Matt Helmers, Associate Professor, ABE-ISU
Ramesh Kanwar, Professor, ABE-ISU
Steve Mickelson, Professor & Chair, ABE-ISU
Alok Bhandari, Professor & Chair, CE-Kansas State

The purpose of ABE’s Water Quality Research Laboratory (WQRL) is to facilitate research on water quality, specifically on investigating the occurrence, fate, transport and control of microbiological or chemical pollutants in natural and engineered environmental systems. WQRL is located in Rooms 3135 and 3145 of the National Swine Research and Information Center (NSRIC) Building on the Iowa State University campus.

The WQRL has separate spaces dedicated to research on pathogens and pathogen indicators (Room 3135), and nutrients, pesticides and chemicals of emerging environmental concern (Room 3145). The laboratory is equipped with instruments used for routine chemical and microbiological analyses such as balances, pH meters, centrifuges, ovens, waterbaths, incubators, stir plates, membrane filtration devices, environmental shakers and tumblers, autoclaves, biosafety cabinents, and laminar flow hoods. We also have a Bio Rad C1000 Thermal Cycler for PCR and Syngen Ugenius Gel documentation system; an automated ion analyzer with in-line sample preparation for nitrogen, phosphorous, and other anions; and a Varian HPLC with gradient pump, autosampler, and photodiode array detector.