How Sunfish Are Helping Elk River Tackle Midge Fly Issues

A Minnesota city has added something different to its water treatment facility. The City of Elk River has added sunfish to the water treatment plant, in the hope of cutting down on the number of flies that cover the plant during parts of the year.

Go Fish!

According to a post from the City of Elk River last week, residents might have seen fish swimming around in the treatment plant, and that was by design.

Sunfish are swimming in our water treatment plant?! Yes, they are.

It’s no secret that fecal matter attracts flies. Our wastewater treatment facility has been facing a midge fly problem. Midge flies are tiny waterborne flies that can overtake buildings and other general areas. While they are just a nuisance, they do create additional cleaning and problems with the air handling units.

Staff have been working with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency for approval to add sunfish to our final clarifiers to see if the fish will eat enough of the larvae. There are currently about 300 (2-3 inch) sunfish in Clarifier 1 and the effects are being closely monitored.

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Using Fish To Control Insects Happens More Than You Think

When I read about the sunfish in the Elk River Water Treatment Plant to cut back on the midge flies, I decided to search the internet for other places that utilize fish for insect control, and it seems Florida is a state that has at least two businesses using a different type of fish for mosquito and midge fly control.

Will it work?

Time will tell if the fish will indeed cut back on the amount of midge flies at the water treatment plant, but from other accounts online it might be a solution that other cities in Minnesota take a look at if it does the trick.

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