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Basic Assessment
For new clients and first visits. One survey that shows what is going on in your lake and what is causing it.
Lake and Pond Assessment
A full look at your water, plants, sediment and nutrients, so every management decision starts with real data.
New client program
Free basic assessment with an annual management programSign up for an annual lake and pond management program and get your first basic assessment at no charge.
Learn about the programTwo levels
Choose your assessment
Full study
Comprehensive Assessment
Everything in the Basic Assessment plus fish, morning and evening profiles, deeper lab work and a full phosphorus budget.
Example reports
See what you get
Living Waters Environmental
These examples use a made up lake and made up results to show what each report includes.
Free reactive PIron bound POrganic PLocked P
Why it matters
Oxygen keeps phosphorus stored in the sediments
Free reactive phosphorus moves through the water held between sediment grains, called pore water. When the bottom water has oxygen, a thin layer of oxidized iron forms on the sediment surface and catches that phosphorus before it escapes. When the bottom goes anoxic in summer, the iron layer dissolves and the phosphorus moves up into the water, where it feeds algae.
Add on or build your own
Go deeper where you need it
Add any of these to a Basic or Comprehensive Assessment, or pick the maps, profiles and lab tests you need to build your own.
1
Maps and surveys
Whole lake surveys from our boat mounted sonar and GIS tools.
Sonar Lake MappingBathymetry, area and volume by depth, vegetation biovolume and sediment hardness maps.Learn more
Eco-Fish MappingFish detection map, sizes, depths and fish habitat analysis.Learn more
GIS and Plant SurveyPlant density, coverage and each species mapped point by point on one GIS map.Learn more
Aquatic Plant IdentificationSpecies list with natives and invasives flagged.Learn more
2
Field profiles and monitoring
Measured in the lake with our multiparameter probe.
Water Quality Depth ProfileA reading every foot from surface to bottom, plus Secchi clarity.
- Temperature
- Dissolved oxygen
- pH
- ORP
- Conductivity
- Salinity
- Chlorophyll a
- Turbidity
- Secchi clarity
Depth Profile Daily CycleMorning and evening profiles that capture the daily oxygen and pH swing.
- Morning profile
- Evening profile
- Oxygen swing
- pH swing
Satellite MonitoringFor lakes and reservoirs about 5 acres and larger. Regular satellite checks for algae blooms, plant growth and clarity changes.
- Algae blooms
- Subsurface chlorophyll
- Surface vegetation
- Water clarity
Continuous Monitoring StationsLong term tracking of seasonal trends and ecosystem change.
- Temperature
- Dissolved oxygen
- Seasonal layering
3
Lab bundles
Our most requested lab tests, grouped together.
Pro Health BundleA quick health check of nutrients and algae.5 tests
- Dominant algae ID
- Total phosphorus
- Free reactive phosphorus
- Alkalinity
- Hardness
HAB Alert BundleFast screening when a bloom shows up.3 tests
- Dominant algae ID
- Total phosphorus
- Free reactive phosphorus
Water Quality Baseline BundleCore water chemistry and phosphorus.7 tests
- pH
- Alkalinity
- Conductivity
- Hardness
- Turbidity
- Total phosphorus
- Free reactive phosphorus
Water Quality Baseline Plus BundleBaseline plus nitrogen and chlorophyll a.10 tests
- pH
- Alkalinity
- Conductivity
- Hardness
- Turbidity
- Total phosphorus
- Free reactive phosphorus
- Chlorophyll a
- Nitrates and nitrites
- Total Kjeldahl nitrogen
Algae and WQ Baseline Plus BundleBaseline Plus with full algae ID and cell count.11 tests
- pH
- Alkalinity
- Conductivity
- Hardness
- Turbidity
- Total phosphorus
- Free reactive phosphorus
- Chlorophyll a
- Nitrates and nitrites
- Total Kjeldahl nitrogen
- Algae ID and cell count
4
Full lab menu
All 33 lab tests. Each one can be ordered on its own.
Nutrients
- Total phosphorus
- Free reactive phosphorus
- Nitrates and nitrites
- Total Kjeldahl nitrogen
- Ammonia
Algae and toxins
- Algae ID and cell count
- Chlorophyll a
- Microcystin and nodularin
- Anatoxin
- Zooplankton
Bacteria and oxygen
- Microbial Bacteria (E. coli and total coliform)
- Biochemical oxygen demand
- Dissolved oxygen
Clarity and solids
- Turbidity
- Total suspended solids
- Total dissolved solids
- Volatile solids
- True color
- Apparent color
Water chemistry
- pH
- Alkalinity
- Hardness
- Conductivity
- Salinity
- Chloride
- Total iron
- Aluminum, total
- Aluminum, total and dissolved
- Total organic carbon
- Dissolved organic carbon
Sediment
- Total phosphorus (sediment)
- Level 1 Sediment Fractioning
- Level 2 Sediment Fractioning
Start with an assessment
Tell us about your lake and what you are seeing, and we will recommend the right assessment.