EnviroScience’s Julie Bingham was recognized by the Young Professional Network of the Greater Akron Chamber for her excellent leadership and positive impact on the Greater Akron Region. Julie and 29 other young local professionals between the ages 25-39 were recognized as trailblazers in their industries and role models for their ongoing community service.

Not only does Julie manage massive restoration projects, but she also likes jumping in and getting her hands dirty when on the construction site. This hands-on, proactive approach is engraved in her persona. Julie strongly believes in reevaluation, avoiding complacency, and striving for improvement in every aspect of life.

Julie grew up in Columbus and settled in northeast Ohio after graduating from Hiram College. At Hiram, she gained an appreciation for biology and fisheries. Her passion has since shifted towards changing the environment to support the natural biology of ecosystems. Every day she looks forward to solving problems and designing and implementing improvements in the landscape to reverse mismanagement and legacy impacts. Her most rewarding professional accomplishment to date was being involved with the dam removals and restoration of the Cuyahoga River in 2013.

Julie is actively involved in EnviroScience’s Corporate Responsibility Team. She also promotes, organizes, and participates in many stream clean-ups each year and helps educate young professionals and students about restoration through various programs.

Julie has been with EnviroScience since 1998. We can’t thank her enough for her hard work and exemplary leadership. Congratulations, Julie!

A recent article in the Daily Herald titled “After Toledo water scare, states ask EPA for help,” by John Seewer describes a state of emergency in Toledo, Ohio that left over 400,000 people without safe drinking water and environmental regulators advocating for stricter accountability for water quality.

The culprit that caused the water pollution was microcystin, a toxin produced by harmful algal blooms (HABs). Toxic algae outbreaks are an increasingly prevalent nation-wide issue. Preventing algal blooms not only calls for consistent water quality standards, but also a need for ongoing management strategies for rivers and lakes. Addressing only the symptoms of harmful algal blooms and not the cause is costly. Many cities such as Waco Texas are dealing with harmful algal blooms after the fact by building treatment plants that cost upwards of $50 million.

Read the full article here.

New EPA guidelines set to come out next year will provide drinking water advisories and testing methods for treatment plants and states regarding microcystin and other toxins.

EnviroScience consists of experts who work with individuals, companies, municipalities, states, and the government to maintain high quality water standards and prevent disasters like the Toledo water scare.

EnviroScience can provide specialized, comprehensive services for water testing, including a range of algal identification services and analysis for HAB toxins like microcystin, cylindrospermopsin, saxitoxin and anatoxin.

Check out a few of our many water services:

• Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) Sampling and Toxin Testing Services
• Algae and Diatom Community Analysis
• Whole Effluent Toxicity (Bioassay) Testing
• Water Quality Monitoring
• Lake Diagnostic and Comprehensive Lake Management Services

Each lake is unique and varies in size, depth, clarity, etc.  As a result, these dynamic systems are a challenge to understand, yet alone manage.  Our inland lakes are living, complex ecosystems that:

– Change over time and from season to season – i.e. natural seasonal life cycles of lakes or warmer, dryer seasons

– Can be entirely effected by one variable – i.e. invasive species or nutrient loading

– Each respond differently – i.e. effectiveness among management techniques

As we have seen greater fluctuations in seasonal variability, new invasive species, and increased human activity on our lakes, is your association prepared to adapt to these changes?   Soon most lake associations will begin meeting again in preparation for this upcoming summer, so it’s important to build an adaptable seasonal plan while still maintaining sight of your long-term goals. EnviroScience’s Lake Management Division can assist you in coming up with a plan that works for your lake’s management needs, now and in the future.

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