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Evaluating Water Quality of Lakes — Collecting High Quality Samples

NRTG’s MicroCourses offer a dynamic training pathway that’s as flexible as it is enriching to build expertise. Our Evaluating Water Quality of Lakes — Collecting High Quality Samples course, spanning four hours, delivers in-depth training in an easily digestible format. It’s designed to maximize your skills for immediate application in lake water quality assessment.  

Water quality sampling in lakes differs fundamentally from sampling in flowing waters, necessitating distinct techniques and sampling designs. A robust and defensible sampling design begins with a clear objective and a solid understanding of a lake’s physical and chemical properties. This MicroCourse will explore how to define your objective, examine the physical and chemical characteristics of lakes and their interactions with the external environment, and discuss site selection and sampling techniques to effectively address your research questions.  

Evaluating Water Quality of Lakes — Collecting High Quality Samples is designed for fisheries and water quality professionals working in environments where water sampling procedures are not strictly dictated by regulatory requirements. This MicroCourse serves as a companion to Sampling Fish in Lakes — Methods to Increase Your Catch. 

Course will be 4 hours long.   

Program Outcomes 

Upon successful completion of this program, you will be able to: 

  1. Describe the key physical and chemical properties of lakes that influence water quality and sampling design. 
  2. Define clear sampling objectives based on the purpose of assessment and the characteristics of the lake system. 
  3. Select appropriate sampling sites for lake water quality assessments using lake morphology and study objectives. 
  4. Select appropriate lake water sampling techniques that align with sampling objectives and site conditions. 

      Prerequisites 

      Participants are expected to have a working knowledge of water quality and lake properties. 

      Jeff Sereda, PhD.

      Manager, Ecological and Habitat Assessment, Owner Sereda Environmental 
      Headshot of Jeff Sereda, Senior Fisheries Ecologist and NRTG instructor.

      Jeff holds a PhD. in Limnology and an Aquaculture Technician Diploma. He served as manager of a commercial salmonid hatchery for 4 years, lectured at the University of Saskatchewan on topics of fish physiology, taxonomy, ecology, conservation, and aquaculture. Currently, Jeff is a Manager of Ecological and Habitat Assessment, and formally an Adjunct Professor at the University of Saskatchewan. 

      Jeff’s research has encompassed topics such as assessing the risk of aquatic ecosystems to anthropogenic eutrophication, macrophyte management, fish habitat restoration, and the impacts of water management on species as risk (Bigmouth Buffalo, Chestnut Lamprey, Plains Sucker, and Lake Sturgeon). Jeff’s research has been presented at over 60 national and international conferences and resulted in 20 peer reviewed publications. 

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