Washington – The bluegill is a freshwater fish of many talents, able to elude predators by hiding in submerged tree stumps and to survive for weeks without food.
Now, with the help of a scientific contraption developed by the Army and a private company, the fish also is keeping vigil over the Washington region’s water supplies, where it might be able to save millions of lives in the event of a terrorist attack.
The scaly sentinels are a key component of the IAC 1090 Intelligent Aquatic Biomonitoring System, a water-monitoring device that electronically analyzes the behavior of eight captive bluegills to detect the presence of chemical toxics or other contaminants. The system is also in use in New York City and San Francisco.
If the fish show signs of distress in response to something in the water, the system automatically trips an alarm, takes samples and summons authorities by e-mail and pager so that they can investigate whether there is a threat to humans. It costs $45,000 to $110,000.
“We’re basically using it as part of an early-warning contaminant-monitoring system for water in the national capital region,” said Stuart A. Freudberg, director of environmental programs for the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. “This is another tool in the arsenal, if you will, that water utilities use to make sure the water in this region is safe.”
Freudberg said the system has been in place for at least six months and monitors water for a number of Washington-area utilities serving 4.5 million people. He declined to reveal how many devices are in place, citing security needs.
Ever since the 2001 terrorist attacks, governments at all levels have sought ways to deter and defend against attacks. One scenario that officials fear is an attempt to dump chemicals or other toxic agents into the water supply, which could kill or sicken millions of people.
Utilities have always taken routine steps to ensure the quality of the water they provide, including the regular testing of samples and the treatment of water to kill pathogens. Experts point out that poisoning a water supply would be difficult because the sheer volume would dilute and overwhelm most chemicals. Yet the risk of such an attack has prompted officials to search for every tool they can find.
For the past six months, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission has used bluegills in its treatment plant south of the city to monitor water provided to about half of its 2.4 million customers, spokesman Tony Winnicker said.
“It’s another layer of protection,” he said. “The fish are extremely sensitive to minute changes in the source water quality, so even if we don’t know what the fish react to, we know that they are reacting to something.”
