A short item in this morning's paper attributed to "The Intelligencer wire services"
Fish story
The latest weapon in the fight to keep drinking water safe is about 3 inches long and swims. New York and. San Francisco are using bluegill to detect changes in water quality. The system monitors the bluegills' breathing and coughing as a way of telling if the water is safe. Ian Michaels, spokesman for the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, said the fish have proven adept at detecting problems. He said the fish noticed a diesel. spill two hours earlier than any of the agency's other early-detection devices. "It's kind of like the old canary in the coal mine," said Michaels. "These are fish that are particularly sensitive to changes in water quality. You can monitor the fish for their level of agitation and for other changes in their behavior." Michaels said the DEP already has automatic 24-hour monitoring stations in place across the city's reservoir system. The bluegills offer an additional layer of protection. In San Francisco, the bluegills became agitated when divers were cleaning a tank in water nearly 40 miles away from the fish, said Bill Lawler, the co-founder of Intelligent Automation Corp., which created the water-protection system.
Looks like the little guys can provide more benefits than a lot of fishing fun.
Jack M
"The worst day on the stream is infinitely better than the best day at the office."
