#h2olloween / LIST: 5 scary-looking microscopic wastewater creepy-crawlies

Black cats, haunted houses, things that go bump in the night, none of these Halloween mainstays evoke the level of fear that dirty water should.

We asked our Analytical Services staff to share some of the scariest creatures they find thriving in the wastewater treatment process. Here are their top five, but don't be fooled by their scary looks; these microscopic little guys tell us a lot about the job we're doing.

1. Water bear: A type of multi-celled organism, the water bear is an indicator of the age of wastewater sludge (also known as biomass). Scariest feature: It has four pairs of legs and eight claws on each foot.

PIC: It's a bug's life.

In this image, Wastewater Analyst Lindsay Koplow is culturing water fleas. But this culture has nothing to do with the Cleveland Museum of Art.

The fleas are cultured—cultivated and nourished—and maintained every day of the year. Seems like a lot of work for a bug, no? Well the water fleas are part of a test we conduct to ensure we are treating the wastewater to its highest standards. It's known as whole effluent toxicity, or WET testing. If the fleas weren't healthy, it would affect the validity of our test results.

Healthy fleas are happy fleas, and that means more reliable results.

NEWS: Technically speaking, CleanWaterWorks will be a new go-to magazine

We are proud to announce the publication of our new technical magazine, CleanWaterWorks.

This annual magazine will give our own subject-matter experts the opportunity to explain the Sewer District's work in greater detail. The inaugural 2013 issue focuses on beaches and features scientific articles written by our Analytical Services staff.

If you would like a copy when we distribute our first edition later this month, email us today: waterworks at neorsd dot org.

—Mike Uva