Dr. Beth Bowles, research specialist with the Bull Shoals Field Station at Missouri State University, received a grant of almost $35,000 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The grant will be used for a research project to monitor select bodies of water in Oklahoma.

This is the second year of the five-year project in conjunction with Oklahoma State University. The Oklahoma Water Resources Board collects the samples, and Bowles analyses the phytoplankton.

Bowles identifies and estimates the biomass of algae collected from reservoirs and streams in Oklahoma. Algae are an important indicator of ecological health. The results can be used to evaluate water quality and to pinpoint reservoirs and streams that have nuisance algae.

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