Sara Bonnette 
Aquatic Biologist-

Michigan Department of Environmental Quality


The major parts of my job are 

1) conducting biological surveys of streams (fish, invertebrates and habitat) to help determine if they are meeting water quality standards and 

2) reviewing National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits to make sure that the discharge of toxic chemicals or phosphorus will not exceed Michigan's Water Quality Standards. I am also involved in sediment sampling of a PCB-contaminated river, caged-fish studies to determine the uptake of PCBs in living organisms and the collection of fish for Michigan's Fish Consumption Advisory Program.