Plumbing new depths

ECOSERV to take on marine pollution monitoring

ECOSERV consultant Lisa Guastella has set her sights on taking ECOSERV into a whole new realm. With a newly-acquired certificate in coastal management adding more girth to a hefty MSc in Oceanography and a great deal of experience over the past 15 years, Lisa is ideally placed to expand ECOSERV's service offerings to include marine pollution.

“I plan to take ECOSERV in a new direction,” says Lisa.  “ECOSERV is heavily involved with air pollution monitoring and with my background in oceanography, we can diversify our capabilities. It is important to keep the ocean in as pristine a state as possible, not only for human benefit but especially for ecological and biodiversity functioning.”

ECOSERV's marine service has potential to draw clients from many quarters, from local municipalities who are responsible for storm water effluent to factories who are putting out offshore effluent pipelines along the coast.

“ECOSERV has the expertise to run a comprehensive service. We are poised to jump into the field of marine pollution,” Lisa says.

Lisa recently completed “Managing Marine Pollution” at the University of Western Cape , hosted by the United Nations Division for Ocean Affairs Train-Sea-Coast programme in collaboration with the International Ocean Institute ( Southern Africa ).

Course modules were presented by experts in their fields and included marine pollution law, analytical methods of the water column and sediments, water quality guidelines, contingency planning for disaster management, environmental economics and GIS.

“The course placed emphasis on hands-on training, thus morning sessions were largely theory-based and afternoon sessions were more devoted to practical work,” says Lisa. “The contingency planning and water quality guidelines modules were very well presented and provided a lot of useful information. I will definitely be using this knowledge to assist ECOSERV clients.”

Course participants hailed from Angola , Namibia and SA and represented diverse backgrounds ranging from Ports Authorities to government environmental departments, Navy, fisheries, consultants and PhD students.

"Although we were a mixed bunch, the group dynamics and interaction was excellent. I'd like to thank Dr Kim Prochazka and Ms Jocelyn Collins of IOI for organising the course and to ECOSERV MD Quentin Hurt for having the vision to send me there.”