Bugs reveal river's health
Wed, 06/15/2016 - 4:50pm
By:
By Kevin Strauss, Zumbro Watershed Partnership
Whenever people talk about the “health” of a particular river or lake, what we really want to know is “How clean is the water?” and “Are things getting better, or are they getting worse?” One way we measure river health is by identifying and counting the aquatic insects and fish inhabiting its waters. Scientists have found that the population numbers and diversity of these fish and aquatic insects can give us a good assessment of how clean the water is, because they live, feed, and breathe in the water.
