Lake, Stream & Wetland Ecology

Program Overview

We believe that humans can live sustainably with our aquatic resources, ensuring plentiful clean water for future human generations while also supporting the ecosystems that we value and that support our recreation, businesses, and industries. Our teams develop tools and techniques that help society move into this sustainable future, characterizing, measuring and documenting the improvements made along the way. We also provide research, methods development, new technologies, and analysis services to support this vision and our clients.

Program Goals

Develop science-based tools, materials and technologies to assess and protect our water resources, and restore them if degraded.

Unique Strengths, Expertise and Capabilities

Our interdisciplinary team of experts in data science and the fundamental biological and chemical aquatic sciences work together to develop various applications for natural and engineered aquatic systems, including aquatic ecosystem restoration, water treatment and remediation, and water quality monitoring and management. By incorporating an understanding of natural environmental processes, science and engineering fundamentals, we apply a systems-based approach to develop holistic solutions to pressing environmental problems.

Research Labs

• Freshwater Ecosystem Research and Monitoring Lab: Faunal AIS, fish, aquatic macroinvertebrates, zooplankton research
• Lake and Stream Ecosystem Ecology Lab: State-certified water chemistry analyses
• Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology Lab: Microbial solutions to environmental pollution  
• Environmental Chemistry Lab: Researching contamination solutions
• Phytoplankton and Paleolimnology Lab: Using algae to indicate environmental conditions
• Water Treatment Pilot lab: Beneficial reuse of waste materials

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