, identify the failure mode before changing the base rate. |
| 2 | Dry feed where liquid does not suit the siteCI Chemzyme Dry Bacteria Strain | Concentrated dry biological treatment with selected bacterial strains and enzymes; shelf-stable, colonises rapidly on contact, and suppresses anaerobic odour. Safe for lift stations, grease traps, septic systems and lagoons.The practical difference is handling, not chemistry: dry product ships and stores better on a remote site and can be dosed by hand at a lift station without a pump. Use it for reseeding as well as maintenance. |
| 3 | Loading that swings faster than the biology adaptsCI Excelsior Advanced BioEnzyme | Advanced biostimulant built for petroleum-refining wastewater and soil rehabilitation — hydrocarbons, glycols, amines, sulfides and heavy metals, the profile that drives nitrification failure. Accelerates COD breakdown and stabilises biology through micronutrient delivery.This is the industrial-duty lane, not a general strengthener. Reach for it where the load profile is genuinely industrial or hydrocarbon-linked; on a municipal cell with a stable influent it is the wrong tool. |
| 4 | Cold water and shoulder seasonsCI ColdZone BioLift | Published band is 3 °C to 15 °C. Standard support is 0.5 lb per acre per day; the ammonia setting is 2 lb per acre per day. Applied in water-soluble bags thrown from the shoreline — no boat, no equipment.The two published rates are the whole seasonal decision. Run the standard rate as the cold-season baseline and step to the ammonia setting when the effluent trend, not the calendar, says to. |
| 5 | Warm-water and thermally loaded cellsCI HotZone BioLift | Built for 78 °F (25.5 °C) and above — vitamins, biostimulants, biocatalysts and facultative strains that hold metabolic function in low-oxygen, high-temperature water. Published pairing with oxygen release at 20–50 lb per acre.Never run this alongside the cold-water strain. One thermometer reading picks one strain; two strains competing in the same cell means neither establishes and the season is lost. |
| 6 | The gap between the bands | Between 15 °C and 25.5 °C neither seasonal product is inside its published band.Hold base biology and watch the trend. This is the part of the year where operators are most tempted to keep the last strain running — and where doing so quietly wastes a month of product. |
The seasonal decision
The thermometer picks the strain. The calendar does not get a vote.
Cold-water strain when…
- Measured cell temperature sits between 3 °C and 15 °C.
- Spring thaw, autumn transition, or a full Prairie cold season.
- Ammonia is trending up and the water is cold — step to the published 2 lb/acre setting.
- Ice-off has happened but the cell has not warmed with the air.
Strain selectionmeasured water · not the date
Warm-water strain when…
- Measured cell temperature is 25.5 °C or above.
- Seasonal peak loading or a thermally influenced industrial cell.
- Oxygen is low and temperature is high — the pairing case for oxygen release.
- Standard strains have visibly slowed in warm, low-oxygen water.
Base → measure → strain → hold → escalate.
Signs this stage is over-run
The base dose has been raised twice in a year with no change in influent or flow. Both seasonal strains are on the shelf and both are being applied. A biostimulant is being fed to a stable municipal cell to “help.” Product spend climbs while the effluent trend stays flat.
Signs this stage is under-built
Every season starts from a biological crash rather than from a working population. Nobody can state the current cell temperature without going to look. The seasonal switch happens on a date that was set years ago. Corrective products are ordered more often than the base product is.
Section 03 · Stage S3 · Capacity recovery
Capacity Recovery — Sludge & Oxygen
The blanket is the only lagoon problem that becomes a capital problem. This is the stage that keeps it off the capital plan.
ResultWorking volume held, retention time protected, dredging deferred
“Sludge is not a housekeeping issue. It is working volume you already paid for and are no longer using.”
Every centimetre of blanket takes volume off the bottom of the cell and time off the retention the approval was written around. That loss does not announce itself — it shows up first as effluent numbers drifting on a cell that used to hold them, then as odour, and finally as a dredging quotation nobody budgeted. The whole point of this stage is to intervene while it is still chemistry rather than earthworks.
Two products, two mechanisms, and they work together. Biological spikes place a concentrated population of bacteria, enzymes and nutrients directly into the deposit rather than broadcasting them across the surface. Granular oxygen release settles through the column and liberates oxygen inside the compacted mass, opening aerated channels so that digestion can continue where it had gone anaerobic. Neither one substitutes for the other, and neither one substitutes for a survey.
The recovery logic
1Survey the blanketFixed transects · same points · same time each year
2Convert to volumeDepth is a reading; volume lost is the argument
3Place, do not broadcastProduct goes onto the deposit, spread across the cell
4Open the massOxygen release where the deposit has gone anaerobic
5Re-survey before decidingNever quote a dredge against a blanket nobody has re-measured
The chemistry cabinet
Sludge reduction — placed on the depositPre-formed spikes that dissolve into the blanket and deliver the population where the solids actually are.
CI Sludge SharksSludge spikes · placed
CI Chemzyme Dry Bacteria StrainDry bacteria and enzyme
Oxygen release — into the compacted massGranular peroxide chemistry that settles through the column and liberates oxygen inside the deposit.
CI OxyBoost BioAcceleratorGranular oxygen release
Stage-to-product map · sheet WW-03
SheetWW-03StageS3 · Capacity recoveryStandardSurveyed depth · placed product · volume trend reported annuallyProducts2
| Task / condition · best-fit products | Why it belongs · operator note | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sludge survey before any product decision | Average blanket depth across fixed transects, converted to volume and to percentage of design capacity.Depth alone does not carry a budget conversation. Volume lost does, and so does the number of retention days it has taken. Put both in the annual report. |
| 2 | Targeted sludge reductionCI Sludge Sharks | Pre-formed biological spikes that dissolve on the blanket and release high concentrations of specialised bacteria, enzymes and nutrients directly into the sludge layer — fats, oils, grease and cellulose included.Placement is the whole mechanism. Product tipped over one corner of the berm treats one corner. Distribute across the cell and record where each spike went. |
| 3 | Extended digestion supportCI Chemzyme Dry Bacteria Strain | Concentrated dry bacterial and enzyme treatment that colonises rapidly and suppresses anaerobic odour, used alongside the spike program.This is the maintenance half of the recovery lane — it keeps the population up between placements rather than doing the heavy reduction itself. |
| 4 | Anaerobic, compacted depositCI OxyBoost BioAccelerator | Granular peroxide-based oxygen release. Granules settle through the water column and dissolve slowly at the bottom, liberating oxygen into the organic mass, disrupting anaerobic zones and suppressing hydrogen sulfide and methane odour.Published pairing rate is 20–50 lb per acre alongside the warm-water strain. Oxygen release buys the biology time inside the deposit — it does not correct the loading or the aeration shortfall that drove oxygen down. |
| 5 | The dredging decision | A biological reduction program and a mechanical dredge solve the same problem on different timescales and different budget lines.Do not run a dredge through the middle of a biological program without re-surveying first — you will pay to remove solids the biology had already reduced. Take the comparison to the Bench and put real numbers on both sides. |
The capacity decision
Odour is a symptom. Volume loss is the problem.
Treat it as oxygen when…
- Odour appears at the berm before any change in effluent numbers.
- Complaints follow warm, still weather rather than the sludge trend.
- The blanket is within band but the deposit has gone anaerobic.
- Aeration is running and the odour is localised, not cell-wide.
Which limit is it?oxygen access · vs · lost capacity
Treat it as capacity when…
- Surveys have risen two years running on the same transects.
- Retention time has measurably shortened against the design figure.
- BOD and TSS are creeping on a cell that used to hold them.
- A dredging quotation has appeared in a capital discussion.
What a working recovery stage buys you.
Three things, all of them measurable. Working volume held, which is retention time and therefore effluent quality. A deferred capital item, which is the largest single number in a lagoon budget. And a defensible annual report — a blanket trend line beats an odour complaint log in every conversation with a council or a regulator.
Do not broadcast placed product
Spikes and granular oxygen release are designed to reach the deposit. Scattered across the surface from a single access point they dissolve in the water column and treat the part of the cell nobody was complaining about. Distribution across the cell is not a refinement — it is the mechanism.
Section 04 · Stage S4 & S6 · Upset recovery and escalation
Upset Recovery & Escalation
Rebuilding a biomass that has crashed — and the discipline of escalating only where the data actually points.
ResultOne recovery course, a stable cell, and a documented reason for every escalation
“Recovery is a course, not a habit. Run it, confirm the cell is stable, then step back to base biology.”
After a toxic hit, a washout, a spring crash, or on a new cell coming online, there is no biomass to treat with. Dosing base biology harder at that point is dosing into a cell that cannot yet hold a population. What the cell needs is a fast-growing heterotrophic population that reproduces quickly and — critically — flocculates well enough to settle and stay rather than washing straight out at the effluent structure.
Escalation is the other half of this stage, and it is mostly a discipline rather than a product. Ammonia, COD, algae and clarity are separate limiting conditions, and each one needs to be confirmed as the actual limit before anything is dosed against it. Where the catalogue does not currently carry a lane, this page says so instead of pointing you at the nearest available pail.
The recovery logic
1Confirm the crashSlowed is not crashed · they get different answers
2Find the causeToxic load, washout, thaw, or a new cell coming online
3Run one courseAugment, watch the floc form, watch it settle
4Confirm stabilityEffluent trend, not a single good sample
5Step back downReturn to base biology · stacked recovery blends delay stability
The chemistry cabinet
Rapid rebuild — municipal cellsFast-growing heterotrophic bacteria with bio-stimulants, selected for flocs that settle and stay in the system.
CI Respond Lagoon BoostUpset and start-up
Industrial and hydrocarbon-linked upsetsWhere the upset traces to hydrocarbons, glycols, amines or sulfides rather than to hydraulic load.
CI Excelsior Advanced BioEnzymeBiostimulant support
Stage-to-product map · sheet WW-04
SheetWW-04StageS4 · Upset recoveryStandardOne course · floc that settles · documented return to base biologyProducts2
| Task / condition · best-fit products | Why it belongs · operator note | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Distinguishing a crash from a slowdown | A cold-water slowdown recovers when the strain is matched to temperature. A crash does not — the population itself is gone.This is the most consequential call in the section. Treating a seasonal slowdown as a crash wastes a recovery course; treating a crash as a slowdown wastes a season. |
| 2 | Post-upset and start-up rebuildCI Respond Lagoon Boost | Fast-growing heterotrophic bacteria supported by bio-stimulants that accelerate reproduction and metabolic activity, for biological upset, overload, toxic shock, or bringing a new system online.The published differentiator is flocculation: strains selected to form bio-flocs that settle and stay in the system rather than washing out. On a lagoon with short retention, that property is the difference between a rebuild and an expensive dose of drift. |
| 3 | Hydrocarbon-linked and industrial upsetsCI Excelsior Advanced BioEnzyme | Biostimulant engineered for refinery wastewater and soil rehabilitation — petroleum hydrocarbons, glycols, amines, sulfides and heavy metals, the contaminant profile that causes nitrification failure and operational upset.Match the tool to the cause. If the upset traces to an industrial discharge rather than to hydraulic load or temperature, a general municipal rebuild will not address what caused it. |
| 4 | Ammonia pressureCI ColdZone BioLift | Where the driver is cold water, the published lane is the cold-water strain at its 2 lb per acre per day ammonia setting.Confirm ammonia is the actual limiting condition first. Rising ammonia in cold water is a temperature signal before it is a dosing signal — the answer is usually the right strain, not a heavier one. |
| 5 | COD, algae, and clarity pressure | Named in the source material as separate lanes. See the catalogue gaps below — no current Chem International record supports them.Where a lane is not served, say so. Substituting the nearest available biological product for a parameter-specific correction produces a cost with no mechanism behind it. |
| 6 | Return to base biologyCI Digester BioEnzyme | A recovery course ends. The cell goes back onto the continuous base layer once the effluent trend confirms stability.Stacking recovery blends on top of each other delays the return to a stable, self-sustaining cell and makes the next upset harder to read. One course, then step down. |
Escalation lanes with no catalogue record · named in the source material, not currently carried — flagged rather than substituted
Unserved laneAmmonia-specific bioaugmentation
Named in the source material as BioRemove AM. There is no product of that name in the Chem International catalogue export. The published cold-water ammonia lane on this page is CI ColdZone BioLift at its 2 lb/acre/day setting.
Unserved laneCOD-specific correction
Named in the source material as BioRemove COD, COD LT and COD SF for general, low-temperature and shock-load conditions. None of the three appear in the catalogue export, so none are placed on this page.
Unserved laneAlgae and clarity control
Named in the source material as CI Algaecide & Pond Clarifier — a chelated copper product. No catalogue record exists. Algae is currently an unserved lane in this program.
Unserved laneClarifier support
Named in the source material as CI BlueCrystal. No catalogue record exists. Where clarity is the presenting issue, the served lanes are sludge reduction and oxygen release, not a clarifier.
Why these are shown rather than filled
Four lanes appear in the program material with no product behind them: BioRemove AM · no catalogue recordBioRemove COD / LT / SF · no catalogue recordCI Algaecide & Pond Clarifier · no catalogue recordCI BlueCrystal · no catalogue record Naming a lane the catalogue cannot supply is a specification error that shows up on site, not on the page. Where a limit falls into one of these lanes, treat it as a sourcing conversation rather than a product substitution.
Do not stack recovery blends
Running a second recovery product on top of the first does not compound the rebuild. It obscures which intervention is working, extends the period the cell spends outside its normal operating band, and makes the next event impossible to diagnose against a baseline. One course, confirmed stable, then step down.
Confirm the limit before escalating
Ammonia, COD, algae and clarity are separate limiting conditions with separate mechanisms. Escalating on a hunch produces a cost with no measurable result and, worse, leaves the actual limit untouched for another season. Escalate on a measured trend, and write down what triggered it.
Section 05 · Stage S5 · Collection system
Collection System & Diagnostics
Lift stations, wet wells, gravity mains, and the tracer work that tells you where the flow is actually going.
ResultLoad intercepted upstream and a flow path confirmed rather than assumed
“Grease and grit stopped in the collection system never reach the cell. Everything solved upstream is capacity you do not have to buy back.”
The lagoon inherits whatever the collection system sends it. Fats and oils that mat a wet well eventually arrive as load the cell was never sized for; silt and sand that reduce a main’s hydraulic capacity arrive as surcharge and backup risk long before they arrive as a treatment problem. Chemistry at the cell is the most expensive place to solve a problem that started three lifts upstream.
Two grease approaches share this lane and they are not interchangeable. A floating citrus degreaser breaks an established cap and holds an odour-blocking layer at the waterline. An automated bacterial block dissolves continuously beneath the incoming flow and stops the cap re-forming. Break a heavy cap first, then let the block hold it — running a solvent shock into a well that is relying on the block strips the culture along with the grease.
The collection logic
1Inspect the wellCap thickness, waterline banding, float and probe condition
2Break what is thereFloating degreaser on an established cap
3Hold it automaticallyBacterial block beneath the incoming flow line
4Flush the mainsDispersant inside a scheduled flushing program, not after a backup
5Prove the flow pathTrace it when the network drawing and the reality disagree
The chemistry cabinet
Grease — break it, then hold itFloating citrus chemistry for an established cap; an automated block to stop it re-forming.
CI Biotrap Grease Trap RenovatorFloating d-Limonene
CI Grease D Solve PlusFloating degreaser · 50%
CI BioLink Lift StationAutomated bacterial block
Mains — deposits, blockage, odourDispersant inside a scheduled flushing program, a granular opener for a hard blockage, and odour control that does not harm the biology.
CI Silt & Sand FlushPolymer dispersant
CI 444 Attack Sewer SolventGranular line opener
CI Lemon FuryOdour counteractant
DiagnosticsFlow-time studies, leak detection, overflow analysis, and investigation work.
CI Sewer Tracer DyeFlow and leak tracing
Stage-to-product map · sheet WW-05
SheetWW-05StageS5 · Collection systemStandardCap broken then held · mains flushed on schedule · flow path confirmedProducts7
| Task / condition · best-fit products | Why it belongs · operator note | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Established grease cap at the waterlineCI Biotrap Grease Trap RenovatorCI Grease D Solve Plus | A 100% d-Limonene non-emulsifying floating degreaser that holds a persistent odour-blocking layer and strips grease from walls on each level cycle, with a built-in red indicator dye that signals when it is spent; and a 50% d-Limonene alternative that will not disrupt bacterial action in septic systems.The non-emulsifying behaviour is the point — it lifts grease at the surface rather than driving it deeper into the system, so what you remove is actually gone rather than relocated. |
| 2 | Keeping the cap from re-formingCI BioLink Lift Station | Dual-action bacterial block — a pseudomonas core for immediate impact and a bacillus outer shell for sustained release. Hung beneath the incoming flow line, it dissolves completely over 2 to 10 weeks depending on daily volume across a 50,000 to 300,000 GPD band.Set the replacement interval from your own measured daily volume, not from the last site’s interval. A block that has fully dissolved two weeks before anyone notices is two weeks of untreated grease. |
| 3 | Solvent and block together | Solvent shock strips the grease and takes the block’s culture with it.Sequence, do not stack: break a heavy cap with the floating degreaser first, then let the block hold it. Running both hard at once buys one result and pays for two. |
| 4 | Silt, sand and sediment in the mainsCI Silt & Sand Flush | Highly charged polymer dispersant that penetrates compacted deposits and separates the solids so they move freely during standard flushing or jetting — storm and sanitary mains, lift stations and retention basins.This belongs inside a scheduled inspection and flushing program. Used reactively after a backup it is remediation; used on schedule it is the reason there was no backup. |
| 5 | Hard organic blockageCI 444 Attack Sewer Solvent | Non-acidic granular caustic alkali activated with fine aluminum needles — a vigorous exothermic reaction on contact with water breaks down fats, oils, hair, cellulose, protein debris and hard water scale. NSF Registered (L1).This is emergency chemistry with real handling risk. Full PPE, never in combination with acid or any other opener, and never as a substitute for the flushing program that would have prevented the blockage. |
| 6 | Odour at mains, tanks and collection pointsCI Lemon Fury | Solvent-free liquid odour counteractant that neutralises hydrogen sulfide, ammonia and decomposition odours at the source without harming the microbial activity treatment depends on. Water-soluble for spray, pour or injection.The catalogue record classifies this as an odour counteractant, not a line opener — worth stating plainly because it is often mis-shelved with the drain products. It manages the complaint; it does not treat the cause. |
| 7 | Unverified flow path or suspected leakCI Sewer Tracer Dye | Biodegradable fluorescent tracing dye in a deliberately non-natural colour, harmless to wildlife at proper concentrations and without effect on treatment processes. Used for flow-time studies, volume analysis, leak detection and overflow investigation.Notify before you trace. A visible dye appearing in a ditch or a creek without warning generates a public complaint faster than any odour event, and the colour was chosen precisely because people notice it. |
The collection system is part of the treatment plant
Budgets usually separate the two, and the separation is where the cost hides. Grease and grit intercepted at a wet well cost a fraction of what they cost once they are load on a cell, and they never consume the treatment capacity you are trying to protect at the lagoon.
Confined space and public notice
Wet wells and manholes are confined spaces — follow the site’s entry, atmospheric testing, and rescue procedures without exception. Dye tracing that may surface in a watercourse or a public ditch should be notified in advance to the affected parties and, where required, to the regulator.
Section 06 · Working tool
The Bench — size it, dose it, cost it
The four numbers every lagoon conversation comes down to: volume, capacity lost, seasonal quantity, and dollars.
Most operators can quote a pail price and very few can quote a cost per thousand cubic metres of working volume. Those are different numbers and only one of them survives a budget meeting. The Bench turns cell dimensions and a sludge reading into working volume, capacity lost, and retention time — then converts a published per-acre rate into a seasonal quantity and, on your own delivered cost, into the comparison that actually matters: the biological program set against the desludging it defers.
Conventions used here
Cell volume is calculated by the prismoidal rule for a trapezoidal basin at the side slope you enter — a 3:1 slope means three horizontal to one vertical. Sludge volume is the same calculation applied to a layer of the average surveyed depth sitting on the floor. Published seasonal rates are stated in lb per acre, so surface area is calculated at top water level. Nothing on this page is a substitute for the product label, and no figure here is pre-filled from a Chem International price list.
ToolWW-B1FunctionCell capacity, dosing, and cost-in-use bench for the CI360 Lagoon Wastewater programCost basisYour delivered cost · entered by you · nothing pre-filled
Mean of the survey points, not the deepest one. Leave at zero if the cell has not been surveyed — and then go and survey it.
Used for retention time. Use the annual average, then re-run it on the peak month.
Design volume—
Volume lost to sludge—
Working volume now—
Surface area—
Retention time now—
What these numbers mean
Catalogue: 0.5 lb/acre/day published
Thirty applications per month is a daily program. Drop it to four for a weekly one.
Per application—
Per month—
Per season—
Containers for the season—
Metric rate—
How to run it
Delivered, including freight and any surcharge. Nothing here is pre-filled from a price list.
Programme cost · season—
Cost per 1,000 m³—
Containers per season—
Desludging · annualised—
Net position per year—
What to do with these numbers
Operating data below is taken from the Chem International product catalogue. Where the catalogue record does not publish a figure it is marked rather than estimated — confirm those against the current label, TDS and SDS before commissioning.
ChemistryFacultative aerobic and anaerobic bacteria with specialised enzymes
TargetsFats, oils, grease, proteins, starches, cellulose
SystemsLagoons, aerated basins, septic systems, traps and drains
EffectRestores system balance, reduces sludge accumulation, mitigates odour
DoseNot published in the catalogue record — confirm against current TDS
CatalogueCI Digester BioEnzyme
TemperatureConsistent activity between 3 °C and 15 °C
Standard dose0.5 lb per acre per day for general biological support
Ammonia dose2 lb per acre per day where additional ammonia reduction is needed
ApplicationWater-soluble bags, thrown from the shoreline — no equipment required
ReducesAmmonia, BOD, TSS and sludge at low temperature
CatalogueCI ColdZone BioLift
Temperature78 °F (25.5 °C) and above
ChemistryVitamins, biostimulants, biocatalysts and facultative strains for low-oxygen, high-temperature conditions
ApplicationWater-soluble bags applied from the lagoon shoreline
PairingPublished pairing with CI OxyBoost at 20–50 lb per acre for lagoon performance and clarity
DoseRecord states dose is based on application needs — no fixed rate published
CatalogueCI HotZone BioLift
FormPre-formed biological treatment spikes — no mixing, no equipment
DeliveryDissolves and releases bacteria, enzymes and nutrients directly into the sludge layer
TargetsComplex organic solids including fats, oils, grease and cellulose
Use caseExcessive sludge build-up, declining treatment capacity, rising dredging cost
DoseSpike count per surface area not published — confirm against current TDS
CatalogueCI Sludge Sharks
ChemistryGranular peroxide-based oxygen release agent
MechanismGranules settle through the column and dissolve slowly at the bottom, liberating oxygen into the organic mass
EffectDisrupts anaerobic zones, suppresses hydrogen sulfide and methane odour, opens aerated channels
Published rate20–50 lb per acre where paired with CI HotZone BioLift
Pairs withCI Sludge Sharks and CI Digester BioEnzyme
CatalogueCI OxyBoost BioAccelerator
ChemistryFast-growing heterotrophic bacteria supported by bio-stimulants
Key propertyStrains selected for rapid flocculation — bio-flocs settle and stay in the system rather than washing out
Use caseBiological upset, overload, toxic shock, or bringing a new cell online
DoseNot published in the catalogue record — confirm against current TDS
CatalogueCI Respond Lagoon Boost
FormDual-action bacterial block — pseudomonas core for immediate impact, bacillus outer shell for sustained release
PlacementHung beneath the incoming flow line
Service lifeDissolves completely over 2–10 weeks depending on daily volume
Volume band50,000–300,000 GPD
ReducesFOG accumulation, hydrogen sulfide, BOD and noxious odour — zero residue, no netting
CatalogueCI BioLink Lift Station
Chemistry100% d-Limonene, non-emulsifying
MechanismFloats on the surface, forms a persistent odour-blocking layer, and strips grease from walls on each level cycle
CompatibilityFully biodegradable and safe for active biological treatment — will not drive grease deeper into the system
ReapplicationBuilt-in red indicator dye signals when the layer is spent
RateExact application rate not published — confirm against current TDS
CatalogueCI Biotrap Grease Trap Renovator
Chemistry50% d-Limonene, non-corrosive
CompatibilityWill not disrupt bacterial action in septic systems — an alternative to acid and caustic openers
Use caseGrease dissolution and surface control in lift stations and wet wells
RateNot published in the catalogue record — confirm against current TDS
CatalogueCI Grease D Solve Plus
ChemistryHighly charged polymer dispersant
MechanismPenetrates compacted deposits and separates solids so they move freely during standard flushing or jetting
TargetsMud, silt, sand and sediment in storm and sanitary mains, lift stations and retention basins
Dose ratiosNot published in the catalogue record — confirm against current TDS
CatalogueCI Silt & Sand Flush
ChemistryNon-acidic granular caustic alkali activated with fine aluminum needles
MechanismVigorous exothermic reaction on contact with water — heat and turbulence break down the obstruction
TargetsFats, oils, hair, cellulose, protein-based debris and hard water scale
RegistrationNSF Registered (L1) — suitable for food processing environments
HandlingExothermic caustic — full PPE, never combine with acid products or other openers
CatalogueCI 444 Attack Sewer Solvent
ChemistrySolvent-free liquid odour counteractant
NeutralisesHydrogen sulfide, ammonia and decomposition odours at the source
CompatibilityDoes not harm the microbial activity that wastewater and septic performance depends on
ApplicationFully water-soluble — spray, pour or injection across sewer mains, lagoons, holding tanks and collection areas
DoseNot published in the catalogue record — confirm against current TDS
CatalogueCI Lemon Fury
ColourFluorescent yellow / green — a non-natural colour, chosen to control public reaction
UseFlow-time studies, volume analysis, leak detection, overflow and pollution investigations
CompatibilityBiodegradable, harmless to wildlife at proper concentrations, does not affect treatment processes
ConcentrationWorking concentration not published — confirm against current TDS before a public trace
CatalogueCI Sewer Tracer Dye
RoleAdvanced biostimulant for wastewater and soil rehabilitation in petroleum refining operations
TargetsPetroleum hydrocarbons, glycols, amines, sulfides and heavy metals — the profile that drives nitrification failure
EffectAccelerates COD breakdown, reduces algae and organic build-up in lagoons, stabilises biology through micronutrient delivery
SpecEnzyme profile, bacterial content, dosing guidance and storage all unpublished in the record
CatalogueCI Excelsior Advanced BioEnzyme
FormConcentrated dry biological treatment with selected bacterial strains and enzymes
TargetsGrease, oils, paper, detergents and suspended solids
BehaviourShelf-stable; bacteria colonise rapidly on contact and suppress anaerobic odour
SystemsLift stations, grease traps, septic systems and lagoons — reseeding or ongoing maintenance
SpecStrain counts, packet weight, activation profile and dose rates unpublished in the record
CatalogueCI Chemzyme Dry Bacteria Strain
The Bench is a planning tool
Results are arithmetic on the numbers you enter. Cell volume assumes a regular trapezoidal basin and uniform side slopes; a real cell has berm irregularities, an uneven floor, and a blanket that is deeper at the inlet than at the outlet. Retention time takes no account of short-circuiting or wind-driven mixing. Use these figures to build a starting position and a budget, then correct the model against your own survey and your own container-change record.
Section 07 · Site deployment
One system, three deployments — what changes is the pressure, not the logic
The stage architecture stays fixed. Which stage carries the weight moves with the site.
A small rural cell, a municipality under a discharge limit, and an industrial lagoon taking a hydrocarbon-linked load all run the same six stages in the same order. What differs is which stage the site is actually living in, and how much of the year it spends there. Setting that correctly is the entire deployment decision.
Rural & Small Municipal
Stable cell · limited staff · prevent decline before it becomes urgent
Base
CI Digester BioEnzyme as the continuous backbone, or the dry strain where storage and handling favour it.
Seasonal
CI ColdZone BioLift at the published general-support rate through the cold months.
Annual
One sludge survey, same transects, same month. This is the whole early-warning system on a small site.
Standby
CI Respond Lagoon Boost held for spring start-up and thaw upsets rather than ordered after one.
Municipal Under Compliance Pressure
Discharge limits · ammonia season · reporting obligations
Base
Continuous backbone with effluent monitoring — the base rate is never the escalation.
Ammonia
CI ColdZone BioLift stepped to the published 2 lb/acre/day setting when the cold-water trend calls for it.
Capacity
Sludge held well under band so retention time is protected before the limit is tested.
Reporting
Every application logged with the water temperature. An undocumented program cannot be defended at a review.
Industrial & High-Load Cells
Hydrocarbon or process load · thermally influenced water
Base
CI Excelsior Advanced BioEnzyme where the contaminant profile is genuinely industrial.
Seasonal
CI HotZone BioLift on thermally loaded water, with oxygen release at the published pairing rate.
Sludge
Heavier organic loading means a faster blanket — survey more often than annually.
Upset
Recovery courses matched to the cause, not to the symptom. An industrial upset is not a hydraulic one.
Planned operating year · twelve-month view
At-a-glance matrix · what problem are you actually solving?
| Condition at the cellWhat you are actually looking at | StageWhere it belongs in the sequence | First moveDo this before anything else | Products | Escalate only if… |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S1Routine maintenance on a stable cell | Base | Hold the continuous backbone and leave it alone. | CI Digester BioEnzyme | Response is inconsistent across load changes — then look at the biostimulant lane. |
| S1Remote site, liquid handling is awkward | Base | Run the dry strain as the backbone instead. | CI Chemzyme Dry Bacteria Strain | Reseeding is needed repeatedly — the population is being lost, not underfed. |
| S2Cold water, treatment slowing | Seasonal | Confirm cell temperature, then run the cold-water strain in band. | CI ColdZone BioLift | Ammonia keeps climbing at the general rate — step to the published 2 lb/acre setting. |
| S2Warm season, low oxygen, heavy load | Seasonal | Run the warm-water strain at 25.5 °C and above. | CI HotZone BioLiftCI OxyBoost BioAccelerator | Odour persists — review loading and aeration before raising anything. |
| S3Sludge depth rising on survey | Capacity | Convert depth to volume, then place product on the deposit. | CI Sludge SharksCI Chemzyme Dry Bacteria Strain | Two consecutive surveys still rise — review loading and consider mechanical options. |
| S3Odour at the berm, anaerobic zones | Capacity | Oxygen release into the compacted mass. | CI OxyBoost BioAccelerator | Odour is chronic rather than event-driven — that is a loading review, not a bigger dose. |
| S4Biology has crashed after a shock | Upset | Confirm it is a crash, not a slowdown, then run one course. | CI Respond Lagoon Boost | The cell does not stabilise — look for a continuing toxic input. |
| S4New cell being commissioned | Upset | Seed with the recovery blend, then transition to base biology. | CI Respond Lagoon BoostCI Digester BioEnzyme | Population will not hold — check retention time and short-circuiting. |
| S4Upset traces to an industrial discharge | Upset | Match the tool to the contaminant profile. | CI Excelsior Advanced BioEnzyme | Nitrification does not return — the discharge itself needs addressing upstream. |
| S5Grease cap in the wet well | Collection | Break the cap, then hold it with the automated block. | CI Biotrap Grease Trap RenovatorCI BioLink Lift Station | The cap reforms inside the block interval — the interval is wrong for the flow. |
| S5Silt and sand reducing main capacity | Collection | Dispersant inside the scheduled flushing program. | CI Silt & Sand Flush | Deposits return quickly — look upstream for the source, not at the chemistry. |
| S5Hard organic blockage in a line | Collection | Granular opener, full PPE, never with another product. | CI 444 Attack Sewer Solvent | Blockages recur — the flushing schedule is the fix, not the opener. |
| S5Odour complaints at mains or tanks | Collection | Counteractant at the source while the cause is found. | CI Lemon Fury | Complaints continue — the odour is being generated, not just released. |
| S5Flow path or leak is unverified | Collection | Trace it, with notice given first. | CI Sewer Tracer Dye | Results contradict the network drawing — update the drawing. |
| S6Ammonia trend rising in cold water | Escalation | Confirm ammonia is the limit, then use the published ammonia setting. | CI ColdZone BioLift | Ammonia holds high through warm water too — that is a different limit. |
| S6COD, algae, or clarity is the limit | Escalation | Confirm the parameter, then treat it as a sourcing conversation. | no catalogue lane | No catalogue lane currently exists — see the unserved lanes in Section 04. |
| Rule of thumb | If the answer to a lagoon problem is “dose it heavier,” check the four things that are free first: water temperature, sludge depth, retention time, and what the collection system is sending. Concentration is the last variable to move, not the first. | |||
Continuous lane — runs whether or not anything is wrongEscalation column — conditions that change the plan
Section 08 · Control & standardization
Set the program, then keep it in range
Commissioning turns the stage architecture into work that survives an operator change.
A lagoon program that lives in one operator’s head resets every time that person moves on, and on a small municipal system that happens more often than anyone plans for. Confirm the condition, lock the base layer, set the seasonal switch on a measured temperature, put the survey on the calendar, and write the numbers somewhere a new hire can find them. The goal is that the person covering next spring can state what the cell runs and why.
Commissioning checklist
1Confirm the lagoon condition
Establish whether the presenting issue is routine maintenance, sludge, odour, seasonal weakness, ammonia, or collection-system load. Everything downstream depends on getting this call right, and it is the one step most often skipped.
2Establish the base layer
Put the continuous backbone in place before anything corrective is ordered. A corrective product dosed onto a cell with no base biology treats a symptom and leaves the cause.
3Set the seasonal switch on a thermometer
Record cell temperature at depth on a fixed schedule and define the switch points against the published bands — 3–15 °C and 25.5 °C and above — rather than against a date.
4Put the sludge survey on the calendar
Fixed transects, fixed points, same month each year. Convert depth to volume and to retention days lost, and report the trend annually whether or not anyone asked for it.
5Define the escalation triggers
Write down what has to be true before a recovery course, an oxygen program, or an ammonia step-up is started — and what has to be true before it stops. Undefined escalations never end.
6Document and post the program
Rates, application dates, temperature readings, survey results, and container-change intervals belong on a sheet in the building, not in one person’s notebook. A documented program survives turnover; an undocumented one does not.
KPI dashboard · what to measure
SL
Sludge depth and volume
Average depth across fixed transects, converted to cubic metres and to percentage of design capacity. This is the leading indicator for everything else on this list.
HRT
Retention time
Working volume divided by average daily flow, tracked against the design figure. Retention lost to sludge shows up in effluent quality long before it shows up in a complaint.
TMP
Water temperature
Measured at depth on a fixed schedule. It selects the seasonal strain and it explains most of what ammonia does across a year.
NH
Ammonia trend
Direction matters more than any single result. A trend crossing a seasonal threshold is the signal to change strain or step the rate — a single sample is not.
BOD
BOD, COD and TSS
The organic load picture. Creeping numbers on a cell that used to hold them usually mean lost retention rather than weak chemistry.
CV
Cost per 1,000 m³
Programme cost normalised to working volume. It is the only form of the number that compares one cell to another, or this year to last year.
Quick selector · start from the symptom
| What the site reports | First move | Products | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| ODOUR AND OXYGEN | |||
| “The neighbours are complaining and nothing has changed.” | Check dissolved oxygen and the blanket before ordering anything. | CI OxyBoost BioAccelerator | Odour at the berm is almost always low dissolved oxygen pushing the deposit anaerobic. Oxygen release opens the mass; it does not correct the loading that drove oxygen down. |
| “We dose more product every year and it still smells.” | Stop escalating the base rate and survey the sludge. | CI Sludge SharksCI OxyBoost BioAccelerator | A base biology dose cannot reach a compacted anaerobic deposit. Chronic odour on a rising blanket is a capacity problem wearing an odour costume. |
| SEASONS AND AMMONIA | |||
| “Ammonia climbs every autumn like clockwork.” | Switch strain ahead of the turn, on measured water temperature. | CI ColdZone BioLift | Warm-water strains stop working below their band. Switching after ammonia moves means the cell spends the first weeks of the cold season with no effective seasonal layer. |
| “Spring is always a write-off.” | Decide whether the biology slowed or crashed — they get different answers. | CI ColdZone BioLiftCI Respond Lagoon Boost | A slowdown recovers with the right strain in band. A crash needs a rebuild. Treating one as the other costs a season either way. |
| “We kept the summer product running into October.” | Return to the temperature bands and hold base biology between them. | CI Digester BioEnzyme | Between 15 °C and 25.5 °C neither seasonal product is inside its published band. Running one anyway is spend without a mechanism. |
| CAPACITY AND SLUDGE | |||
| “We have a dredging quote and no budget for it.” | Re-survey, then compare the biological program against the deferred capital cost. | CI Sludge SharksCI Chemzyme Dry Bacteria Strain | A quotation against an unmeasured blanket is a guess with a price on it. Take both numbers to the Bench before the capital conversation, not after. |
| “Effluent numbers are drifting on a cell that used to be fine.” | Check retention time against the design figure. | CI Sludge Sharks | Nothing about the chemistry changed — the volume did. Lost working volume is the most common cause of a slow, unexplained decline. |
| COLLECTION SYSTEM | |||
| “The wet well caps over within weeks of cleaning.” | Break it once, then hold it automatically. | CI Biotrap Grease Trap RenovatorCI BioLink Lift Station | Manual cleaning treats the symptom on a schedule set by labour availability. A dissolving block treats it on a schedule set by flow. |
| “We are jetting the same section twice a year.” | Add a dispersant to the scheduled flush rather than reacting to the next backup. | CI Silt & Sand Flush | Repeat jetting on one section means the deposit is re-forming faster than the schedule allows. Change the schedule and the chemistry together. |
| “We do not actually know where that line discharges.” | Trace it, with notice given to anyone downstream first. | CI Sewer Tracer Dye | An unverified flow path is a compliance exposure. The dye is chosen to be visible, so tell people before it appears in a ditch. |
Signs the program is under-built
No sludge survey on record
A cell managed without a blanket measurement is managed on opinion. It is also the one condition that turns into a capital request without warning.
Seasonal switch set by date
A calendar switch guarantees that the strain is out of band for part of every year, in both directions.
Corrective products ordered more often than the base
That pattern says the backbone was never established and the site is buying symptom relief on a subscription.
Blanket trend flat or falling
Two or three surveys holding band is the proof the capacity program is working. Report it before anyone asks.
Every application logged with a temperature
A dose without a temperature beside it cannot be reviewed. With one, the whole season becomes readable a year later.
Cost tracked per 1,000 m³
Cost normalised to working volume survives a budget meeting. A pail price does not.
CI360™ Lagoon Wastewater is a task-based program guide, not a substitute for site-specific procedures or for the conditions of your approval to operate. Confirm application rates, temperature bands, handling requirements, and substrate compatibility against current product labels, technical data sheets, and SDS before use. Follow site SOPs, confined-space and fall-protection procedures, PPE requirements, and applicable municipal, provincial and federal regulations. Never combine caustic openers with acid products. Product names follow the Chem International catalogue; linked names open the product page on chemintonline.com. Bench calculations are arithmetic on operator-entered figures and do not constitute a quotation. Emergency: CANUTEC 1-613-996-6666.
CI360™ · Lagoon Wastewater
Need a site-specific lagoon program?
Send cell dimensions, recent sludge surveys, water temperature records, and effluent results. CI360 can be translated into a dosing schedule, a seasonal plan, a sludge-recovery protocol, and an operator checklist matched to the exact condition of your cell.
Chem InternationalA division of Aliysha Enterprises Ltd.10770 180 St NW, Edmonton, AB T5S 2S4info@chemintonline.comchemintonline.comFounded 1988ISO 9001:2015CANUTEC emergency: 1-613-996-6666