Dr. Beth Bowles, research specialist with Bull Shoals Field Station at Missouri State University, was given a grant of $34,640 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for a research project entitled “Probabilistic Monitoring of Select Oklahoma Waterbodies.”

This is the second year of the five-year project in conjunction with Oklahoma State University. The Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) will be collecting the samples, and Bowles will cover the phytoplankton analysis, which is usually the upper layer of water bodies where the production of harmful toxins may be prevalent.

“For the project, I will be identifying and estimating the biomass of algae collected from reservoirs and streams in Oklahoma by the Water Resources Board,” said Bowles. “Algae are an important indicator of ecological health, and the OWRB can use the results of the analysis to evaluate water quality and to pinpoint reservoirs and streams that have nuisance algae, such as algae that can produce toxins.”

The grant is a service contract, and the funding will be used primarily for salaries. The second period of this project is estimated to conclude at the end of June 2014.

For more information, contact Bowles at (417) 836-3731.