Real Time Biomonitoring of Surface Water Toxicity Level at Water Supply Stations

It is widely accepted that efficient water resource management should be based on ecological safety criteria and hence must include assessment of valid and contemporary information about state of natural aquatic ecosystems. Methods of biomonitoring and in particular those that use biomarker approaches seem to be the most effective and reliable to obtain such information. Within the framework of such an approach there was created a System for Industrial Biological Water Quality Monitoring (SIBWQM) based on an original fiber-optic method for registration and analysis of cardiac activity of benthic invertebrates. This system is aimed toward providing a real time monitoring of water toxicity levels. Such automatic systems have been set up at all water intakes of St. Petersburg and used in industrial operations for more than two years. Results of relevant experience and future perspectives are discussed.