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Real-time environmental monitoring using
fish.
The U.S. Army Center for Environmental Health Research (USACEHR)
has developed an automated fish monitoring system, known as the Real Time
Environmental Protection System (REPS). REPS is designed to detect harmful
water quality conditions in the Chesapeake Bay and other waterways. In cooperation
with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, a portable REPS facility
is monitoring the water at a potential site of toxic Pfiesteria activity on
the Chicamacomico River. REPS complements other on-going monitoring efforts
to give early warning of potential risks to human and ecological health.
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August 7 through August 21, 2000 Biomonitoring
on the Chicamacomico River
The figure below shows the responses for the fish monitoring system
from August 7-21, 2000 on the Chicamacomico River. For most of the two-week
period, the on-line group of fish was not showing significant stress
to the water quality conditions. On the 13 and 14 of August, the fish
group became stressed due to a water quality change associated with
rain events. Previous rain events did not cause the group of fish to
show significant stress. The fish then recovered and there was no additional
significant stress to the fish to the end of the two-week period. One
fish did become severely stressed by the end of the two-week period
and later identified to be dead. The fish events on the 13 and 14 of
August signaled an automated water sampler to pull river water samples
during the stress events. Follow-up testing of the water samples by
Dr. Oldach's lab at University of Maryland School of Medicine was negative
for Pfiesteria using the Pfiesteria gene probe. The stress event at
the Chicamacomico River, although significant, was not severe enough
to cause the whole group to remain severely stressed or die as did the
exposure to water from toxic-Pfiesteria cultures at NCSU.
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August
21 through September 5, 2000 Biomonitoring on the Chicamacomico River
The figure below shows the responses for the fish monitoring system
from 21 August to 5 September 2000 on the Chicamacomico River. For most
of the two-week period, the on-line group of fish was not showing significant
stress to the water quality conditions. On the 3 through 5 September,
the fish group became stressed due to a water quality change associated
with rain events. The fish then recovered and there was no additional
significant stress to the fish to the end of the two-week period. The
fish events on 3 through 5 September signaled an automated water sampler
to pull river water samples during the stress events. Follow-up testing
of the water samples by Dr. Oldach's lab at University of Maryland School
of Medicine was negative for Pfiesteria using the Pfiesteria gene probe.
The stress event at the Chicamacomico River, although significant, was
not severe enough to cause the whole group to remain severely stressed
or die as did the exposure to water from toxic-Pfiesteria cultures at
NCSU.
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September
5 through September 18, 2000 Biomonitoring on the Chicamacomico River
The figure below shows the responses for the fish monitoring system
from 5-18 September 2000 on the Chicamacomico River. For most of the
two-week period, the on-line group of fish was not showing significant
stress to the water quality conditions. On 11 September, for a brief
time (~10 hours) the fish group became stressed. The fish then recovered
and there was no additional significant stress to the fish to the end
of the two-week period. The fish event on 11 September signaled an automated
water sampler to pull river water samples during the stress event. Follow-up
testing of the water samples by Dr. Oldach's lab at University of Maryland
School of Medicine was negative for Pfiesteria using the Pfiesteria
gene probe. The stress event at the Chicamacomico River, although significant,
was not severe enough to cause the whole group to remain severely stressed
or die as did the exposure to water from toxic-Pfiesteria cultures at
NCSU. The missing data in the graph below (7 through 11 September) was
associated with an undefined program interruption. Remote data review
identified a potential problem with data acquisition and MD DNR Vienna
Field Office (Mr. Samuel Q. Johnson) provided on-site support to restart
data collection. The timely response to the problem allowed for rapid
data recovery and prevented the loss of the fish stress event identified
in the graphic below.
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September
18 through October 2, 2000 Biomonitoring on the Chicamacomico River
The figure below shows the responses for the fish monitoring system
from 18 September through 2 October 2000 on the Chicamacomico River.
For most of the two-week period, the on-line group of fish was not showing
significant stress to the water quality conditions. From 27 September
through the end of the monitoring period, the fish group became stressed
due to rapid water quality changes associated with a major rain event.
After the rain event, water quality parameters remained substantially
altered from the previous time when the group of fish was establishing
their normal respiratory patterns. This alteration would be an indicator
of short-term stress to the fish but not the long-term stress as identified
in the graphic below. The data associated with this event does not compensate
for the water quality change which then leads to continued false fish
stress response. The fish events from 27 September through the end of
the monitoring period signaled an automated water sampler to collect
river water samples during the stress events. Follow-up testing of the
water samples by Dr. Oldach's lab at University of Maryland School of
Medicine was negative for Pfiesteria using genetic probes. The stress
event at the Chicamacomico River, although real, was only an indication
of rapid basic water quality changes in temperature and conductivity.
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October
2 through October 17, 2000 Biomonitoring on the Chicamacomico River
The figure below shows the responses for the fish monitoring system
from 2-17 October 2000 on the Chicamacomico River. During this two-week
monitoring period no significant fish stress events occurred.
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October
17 through November 1, 2000 Biomonitoring on the Chicamacomico River
The figure below shows the responses for the fish monitoring system
from 17 October Ð 1 November 2000 on the Chicamacomico River. During
this two-week monitoring period, the fish continue to show little signs
of stress. The two elevated response times on 19 and 27 October are
related to on-site maintenance activities. The shorter days and the
drop in water temperature through the month of October have reduced
the risk of rapid water quality shifts as a result of algal blooms.
There is no need for continued monitoring through the cold weather months
as is apparent by the lack of fish response during October.
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