Our Experience: Meet the Alum Team

Dr. Holz has over 20 years of experience in surface water quality and aquatic habitat management and research. While earning his Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), Dr. Holz’s research advanced our understanding of water resource issues and developed improved management tools for lakes, streams and watersheds, including assessing and predicting the response of waterbodies to pollutants and the effectiveness of restoration techniques. Dr. Holz conducted research that advanced our ability to address numerous unique water quality challenges and pollutant effects.

Specific areas of expertise include lake restoration and management, watershed management, biological indicators of water quality, phytoplankton ecology and management, nutrient inactivation (alum), determination of appropriate water quality goals, nutrient criteria development, water quality monitoring, water quality modeling, internal phosphorus loading, and determining the effectiveness of TMDL’s using water quality and biological information.

Dr. Holz was honored for his alum research advancements by the North American Lake Management Society when he received their Technical Excellence Award in recognition for Outstanding Research in Lake Restoration, Protection and Management.

As a faculty member at UNL, Dr. Holz obtained over $8 million in funding to support water quality research, authored over 20 publications, taught courses in Limnology (the study of lakes and streams) and Lake and Reservoir Restoration, and served as a technical advisor to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on water quality management issues in the U.S.  Dr. Holz is a recognized leader in water quality/aquatic habitat management.

Tadd Barrow has over 15 years of experience in fisheries, surface water quality, aquatic habitat management, and research. While earning his M.S. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), Tadd’s research advanced our understanding of the management of sensitive fish species related to unique water quality stressors, including assessing and predicting the response of fishes to pollutants and the available aquatic biota. He conducted research that advanced our ability to address numerous unique water quality challenges and pollutant effects.

Specific areas of expertise include communication with public and private agencies and businesses discussing lake ecology and restoration and management, watershed management, biological indicators of water quality, phytoplankton ecology and management, nutrient inactivation (alum), determination of appropriate water quality goals, nutrient criteria development, water quality monitoring, water quality modeling, internal phosphorus loading, and determining impacts of toxic algae using water quality and biological information.

Tadd was honored for these achievements by the 1) Environmental Council of the States Program Innovation Award and 2) Nebraska Rural Development Commission receiving awards in recognition for work as part of the Community Lakes Enhancement and Restoration (CLEAR) program.

As a faculty member at UNL, Tadd obtained $6 million in funding to support water quality research, authored over 16 publications, and lectured courses in Limnology (the study of lakes and streams) and Lake and Reservoir Restoration. He supervised the analytical water chemistry lab and established the nation’s first toxic algal response programs for private and public lakes. Tadd is also a graduate of the National Extension Leadership and Development, which serves to build leadership and provide University Extension leaders the vision, courage and tools to lead in a changing world. Tadd is a recognized leader in water quality / aquatic habitat management and toxic algae assessment.

Dominic Meringolo is an environmental engineer with SOLitude Lake Management and is the regional leader for projects in central and northeast Massachusetts and northern Connecticut. Dominic is also responsible for leading the company’s larger in-lake phosphorus management projects. To date, he has completed dozens of large lake alum treatments across New England and is looking to expand similar services to our clients throughout SOLitude’s service areas. Dominic is a certified supervisory applicator in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York and has worked on hundreds of lakes and ponds, implementing a wide variety of natural management techniques.

Dominic earned his Master of Science degree in Environmental Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, MA in 1998. He began his career in the lake and pond management industry with Aquatic Control Technology in 1995, while finishing work on his master’s degree. Dominic is an active member of several industry organizations and has presented at events for the Northeast Aquatic Plant Management Society (NEAPMS), the North American Lake Management Society (NALMS), the Massachusetts Congress of Lake and Pond Associations (MA COLAP), and the New England Association of Environmental Biologists (NEAEB). He has also presented at a number of other client industry conferences and has been invited as a guest speaker to the University of Massachusetts Lowell and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Dominic is married with four children and when not managing lakes and ponds, he enjoys spending time outdoors camping, fishing, and hiking with his family.

Keith Gazaille is an aquatic ecologist and the Director of Technical Services. Keith has worked in the lake and pond management industry since 1998 and has been responsible for the design, permitting and implementation of hundreds of management programs across the Northeast. His direct project experience includes fisheries and wildlife habitat improvement, aquatic, wetland, and upland invasive species control, water quality enhancement, nutrient management, aeration, dredging and watershed management. Keith is a licensed aquatic pesticide applicator in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut and also holds Mosquito/Biting fly and Right of Way pesticide certifications in Rhode Island and Connecticut, respectively. He is also a Certified Invasive Species Manager by the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council and is experienced with feasibility assessments and regulatory compliance monitoring and reporting.

Keith has served as the lead project manager for many of SOLitude’s larger and more sensitive projects in the Northeast, having developed and performed invasive species control programs and rare and endangered species habitat management for the US Fish and Wildlife Service, The Nature Conservancy, MA Fish and Wildlife’s Natural Heritage Program, US Army Corps of Engineers, The Audubon Society, RI Fish and Wildlife, and the MA Department of Conservation and Recreation. He is active in a number of professional organizations such as the Northeast Aquatic Plant Management Society and the North American Lake Management Society. Through his involvement with these organization and other continuing education programs, Keith stays current with the latest technologies and management protocols.

Keith received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology with a Wildlife concentration from Framingham State University in Framingham, MA, in 1995. Prior to beginning his lake management career with Aquatic Control Technology, Keith worked under a state grant to collect data on the nesting and fledging habits of federally threatened piping plovers on Martha’s Vineyard. He also served as an operations manager for an area property management company that provided landscape maintenance, turf management and invasive species control services.

In his spare time, Keith’s hobbies and interests include saltwater fishing, waterfowl hunting, woodworking and boating. He also enjoys spending time with his wife and two daughters.