Ken Sueksdorf

Central Coast Long-Term Environmental Assessment Network (CCLEAN), Monterey Bay, California — Supports watershed management projects focused on long-term environmental assessment efforts in the Monterey Bay Area. Assists with high-volume, long-duration sampling activities, data tracking, and quality assurance procedures to support accurate reporting with long-term environmental monitoring objectives. Work includes the monitoring of semiautonomous, high-volume water samplers designed for ultra-low detection limits of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Sampling occurs in multiple environments, including the open ocean, rivers, and water treatment facilities throughout the Monterey Bay area. Work also includes mussel collection (Mytilus californianus) in the Monterey Bay area for passive bioaccumulation data of POPs.

Low-Impact Development Stormwater Monitoring, San Francisco Bay Area, California — Assists with low-impact development monitoring efforts, supporting the deployment, maintenance, and evaluation of stormwater infrastructure designed to reduce runoff and improve water quality. Helps organize data sets and ensure adherence to established monitoring protocols across multiple jurisdictions. Work includes monitoring of pollutants of concern, sampling of the legacy pollutants source area, low-impact development monitoring, mercury and methylmercury sampling, trash monitoring, and pesticides and toxicity sampling.

Water Quality Program Sampling Routes Projects, Santa Cruz, California — Assisted in the engineering and optimization of marine and freshwater sampling routes to maximize efficiency while maintaining EPA compliance and rigorous quality control standards. Helped evaluate logistical constraints and contributed to route designs that improved field efficiency and data consistency.

Tahoe East Shore Trail, Lake Tahoe, Nevada — Participated in the redevelopment, decommissioning, and construction of trail systems along the Lake Tahoe east shore. Installed public recreation infrastructure, performed site maintenance, and supported ongoing safety and environmental protection efforts across active project areas.

Tahoe Flume Trail Restoration, Lake Tahoe, Nevada — Contributed to the restoration of approximately 8 miles of the Tahoe Flume Trail through debris removal, hazard mitigation, and structural improvements. Assisted in the installation of an 8-ft retaining wall to stabilize high-risk areas, documented field data using GIS tools, and submitted spatial data sets and observations to senior staff for review and project tracking.

Surface Water Quality Monitoring and Analytical Support Program, Santa Cruz, California — Supported a coordinated water quality monitoring effort involving field collection and laboratory analysis of freshwater, brackish, and marine samples to assess environmental conditions and potential public health indicators. Work included field sampling, calibration of multiparameter instruments, creation of chain-of-custody documentation, and laboratory analysis of pH, conductivity, alkalinity, hardness, UV-254, and fecal indicator bacteria. Contributed to defensible data sets by maintaining holding times, documenting site and weather conditions, and following established QA/QC and standard operating procedure requirements throughout sample collection, processing, and reporting.

Analytical Instrument Maintenance and Operational Support, Santa Cruz, California — Provided maintenance and operational support for analytical instrumentation, including high performance liquid chromatography, gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS), gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-FID), and liquid chromatography triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (LC-QQQ) systems as well as associated sample preparation equipment. Responsibilities included routine calibration, preventive maintenance, consumable replacement, performance verification, and troubleshooting of instrument-related issues affecting analytical quality.

Multiresidue Pesticide Analysis and Data Review Support, Santa Cruz, California — Supported high-throughput analytical testing of various sample matrices as part of a multipesticide detection program in an accredited laboratory environment. Responsibilities included sample preparation, extraction support, instrument workflow coordination, and chromatographic data review across large analyte panels using LC-QQQ and GC-MS systems. Evaluated retention behavior, peak quality, peak integration, and supporting quality control criteria to ensure reportable results met method requirements and laboratory quality standards.