The new field station at the Robert B. Annis Water Resources Institute will allow Mary Ogdahl and other researchers to do so much more than they can do now. As a research assistant and lab manager in Director Al Steinman's lab, Ogdahl knows first-hand how quickly AWRI was growing out of its facilities.

As AWRI’s reputation continues to grow and the researchers work hard to restore Muskegon’s freshwater resources, laboratory space is limited. According to Ogdahl, the new field station will provide new capabilities and help to advance the institute.

“We are really cramped for space in all areas- lab space, storage space, and even counter space,” Ogdahl said. “We have great state-of-the-art equipment for DNA analysis, but the capabilities go beyond the space we currently have.”                                                                     

Ogdahl recognizes a need for more lab space at AWRI.

The new field station will provide much needed space for the current labs (located in the Lake Michigan Center). Two new labs will expand AWRI’s capabilities even further. An environmental simulation lab will allow experiments to be done under various environmental conditions. Another new lab will be dedicated to climate research. Because the new field station will be heated, AWRI will be able to do many more experiments and have more control over those experiments.

With the expansion of facilities, Ogdahl and other researchers will continue to preserve and improve Michigan’s freshwater resources. Currently, Ogdahl is monitoring Muskegon Lake by gathering water and sediment samples to test water quality. This long-term project encompasses all different types of expertise available at AWRI.

According to Ogdahl, even counter space and sink space is limited in the current labs.

“Many people don’t know that Muskegon Lake has been named a Great Lakes Area of Concern,” she said. “This means that it is a severely environmentally degraded area in the Great Lakes region. We are now working to collect data that will prove that Muskegon should no longer be on the list.”

Many historical activities, such as dumping sawdust and sewage into the lake, led to the water contamination. But according to Ogdahl, since the Clean Water Act was passed in 1972, the lake has had the chance to get healthier.

Another way that researchers at AWRI are trying to get Muskegon Lake taken off the list of areas of concern is by reconnecting and restoring wetlands and habitats. What was once a celery field between Bear Lake and Bear Creek, for example, is now a flooded, shallow pond.

“We’re trying to reconnect the lake with the creek, but there is a concern that the nutrients released from the sediments in the old celery field will cause problems,” Ogdahl said. “To prevent further damage, we’re collecting sediments to see if phosphorous is being released.”   

The new field station will allow the mesocosm lab, pictured here, to be fully functional year-round.