Demand For Limnologists Rises As Water Quality Plummets

The scientists who study surface water, and what's needed to keep it clean, now find themselves in positions of public authority. When Michael Principe landed his first job as a limnologist nine years ago, he considered himself lucky. The economy was mired in a recession, and the outlook for increased government spending on the environment looked dim. Few federal or state agencies were seeking scientists in Principe's research realm, the scientific study of fresh water systems - an area increasingly directed toward the preservation or restoration of lakes, rivers, streams, and other surface waters. Moreover, Principe (pronounced Prince-uh-pay) had little reason to believe that his initial work - analyzing reservoir data for New York City's Department of Environmental Protection - would lead to an administrative post involved with public policy issues. Yet that's exactly what happened. "Limnology was kind of esoteric at the time. It just wasn't incorporated into the current methodologies for assessing water quality," says Principe, 38, now chief of the New York City's bureau of water supply, which has a staff of 90. "We used to be schlepps for the engineers. "But limnology has evolved into a much bigger thing since I first started. Now, we're making the transition to the point where scientists are involved in decision-making." In the past, limnologists were best known as "lake doctors," scientists who devoted themselves almost exclusively to collecting chemical samples and studying the life cycles of lakes. Today, limnologists are concerned with assessing biological and chemical changes in bodies of water; understanding the balance between wetlands and aquatic life; and tracking the movement of pesticides, minerals, and animal wastes that seep into surface waters via farmland. Limnology has quietly, but steadily, grown in stature as concerns mount over the quality of surface water used for drinking, recreation, or bolstering economies dependent on fisheries (The Scientist, Dec. 11, 1989, page 18). And many scientists believe more opportunities exist for limnologists who can keep this water usable. In New York City, "water-quality concerns in the last five years have gone bananas," says Principe. Over the next three years, he hopes to double the number of limnologists and related scientists on his staff to 40. "It's a fertile area for employment and will be for years to come." This trend became clear in 1988, when New York City was threatened with a summer drought. That prompted officials to seek help by reviving a dormant upstate New York reservoir, which critics claimed was unusable without better filtration. The drought never occurred, but the ensuing clamor drew attention to water-quality needs. But it's not just New York City where concerns about water quality are taking center stage. Throughout the world, acid rain, toxic contaminants, algae growths, and industrial discharges are wreaking havoc on water supplies. Some scientists also blame agricultural pesticides and fertilizers for aggravating the problem. The magnitude of the damage was made evident recently when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found that 45% of the nation's lakes are either impaired or threatened by some form of pollution. "The problems with lakes are getting worse," says Frank Lapesse, chief of the EPA's Clean Lake Program. "And they're coming faster than we can control them." Indeed, the 1986 Safe Drinking Water Act Amendment, which toughens water standards, has yet to be fully implemented. Meanwhile, scientists are recommending a variety of approaches for the reclamation of surface water: developing alternatives to pesticides, replacing industrial solvents, rerouting storm drains, reducing organic and inorganic materials, and creating new waste-treatment systems. Several federal and state agencies are creating programs to monitor and better understand the physical properties of the nation's water supplies, thus breathing new life into a once-dormant branch of aquatic sciences. DOUG HOLY is one recent recipient of the government's increased funding for water-quality research. Last month he signed on as a limnologist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Soil Conservation Service (SCS) in Fort Worth, Texas. The SCS, which operates four water-quality technology centers around the country, is "in the throes of expanding and retooling," says John Burt, the agency's national environmental coordinator. Holy, 43, is tracking the flow of water from farm fields to streams to wetlands and back to streams again. He hopes to understand how pesticides and nutrients from fertilizers invade water supplies and what can be done to prevent this seepage. "Two years ago, I was very discouraged," says Holy, who has a master's degree in environmental science and had worked for four years in EPA's air-quality program in the southwest. "I wanted to get back into water, and I really feel that I've reached a career goal." --E.R.S. For these reasons, limnologists are proving valuable to government and industry because they can detect the many sources of pollution and devise ways to maintain useful water supplies. "Surface water resources are precious and will be dwindling," says Stephen Carpenter, a researcher at the Center for Limnology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. "We're just realizing the problems of contamination. It's a growth area." Just how much growth will occur is hard to measure because scientific research and corresponding jobs depend on often tenuous government funding. And surprisingly, forecasts don't exist. "We're having a hell of a time simply getting accurate figures on what we already have," complains Ralph Daley, acting executive director of Canada's National Water Research Institute, an agency of the federal environment department. At present, the International Society of Limnology has a member list of 3,000, but some say the number of practicing limnologists is much higher. "This isn't a well-organized discipline," says William Lewis, director of the Center for Limnology at the University of Colorado. "We don't keep track of our numbers." A more useful gauge may be the North American Lake Management Society, which says that its roster of professional members has climbed to about 1,400 from just 300 only five years ago. (The number of laypeople belonging to the group has rocketed to more than 500 from practically nothing during the same period.) Scientists maintain, however, that jobs will be available, in varying degrees, at federal, state, and city agencies; universities; consulting firms; and industry, and from groups of homeowners residing on or near lakes. Salaries vary, but most scientists report that starting annual pay ranges from the low twenties to slightly less than $40,000. Limnologists working for consulting firms, however, can often earn more than $40,000. Whatever the outlook, limnologists say they're encouraged by the public's growing awareness of water-quality issues and the ensuing government response. In particular, they cite a new willingness by Congress to loosen its purse strings. Congress recently appropriated $40 million for EPA to distribute to states - as part of the Clean Water Act - to study pollution created by agriculture, forestry, and land development. It was the first time federal money was slated for that purpose. "This will be the stimulus for the science of limnology," says Matthew Scott, past president of the North American Lake Management Society. "It's all part of a total water-quality picture." There are other signs of optimism. Congress also earmarked $9 million for lake protection and restoration, a 20% increase over last year. And the U.S. Geological Survey has included in its 1991 budget request money for a national water-quality assessment program. Officials at the National Academy of Sciences say that the clean-up efforts by the U.S. Department of Energy at the nation's nuclear-weapon facilities will spawn a variety of environmental programs to determine the damage to nearby water bodies. In Canada, scientists are hopeful that the government is close to making more money available to expand their staff. "There's nothing concrete yet, but we're looking at some hiring," hints the Canadian National Water Institute's Daley, whose agency employs 75 aquatic scientists, a term that's often synonymous with limnologists. In U.S. agencies where funding is increasing, the extra money has already made it possible to hire limnologists. For instance, the Tennessee Valley Authority, which manages 42 reservoirs, recently saw its funding for water-quality work get boosted by 33%, to $8 million. There's movement at the state level, too. The Illinois legislature recently slated $100,000 to begin a program for lake restoration and watershed management. In Louisiana, a $5 million coastal restoration fund was created recently by the state's voters. The money will be used to study the effects and methods of diverting water from the Mississippi River back into marshlands, which have been eroding. The project, estimated to take up to 10 years to complete, will mostly involve hiring environmental engineers. But if the state wants to understand the effects on aquatic life of the marches, limnologists may be hired. Industry has also shown a new interest in the quality of surface water. For example, the beer-making process at Adolph Coors Co. in Colorado requires the company to maintain four reservoirs. The fact that the reservoirs often become tainted by algae or metals, such as manganese, has prompted Coors to bring in consulting limnologists. Says New York City's Principe: "A lot of this work wouldn't have been possible in the 1970s. And new analytical methods and computerization mean that we're freed to spend more time looking at data rather than collecting samples. It's become a lot more challenging." Edward R. Silverman is a staff reporter for New York Newsday.

Demand For Limnologists Rises As Water Quality Plummets

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