Chemist

Chemist

The Klamath Tribes’ Ambodat Department operates the Sprague River Water Quality Laboratory (SRWQL), a facility using state of the art equipment and technology to perform quantitative analyses of water samples for many different chemical and physical constituents. The primary purposes of the Chemist position are 1) to assist the Lead Chemist ni the day to day operations of the SRWQL and 2) prepare for, and participate in, biennial assessments of the Laboratory by Oregon’s Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (ORELAP), required for maintaining the Lab’s accreditation through this agency. Work typically involves conducting analyses using lab instrumentation to quantify nutrient, chlorophyll a, microcystin, and sediment concentrations using USGS, EPA and Standard Method protocols for surface water samples from rivers, wetlands and lakes. Analytical equipment used includes: Fisher Thermo Gallery Plus discrete analyzers, Turner Designs fluorometers (10-AU and Trilogy), a Versa Max microplate reader, and Metler Toledo analytical balances. Work flows are tracked using Laboratory Information Management System software, and involve evaluating and ensuring the quality of the results to meet the most current ORELAP quality standards.