Normandeau Staff Receives Multiple Certifications for Taxonomic Analysis

• Mr. George Christian certified in Group 1 General Arthropoda and Group 2 EPT
  
• Mr. Bryan Lees certified in Group 1 General Arthropoda, Group 2 EPT, and Group 3 Chironomidae
  
• Ms. Jennifer Smith certified in Group 1 General Arthropoda, Group 2 EPT, and Group 3 Chironomidae
  

Recent concerns about the quality of data produced by invertebrate taxonomists in the absence of a certification process compelled the Society to establish and offer a program that insures trained and skilled persons are providing aquatic invertebrate identifications. Invertebrate analysis is a specialized field in which data are generally used in an analogous fashion to measure water quality. Invertebrate studies have been conducted since the early 1900’s and began to become popular during the 1970’s following the passage of the Federal Clean Water Act, commensurate with the environmental movement.  Normandeau has been conducting these studies since 1970.

Normandeau operates three (3) biological laboratories with over 4,000 square feet of space dedicated to the taxonomic analysis of marine, estuarine, and freshwater macroinvertebrates; plankton and ichthyoplankton samples. This level of capability is rare in the biological laboratory field. Normandeau’s biological laboratories are located in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire which combined, constitute the largest taxonomy capacity on the east coast.

Invertebrate studies are conducted for numerous applications:

• Federal, State, and local long-term watershed assessments
  
• Federal Energy Relicensing for atomic, hydroelectric, and fossil-fueled power plants
  
• Stream water quality monitoring studies by non-profit citizen watershed associations
  
• National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting requirements
  
• Delaware/Susquehanna River Basin Commission Docket requirements
  
• Municipal Landfill Operating and Expansion permitting
  
• Superfund Site pre and post-remediation (recovery) monitoring
  
• Clean Water Act – Section 316a Thermal Variance studies
  
• Tissue analysis for PCBs, metals, and other contaminants
  
• Ecological risk assessments
  
• Dredge monitoring (e.g., U.S. Army Corps)
  
• Road, bridge, and storm water (culvert) construction monitoring
  
• Remediated wetland colonization studies
  
• Fish stomach content analysis (forage base)
  

For additional information, please contact Mr. George Christian (484)945-2325 ([email protected]) or visit www.normandeau.com.

About Society for Freshwater Science (SFS)
The Society for Freshwater Science (SFS) is an international scientific organization whose purpose is to promote further understanding of freshwater ecosystems (rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs, and estuaries) and ecosystems at the interface between aquatic and terrestrial habitats (wetlands, bogs, fens, riparian forests and grasslands). The society fosters exchange of scientific information among the membership, and with other professional societies, resource managers, policy makers, educators, and the public. Society members study the genetics to community structure of freshwater organisms, freshwater ecosystem function, and physical processes that affect freshwaters, and linkages between freshwater ecosystems and surrounding landscapes. Applied aspects of their science include habitat and water quality assessment, conservation, fisheries and invasive species management, integrated water resource management, and restoration. For more information visit: www.freshwater-science.org