Keele Water is an environmental consultancy agency based in Keele University’s School of Life Sciences, offering a service with three fundamental objectives:
The application of crisis management after a major fish kill and/or pollution incident
The application of regular monitoring programmes leading to the development of management policies which increase the chances of preventing a major environmental incident
The assessment of the environmental impact of land development.
The major services offered comprise of:
Advice on fisheries management (eg, stocking densities, environment improvement)
Fish disease diagnosis and advice on appropriate control measures
Water quality assessment using living organisms and chemical analysis
Identification of macroinvertebrates and higher plants
Interpretation of environmental data
Assessment of the environmental impact of land development.
The senior consultants behind the programme – Prof David Hoole, Dr Tony Polwart and Dr Peter Thomas – have combined experience spanning more than 100 years in fisheries, freshwater and terrestrial environmental management. They are supported by skilled technical and administrative staff and resources of Keele University.
The consultancy, which has been verified by the Environment Agency to carry out diseases surveys on fish populations under Section 30 of the Fish Health Act 1983, is able to offer a range of techniques, including:
Light microscopy and histological preparation for species identification and disease diagnosis
Immunological and bacterial techniques for disease diagnosis
Titrimetric methods and flame photometry for quantitative and qualitative determination of chemical components in a water body
Atomic absorption spectrophotometry for the determination of trace elements and heavy metal pollutants
Macroinvertebrate sampling for the assessment of acidification, eutrophication and pollution.
For further information on the Keele Water Consultancy, please contact Prof David Hoole by emailing d.hoole@keele.ac.uk or call 01782 733673.
