SUE “Vodokanal of St.Petersburg” employs unusual “workers” – crayfish (the Neva and Australian ones) and snails. These animals are biological indicators. The biomonitoring systems used by Vodokanal were developed by scientists of St.Petersburg Research Center for Ecological Safety, the Russian Academy of Sciences.   

Water from the Neva River is monitored by crayfish. 

Crayfish have being “working” in Vodokanal since December, 2005. Their workplaces are all water intake facilities of the city. 

Moreover, crayfish help to monitor the quality of wastewater treatment at the South-West Wastewater Treatment Plant: in winter these are the Neva crayfish, and in summer – the Australian (thermophilic) crayfish.

The composition of flue gases emitting from the sludge incineration plant of the South-West Wastewater Treatment Plant is monitored by snails. 

These animals – bioindicators do not substitute the instrumental and laboratory control methods, they just supplement them.