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he Research Vessel (R/V)
Roger R. Simons
the first large, Government-owned ship to be dedicatected
onitoring^water quality of the Great Lakes.
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LAKE SUPERIOR <==>
'1984
1983-87
I
1980
1983-87
11976-77 1975,
l 978-79
1983-87
1981
Technical equipment on board allows
scientists to collect many different samples,
including water, plankton, sediment,
radioactivity, and air contaminants. Special
winches take water and biological samples
and measure temperature and light profiles at
various depths; meters and buoys can be
dropped and recovered for research
specimens.
The future . Now that cities and industries
have largely cleaned up the visible kinds of
pollution, such as oil and floating debris, the
Simons will continue to check the impacts of
toxic chemicals and other pollutants on this
suprisingly fragile freshwater world. The
Simons will be able to tell the public how
well our strong national commitment to save
the Great Lakes has been progressing. Her
ultimate purpose echoes the goals of the
Clean Water Act — fishable and swimmable
waters throughout the Great Lakes Basin.
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Ship Background. The R/V Roger R. Simons is a
sturdy product of the Midwest, built in
Duluth, Minn., in 1939. She was acquired
from the U.S. Coast Guard in 1974 and
converted from a buoy tender to an EPA
research vessel. The ship is named after an
EPA biologist who lost his life in the line of
duty, drowned while taking samples on the
Mississippi River in 1970.
Vital statistics. The steel-hull Simons is 122
feet long, 28 feet wide, has a draft of 7 feet,
and weighs 342 tons. Four twin-propeller, 230-
horsepower CM engines can generate speeds
up to 12.5 knots. Cruising range is
approximately 1,000 miles. Fuel capacity is
4,300 gallons, consumed at 35-50 gallons per
hour, depending on cruising conditions.
Navigation and communications equipment
includes various marine radio, radar, and loran
systems. The Simons also has two depth-
sounding systems and special winches and
cranes capable of lifting as much as 4,000 Ibs.
She carries one 16-ft. Boston whaler.
The Crew. It presently consists of 12
professional seafarers provided by a
contractor and 8 scientists, although the
Simons can accommodate a total of 28
persons: 14 of the ship's crew and 14 of the
scientific crew. Some of the scientists are
also under contract, with the sample
collection and analyses supervised at all times
by one of the EPA scientists on board.
Lab equipment. Chemistry, microbiology, and
physical laboratories, with standard as well as
sophisticated equipment (including
computerized data processing), allow
scientists to complete many analyses while
out on the Lakes. Concentrations of
phosphorus, silica, chloride, alkalinity,
ammonia, conductivity, chlorophyll, and many
other characteristics can be accurately
determined right on board. Many of these
measurements must be done immediately
because bacteria levels change with time and
the environment. Studies are conducted on a
24-hour basis during each cruise period.
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The Mission
•fed
The primary function of the R/V Roger R. Simons
is twofold:
1. to determine the effectiveness of the
multibillion-dollar cleanup programs that
have been started to protect the Great
Lakes from pollution; and
2. to improve our understanding of the
processes that affect the Lakes, so that our
cleanup dollars can be used most efficiently.
The Simons, operated under the auspices of
U.S. EPA's Great Lakes National Program
Office in Chicago, is part of an
international monitoring effort on the Great
Lakes, required by the 1972 and 1978 United
States-Canada Great Lakes Water Quality
Agreements.
The Study Schedule
Each year the Simons conducts an in-depth
study of water quality on the Great Lakes or
the connecting waterways. From her home
port in Milwaukee, Wise., she cruises
from shore to shore, stopping at designated
points to collect water, microbiological,
biological, and other samples. Below is a
schedule of sampling and monitoring surveys:
1975 — Lake St. Clair and the Detroit River;
1976 - 1977 — Lake Michigan; 1978-79 —
Lake Erie; 1980 — Lake Huron; 1981 — Lake
Ontario; 1982 — in port; 1983 — Lakes
Michigan, Huron, and Erie; 1984 — Lakes
Michigan, Huron, Erie, and connecting
channels; 1985-87 — Lakes Michigan, Huron,
and Erie.
In addition, the Simons supports a number of
research projects that would not be possible
without her. The Simons is working with the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), the Argonne National
Laboratory, and the University of Wisconsin to
collect radioactivity samples. The Simons is
also helping the Governors State University
(Park Forest South, III.) with studies of
atmospheric fallout to the Lakes.
The Simons has worked with the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
to develop methods of using satellites for the
monitoring of Great Lakes and ocean water
quality. She has also provided support for
special studies by university and Canadian
scientists.
U,S. Environmental Protection Agency
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