Bluegill Fish Protect New York Drinking Water

New York City has used fish to test for contaminants in the city’s water supply since 2001, the New York Daily News reported today (see GSN, Sept. 6).

Two tanks containing eight bluegill fish each have been placed in the city’s reservoirs and monitored with devices that can detect when the fish have trouble breathing.

The fish would react to chemical or biological weapons, as well as pesticides, petroleum or heavy metals in the water, said Bill Lawler, co-founder of Intelligent Automation Corp., a San Diego-based firm that operates the system for the city’s Department of Environmental Protection.

“We are measuring stress,” Lawler said.  “The idea is to have happy, stress-free fish.  Once we have minute toxins in the water, the fish will react.”

Remote sensors monitor electrical signals emitted by the fish, and computer software alerts technicians when the sensors show the fish having difficulty (Austin Fenner, New York Daily News, Sept. 19).

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