Facilities & Laboratories
Water Supply and Treatment
The Marine Sciences Laboratory (MSL) located in Sequim, Washington provides an ideal platform for marine and freshwater ecological research, instrument and method development, and biotechnology research.
Primary features
- Pristine seawater and deep aquifer freshwater sources
- 5300 square feet of wet/bioassay laboratories supplied with temperature-controlled seawater and freshwater
- Flexible test and exposure system configurations, including temperature and light regimes
- Two certified aquatic animal isolation facilities for infectious disease work
- A variety of indoor and outdoor tank configurations that can be used as large-scale outdoor mesocosm systems and for other studies using aquatic plants and animals
- A state-of-the-art wastewater treatment system
- An atmospherically controlled greenhouse plumbed with both freshwater and seawater and connected to the wastewater treatment system.
Capacity
The Marine Research Operations' Wet Laboratory provides a large space in which to perform innovative, water-oriented research. Four distribution systems supply raw or filtered seawater and/or freshwater to two laboratories. High quality, Class AA seawater is obtained from Sequim Bay through an all-PVC system with two independent intakes. A redundant system of three pumps provides a continuous supply of filtered and unfiltered seawater. An emergency generator ensures continuous seawater supply and other essential services in the event of electrical failure. A 12,000-gallon reserve tank provides filtered seawater to the wet laboratories for up to 18 hours in the event of failure of all three pumps. Seawater at ambient temperature (9ºC to 11ºC) can be provided at a rate of 250 GPM, and up to 20 GPM of seawater can be supplied at heated or cooled temperatures. Immersion heaters, which can be placed into individual head tanks, provide additional temperature control. Freshwater is supplied to the laboratories from an uncontaminated artesian well. Up to 30 GPM of freshwater can be supplied at temperatures ranging from 11ºC to 30ºC. Seawater and freshwater can be mixed in two head tanks to provide for flow-through testing at a variety of salinities.
Water tables and experimental lab space can be reconfigured to suit the needs of individual studies. Lighting can be automated to provide various day/night scenarios. Two isolation facilities are available for work involving infectious disease, radiological or hazardous wastes. Tanks of various sizes are used to maintain aquatic animals for, and during, studies.
Wastewater Treatment
All water leaving the laboratory is passed through a centralized wastewater treatment facility to remove chemical and biologic agents from laboratory wastewater and to ensure no impact is made on the receiving environment. The system is designed to operate at continuous wastewater flow rates of up to 250 gpm.
The Wastewater Treatment System has the following features:
- Removal of particulates through sedimentation and filtration;
- Disinfection of biologic agents and breakdown of organics using ozonation;
- Removal of organics and disinfection byproducts through granular activated carbon (GAC) adsorption