Resources and Facilities

CPCB resources and facilities consist of office space, an ecotoxicology laboratory, a macroinvertebrate laboratory, an array of field equipment for stream and lake work, as well as the expertise and resources of the other programs within the Kansas Biological Survey.

Offices and labs are equipped with state-of-the-art computers and software that are used to maintain databases for USEPA Region 7, to place sampling protocols and workshop proceedings on CD for dissemination of information, and to maintain an internet web site. Several conference rooms are also available for our use both within KBS and throughout the University of Kansas campus.

Hard at work in the ecotoxicology lab.

The Ecotoxicology Laboratory provides 1400 square feet of space and is equipped with a gas chromatograph, mass spectrometer, ion chromatograph, HPLC system, total carbon analyzer, extraction and digestion apparatus, fluorometer, and other standard analytical laboratory equipment and glassware. Routine work performed in the lab includes analyses for major ions, primary nutrients, plant pigments, pesticides and herbicides in water, sediment and soil. Environmental chambers and other equipment support a full range of aquatic toxicity testing.

Identifying the macroinvertebrates that we collect.

The macroinvertebrate lab is an essential part of the research efforts ongoing at CPCB and KBS. It is responsible for the sorting and taxonomic identification of aquatic macroinvertebrates (i.e., insects, snails, bivalves, etc.). Stream samples collected in the field are brought into this lab for processing. Once these samples have been sorted and counted, the individual specimens are identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level by the staff macroinvertebrate taxonomist. Current projects include the REMAP Kansas Project, the Nutrient Streams Project, and the Dissolved Oxygen Study. In the past, this lab has also provided specimens and taxonomic support to community groups interested in water quality issues.