About NCWQR

The National Center for Water Quality Research (NCWQR), (formerly known as the Water Quality Laboratory - WQL), was founded in 1969 by Dr. David B. Baker, Professor of Biology at Heidelberg College in Tiffin, Ohio.  While early studies focused on  chemical analysis of nitrogen and phosphorus levels in the Sandusky River, today’s NCWQR is engaged in chemical and biological research efforts across a variety of habitats and water sources. 

The NCWQR has always been, and continues to be, supported solely by research grants, contracts for professional services, and donations. Funding sources have included agencies of federal and state governments, nongovernmental agencies, foundations, industries and individuals.  If you are interested in ways that you can help support our efforts, contact us for more specifics about new research that can use your help!

Can we help you?

The NCWQR provides water testing for surface water and well water samples, and training and technical resources for environmental and educational organizations.  Access the links at left for more information.  If we can help you or your organization in efforts pertaining to water quality, please contact us to see how we might work together.

Some history…

In 1974, Dr. David B. Baker began the Sandusky River Project, a study of nutrients and sediment transport on two major tributaries to Lake Erie, the Maumee and Sandusky Rivers.  By 1978, the NCWQR was a major participant in the Lake Erie Intensive Surveillance Program of the US EPA's Great Lakes National Program Office in a study of the degraded condition of Lake Erie's water and sediments.

Monitoring of tributaries to both Lake Erie and the Ohio River has grown over the years and today the NCWQR operates the Ohio Tributary Monitoring Program that covers over half of the state of Ohio with ten sites and another site on the River Raisin in southeastern Michigan. Collectively, these studies now provide the longest and most detailed record of nonpoint source pollution available for any river system in the United States.
 
The biological branch of the NCWQR offers expertise in applied limnology, pursuing research in lake, stream and wetland ecology. The need for bioassessment is growing rapidly, particularly with current interest in the development of efficient, reliable means of measuring the health of complex ecosystems.

As a consequence, many organizations, including the US Environmental Protection Agency and the US Department of Agriculture, work collaboratively with the NCWQR and have come to rely on the data and analyses that we produce.