The Saint Joseph College Freshwater Institute was created with the generous support of Northeast Utilities:

1. To provide support for water quality analyses for nonprofit agencies and associations;
2. To provide primary and secondary schools with an active research laboratory and laboratory research expertise, and
3. To provide students at Saint Joseph College with research opportunities involving the analysis of freshwater systems.

While conducting research on the Farmington river over the last 10 years and talking with residents, watershed associations representatives, and town officials, a need was apparent for interested groups to understand their rivers, lakes and watersheds and other freshwater systems. A primary shortage lay in the lack of water quality analysts and equipment, materials and training that could provide a better understanding of their waters. Many individuals and groups cannot afford professional assistance from services in commercial industry. Others would like specific topics to be addressed, such as water quality changes during floods or heavy runoff, hydrocarbon runoff, and changes in sedimentation patterns. Another need observed was found among primary and secondary school science teachers, looking for the opportunities to expose their students to advanced analytical techniques in a research laboratory or field setting.

The Freshwater Institute would address some of these needs. Work has progressed over the last several years with the Farmington River Watershed Association, providing them with annual water quality data. Within the last year the Biology Department at Saint Joseph College has conducted seminars on site for those interested in using insects to determine water quality. Plans have been developed to increase these analyses for the Farmington River Watershed Association: an examination of their Connecticut tributaries of the Farmington River, a study of the storm-flow input and associated changes in water quality attributes, and aquatic insect diversity and changes of these populations with changing water conditions. Thus, the Farmington River Watershed Association would become the first Associate Partner with the Freshwater Institute. Further plans include an examination of Trout Brook in West Hartford, eventually extending into the entire Park River drainage, research into water quality and benthic insect distribution along the Connecticut River along the Great Meadows and, eventually, expansion of research into the Housatonic and Quinnipiac Rivers for comparison with data collected from the Farmington River.

The educational needs would also be addressed by extending Associate Memberships to science teachers, permitting them to use the laboratories, equipment, and expertise of the institute. One key feature of the laboratories will be an actual running stream within the lab, complete with aquatic insects and small fishes. This lab stream will be divided into parallel tracks, providing a means of experimentation that can rarely be done in a field setting.

The institute will also provide research opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students at Saint Joseph College. This is an ideal situation, providing not only scientific research but also engaging students in the management issues regarding water quality,ecology, and human use of freshwater systems. This is also expected to boost enrollment in the Environmental Science program at Saint Joseph College, creating trained personnel for environmental analysis businesses, municipalities, and government agencies.

The institute will also provide an advanced laboratory setting for Education majors who decide to become science teachers. The laboratories will provide an ideal place to learn how to manage primary and secondary students in laboratory settings.

The goals of the institute are threefold:

1. To provide research for nonprofit and municipal agencies on freshwater systems;
2. To provide young students with exciting experiences in the laboratory and in the field;
3. To provide college students with research and educational opportunities.

Program Highlights

1. An advanced laboratory setting for primary, secondary, and college students
2. A technology base, including wireless computer technology and projection systems, analytical equipment, and advanced microscopy room
3. A sectioned laboratory stream for research and student interaction
4. Field research and water quality analyses
5. Microbiology research facilities
6. Involvement of nonprofit agencies, municipalities, and primary and secondary schools
7. A resource for training science teacher