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Integral's first-of-its-kind study resulted in a change to the state and federal ambient water quality standard for copper in the Little Androscoggin River.
   

  


Optical monitoring enables collection of a substantially greater volume of data than conventional sampling,

at a far lower cost.
   

  


Integral has developed and patented low-cost wave measurement devices for characterization and operations at wave energy sites.
  
 
 
Explore our Capabilities
Site-Specific Water Quality Standards Offer a Cost-Effective Solution

One size does not fit all when it comes to resolving water quality issues faced by permitted wastewater dischargers in the mining, forest product, or energy industries. One option available for meeting more stringent state or National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permitting requirements is establishing site-specific ambient water quality criteria (SSC) that are protective of the environment.

 

"Establishing site-specific criteria can be a complex process, but it can be less expensive than treatment modifications or upgrades," says Integral Senior Managing Scientist Patrick Gwinn. "In fact, SSC may provide a better long-term solution, since some treatment changes do not result in the reductions that are necessary for long-term permit limit compliance."

 

Scientists at Integral have been developing an approach to establishing SSC that is cost-effective and protective of the environment for various water bodies in New England.

 

Read more about our site-specific work.

 

For more information about incorporating SSC into your next project, contact Patrick Gwinn at [email protected].

 

Integral Makes Advances on High-Resolution Chemical Monitoring

Integral scientists are leading the development and application of optical monitoring tools to quantify the concentrations of dissolved and particulate contaminants in environmental systems. Optical monitoring provides data collection at a frequency on the order of minutes over an extended time period, supporting quantification of short-term responses to system perturbations, such as an outfall discharge, as well as longer-term trends and patterns (e.g., recovery of water quality conditions following a storm event or active remediation). This powerful monitoring tool has a wide array of potential environmental applications, including source identification as well as monitoring of remedial action performance, dredge plumes, and stormwater discharge. Recently, Integral optics experts applied optical instrumentation to quantify the concentrations of PCBs, mercury, and methyl mercury in surface water at the Berry's Creek Superfund site over a range of site conditions. The study not only verified the effectiveness of the technique for mercury and methyl mercury, but also demonstrated that it is highly effective for PCBs.  

 

Read more about Integral's optical monitoring services.

 

For more information on Integral's capabilities on optically based modeling tools, contact Todd Martin at [email protected] or Grace Chang at [email protected].

 

Marine Science Group Develops Tools to Help Renewable Energy Industry

Ocean energy could produce the majority of the world's present demand for electricity, according to a 2013 Global Ocean Current Energy Assessment. Yet, the high cost of ocean energy production has hindered the commercialization of new technology. Scientists at Integral have been developing tools that can help marine renewable energy developers get their projects in the water more quickly by improving the performance of marine and hydrokinetic energy technologies and lowering the costs of project development. Integral scientists have developed and patented a cost-effective, real-time wave measurement buoy that can measure and relay real-time spectral wave properties.

 

"This tool represents a significant advancement in wave measurement technology," explains Integral Principal Craig Jones, Ph.D. "It gives wave energy developers the data to substantially increase energy production thereby having a direct effect on reducing the costs of marine renewable energy."

 

Read more about this new technology as well as other oceanographic tools as part of Integral's Marine Science and Engineering group. 

 

For more information about Integral's wave buoy technology, contact Craig Jones at [email protected].

 

About Us

Integral Consulting Inc. is an international science and engineering firm providing multidisciplinary services in the fields of health, environment, technology, and sustainability.

 Visit us at www.integral-corp.com