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Water Management and Isotope Laboratory

Quantifying potential impacts to water resources and aquatic ecosystem health through research, field work, and lab testing.

InnoTech Alberta works with oil and gas, industry, and government clients to protect water supplies, manage watersheds, and promote healthy aquatic ecosystems to ensure their quality for the future. 

We are frequently engaged in our water management capabilities, equipment, and expertise. Our isotope and water laboratory also supports environmental research and sustainable oil and gas development. 

Water Management Details

Our experts conduct research, through fieldwork and laboratory testing, to understand the cycling, geochemistry, and ecosystem of water. We support client water management strategies by completing analyses that identify the source of water samples (e.g. precipitation, below ground, lakes, rivers). 

 By looking at isotope tracers, water chemistry, toxicology, and the organisms that are present in the water (microbes, fish, and other expected biota) we can determine if the water is healthy and sustainable and identify stressors to be addressed through regulatory changes and/or remediation measures.  

Our Water Science & Management Capabilities 

  • Pharmaceuticals and trace organic compound measurement in water 
  • Invertebrate community analysis 
  • Fish health assessments 
  • Community-based monitoring program development  
  • Water quality assessment and cumulative effects analysis 
  • State of watershed assessments 
  • Wetland monitoring strategy development  
  • Contaminant behaviour and fate in groundwater and aquatic environments 
  • Water regulation and treatment guideline development 
gloved hands taking a water sample and putting it in a small bottle
Water samples

Isotope Laboratory Details

The facility has the capacity to analyze isotopic and geochemical tracers and to support applied research projects in water resources, sustainable oil and gas development, mining, and environmental research studies. Our services include: 

  • Measuring natural stable isotope levels in the water, dissolved solids, natural gases, and dissolved gases 
  • Compound-specific isotopic tracing on complex mixtures 
  • Labeling water and salinity sources, mixing history, and hydrodynamics 
  • Tracing the age and origin of groundwater, and delineating surface/groundwater interaction in lakes, rivers, and wetlands 
  • Assessing thermogenic/biogenic origin and biodegradation of oil and gas deposits 
  • Measuring isotope composition of methane gas down to 1 ppm and dissolved methane gas down to 10 ug/L 

The lab is equipped with a Thermo-Fisher Delta V Advantage IRMS with H Device and Gasbench, as well as a 253 with a Trace GC Ultra, TC/EA pyrolysis oven, and Fisons EA pyrolysis oven and GC Isolink. Field sensors include 4 RAD7 radon detectors for groundwater reliance assessments.  

The laboratory is staffed by adept scientific and technical professionals in the fields of isotopes, hydrology, and geochemistry. Our researchers have extensive experience working with industrial partners, provincial and federal governments, and international organizations.  

For more information

Isotope & Water Lab

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