Green. Arguably the color of summer, green is found everywhere, from beautifully tended lawns to rows of corn growing in the field. Warmer temperatures accelerate organic growth until the color appears everywhere — including in our bodies of water. And while bright green mats of algae covering a pond or lake may seem like a seasonal nuisance, they are often a visible sign of a much larger water-quality issue tied to a nutrient imbalance in the surrounding environment. 

Within the agricultural world, nutrients represent both opportunity and risk. Nitrogen and phosphorus are essential for healthy crop growth and agricultural productivity, yet when these nutrients move beyond the plant and enter nearby waterways, they can contribute to harmful algal blooms, oxygen depletion, impaired aquatic habitats, and declining water quality. Understanding where these nutrients originate and how they move through a watershed is critical to preventing water-quality degradation and reducing fertilizer losses. That's where nutrient monitoring comes in.

Nutrient monitoring allows us to identify trends, measure nutrient loads, evaluate the effectiveness of Best Management Practices (BMPs), and support science-based decision-making by collecting and analyzing water-quality data over time. Effective nutrient monitoring provides valuable insights into how weather patterns, land use changes, fertilizer application schedules, irrigation practices, and watershed conditions influence nutrient transport. Rather than relying on assumptions, our Waterborne scientists provide measurable data that help our clients understand what is working and where improvements can be made. Because nutrient monitoring delivers benefits that extend far beyond regulatory compliance, growers and land managers see an added benefit from... 



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In recent years, removing dams and other barriers from rivers has become one of the most widely adopted strategies for restoring freshwater ecosystems. In fact, between 2020 and 2025, 2,200 dams were removed from Europe's 1.2 million barriered waterways. The goal is to bring back what once was, before industrialization and technology changed the landscape. Just last month, we shared an article on how re-meandering rivers improve habitats. With 25% of the world's freshwater species threatened with extinction, it's easy to grasp the motive for reconnecting fragmented waterways: to improve fish migration, restore natural sediment transport, and support the recovery of native aquatic species. Yet, as with so many attempts to roll back the clock, there are cons working alongside the reconnection pros. Emerging research suggests that restoring connectivity, while for the overall good, can also create a new ecological challenge: giving invasive species a boost.

A recent study by Ellen J. Dolan, Jaimie Dick, and Ross Cuthbert, published in Global Change Biology, analyzed data from 45 freshwater restoration projects worldwide to determine how native and non-native species responded after river barriers were removed. Fortunately, the team's findings showed that native species generally experienced stronger long-term recovery than invasive species following restoration efforts. However, the study also identified a significant increase in invasive freshwater invertebrates across many restored waterways, highlighting what researchers call a “connectivity conundrum.” As rivers become more connected, they not only facilitate the movement of native wildlife, such as the endangered and migratory Atlantic salmon, but also provide pathways for invasive species to expand their range... 

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