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Freshwater Biology Team, Wheeling, West Virginia
The Freshwater Biology Lab, Wheeling, West Virginia
The Association of Mid-Atlantic Aquatic Biologists 
sponsors an annual meeting, hosted by a different state each year. The board of this association includes representatives from EPA and our mid-Atlantic states.
On this page
- Our History
- What We Do
- Printable Flyer (PDF) (2 pp, 153K, About PDF)
- Contact
Our History
The Public Health Service opened an Upper Ohio River Basin office in Wheeling in February 1963. The office conducted comprehensive studies of watersheds incorporating chemical, biological and engineering evaluations. Another federal project was soon opened at this site, to locate and sample all coal mines in the Monongahela River basin. Similar coal mine inventories were conducted in Ohio and Pennsylvania with field crews consisting of state and federal employees. When EPA was formed in 1970, the entire staff at Wheeling became part of that new program.
What We Do
The Freshwater Biology Team is in the Office of Monitoring and Assessment. Our mission is to provide technical expertise, field and laboratory support in the areas of bioassessment and biocriteria. We provide support to EPA programs, other federal agencies, state programs, river basin commissions, and citizens groups by doing:
Freshwater Biology Team using electroshocking for fish sampling
- biocriteria development
- water quality standards
- toxicity testing
- macroinvertebrate and fish community assessments
- fish tissue collections
- qualitative and quantitative stream habitat assessments
- biological methods development
- technical reviews
- training
- assesses effects of waterborne contaminants on aquatic biological resources
- provides technical, field and laboratory services for bioassessment and biocriteria programs
- provides technical expertise and training in bioassessment evaluations of aquatic invertebrates, collection methods, taxonomy, data interpretation, and quality control
- conducts freshwater acute and chronic toxicity testing in the laboratory
- supporting national Office of Research and Development and Headquarters programs like the national monitoring surveys (i.e., National Monitoring Surveys)
In addition, there are a number of EPA staff working out of the Wheeling Office that represent a microcosm of the Regional Office in Philadelphia. Those folks work in air protection, water protection, hazardous site cleanup and waste management and as intergovernmental liaisons and inspectors.
Contact
Maggie Passmore (passmore.margaret@epa.gov)
Team Leader
Freshwater
Biology Team
Office of Monitoring and Assessment (3EA50)
Environmental Assessment and Innovation Division
US Environmental Protection Agency
1060 Chapline Street, Suite 303
Wheeling, WV 26003-2995
304-234-0245
Fax 304-234-0260