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Services
Innovative Wetland Treatment System in PA

Recognizing the value of clean water resources, the Freshwater Institute works with government, industry, nonprofits and individuals to shape sustainable, environmentally responsible solutions to water resource management.

 

Utilitizing a variety of approaches, our work can be categorized into three broad areas:

 

    • Applied Science: finding answers through the spirit of research, experimentation, and discovery.
    • Conservation Engineering: applying engineering and conservation principles to implement practical solutions.
    • Training and Education: sharing knowledge with present generations so that they may leave a positive legacy for those in the future.
Spotlight

Rockymarsh Run Watershed Restoration

 

forest stream

The Freshwater Institute is initiating restoration and protection efforts in Rockymarsh Run with the goal of restoring a native brook trout fishery in the stream and generating other local benefits for the area, while also contributing to regional Chesapeake Bay water quality restoration goals.

Click here to go to the Rockymarsh Run website and learn more about the watershed, why it is important to protect, and who we're working with to restore it.

 

 

Go Fish!

Take Our Quiz


fish farming tanks

Take this short quiz to learn about our research and efforts to improve aquaculture systems. Take the quiz >>

Upcoming Events
group of people posing for pictureThe Freshwater Institute recently taught its annual Water Reuse for Intensive Fish Culture Short Course in Bar Harbor, Maine. Students from across the United States, Canada and Chile attended lectures on such topics as recirculation system design, water quality, biofiltration, gas conditioning, and biosecurity. They toured local facilities including the USDA’s new Northeast Cold Water Marine Aquaculture Center in Franklin, Maine.
Pictured: Freshwater Institute instructors Drs. Steven Summerfelt, Brian Vinci, and Chris Good with students during the final evening’s banquet.

 

 

Click here for more details on the next short course to be held in 2010.

 

Latest News
August 29, 2010, Martinsburg News Journal

On August 29, 2010, the Martinsburg News Journal published an article entitled "Freshwater Institute helps bridge gap during times of uncertainty with fish" Read more>>

8th International Recirculating Aquaculture Conference Attendees Tour Freshwater

Attendees from the 8th International Recirculating Aquaculture Conference which was held in Roanoke, VA tour Freshwater Institute Read more>>

Acoustical Bat Surveys

Michael Schwartz and staff from the Freshwater Institute were participants in the acoustical bat survey Read more>>

8th International Recirculating Aquaculture Conference

Dr. Steven Summerfelt, Dr. Christopher Good, Dr. Brian Vinci, Mark Sharrer, John Davidson and Tom Waldrop were among those presenting at the 8th International Recirculating Aquaculture Conference being held in Roanoke, VA on August 20 to 22, 2010. Read more>>

Freshwater Featured in AOL article

Freshwater is featured in a recent AOL News article about transforming old coal mines in West Virginia into functioning fish farms. Coal Mines as Fish Farms? That's the Hook in West Virginia.

Current and Future Leaders of Jefferson County
On April 14, 2010, current and future leaders of Jefferson County spent the day at Freshwater learning about and experiencing the implications of local land use decisions and regulations on the County’s environment, from the big picture (examining the impacts of the federally mandated improvements to the Chesapeake Bay and the West Virginia Potomac Tributary Strategy and Implementation Plan); to a local project (the Rockymarsh Run Restoration Project) which included field visits to developments on Rockymarsh Run. The workshop was part of the Leadership Jefferson education program where participants learn about Jefferson County's assets, opportunities, and hurdles, in order to strengthen the sense of community and ensure a prosperous future.
Encouraging the Next Generation of Engineers
The Engineering Services department at the Freshwater Institute was invited to a “Foundations of Engineering” class at Jefferson High School on March 29, 2010. Fred Ford, facilities manager, and Amanda Taylor, a project engineer, spoke with the class about the broad application of biological systems engineering, the requirements to become a biological systems engineer, personal experience working with the Freshwater Institute, and the daily operations at the Freshwater Institute.
Freshwater Institute featured in the Christian Science Monitor.

Andrew Jenner writes about our research and facilities in the article, "Recirculating aquaculture systems: The future of fish farming?" featured in the Christian Science Monitor on February 24, 2010.  Click here to read >>

AES Superior Paper Award
The Aquaculture Engineering Society has awarded John Davidson, Neil Helwig and Steven Summerfelt the 2010 Superior Paper Award for their paper “Fluidized sand biofilters used to remove ammonia, biochemical oxygen demand, total coliform bacteria, and suspended solids from an intensive aquaculture effluent.” Aquacultural Engineering, Volume 39, Issue 1, 2008, pp. 6-15. This is the second year in a row that authors from the Conservation Fund’s Freshwater Institute have been awarded the AES Superior Paper Award.
Aquaculture 2010 Conference
Dr. Steven Summerfelt, Dr. Christopher Good, John Davidson and Mark Sharrer presented research findings at the Aquaculture 2010 Conference in San Diego, CA, which was held March 1 to 5, 2010. Learn more>>