Services

Lake & Stream Sampling Programs

  • decades of experience designing, managing, and executing field studies and water quality monitoring programs
  • focus on presenting results in easy to understand language
  • drinking water studies, nutrient impact studies, mining related sampling, long-term monitoring, emergency sampling
  • all-season sampling gear
  • exemplary safety record

Drinking Water Management & Reservoir Design

  • collaboration on intake design and position
  • management of new reservoirs for optimal water quality
  • determination of lake water chemistry and thermal behavior
  • microscopic identification of algae species
  • control of microflora, aquatic plants and microfauna influencing water quality
  • water chemistry and its impacts on drinking water quality
  • identifying sources of taste and odor and prescribing their treatment
  • identifying causes of water quality deterioration in distribution systems
  • recommending changes to reservoir management practice or equipment to improve water quality
  • IHA certified Source Assessments and Source Protection Plans
Didymocystis sp. pictured on an inverted microscope.
High resolution gomphonemoid, pictured using 400x zoom.
A large desmid, genus Closterium, shown using an inverted microscope at 40x zoom. Approximately 250 microns in length. Observed in a freshwater algae taxonomy sample.
Various green algae observed using inverted microscopy.
Periphyton sample with abundant diatoms, pictured at 400x using an inverted scope.
Volvox colony, pictured at 100x zoom, using an inverted microscope.
Cymbella mexicana diatom visualized on inverted microscope at 400x zoom, algae taxonomy background image
Periphyton sample, pictured at 400x zoom using an inverted microscope.

Microflora Impacts on Water Treatment Plants & Their Solutions

  • in-house algae and microflora identification
  • microflora clogging and water chemistry impacts on treatment plant efficiency
  • toxicity of cyanobacteria
  • taste and odor in drinking water

Reclamation of Mine Tailings Water Covers

  • modifying water chemistry to support primary production
  • introducing bacteria, algae, aquatic macrophytes and invertebrates to barren tailings ponds and sludge ponds
  • installing riparian shrub and emergent vegetation from stakes, plugs and seed
  • monitoring thermal behavior with data loggers
  • creation of sustainable fisheries and wetlands

Development of Pit Lakes as Bioreactors & Fishery Habitat

  • inducing algae blooms to transport aqueous metals via algal adsorption to non-mixing bottom water in deep pit lakes
  • identified role of B vitamins in pit algal production
  • use of enhancement techniques such as aeration, fertilization, plant invertebrate introduction, bio-reefs, bio-islands, sulphate reducing bacteria
  • development of trophy fishery habitat

Biologically Mediated Mine Water Treatment

  • reactor design based on bench studies
  • design and operation of sulphate reducing bacteria (SRB) reactors and wetlands
  • monitoring of water quality improvements made by SRB ponds, wetlands and reactors

Data Management & Analysis

  • experience handling large datasets
  • automated water quality guideline exceedance analysis
  • advanced statistical analyses
  • data visualization
  • digital mapping
  • web-based data application and tool development

Underwater Infrastructure Assessments

  • LAC operates an underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV) with depth range up to 100m and HD video camera
  • detailed surveys of submerged infrastructure including intake and outfall pipes
  • cost is significantly less than divers
Sediment sampling at Sutherland Bay, Lake Okanagan, Kelowna
Field technicians, assembly plant sandwhiches to introduce macrophytes in a high elevation ologitrophic lake.
Field biologist and field technician, underwater drone operation on Lake Okanagan
Sampling equipment, rowboat only, used on Vaseux Lake.
lake reflection
Larratt aquatic motor boat lake okanagan

Want to know more about our services? Call us or leave a message on the Contact page, and we will be happy to answer your questions.