To gauge the health of their treatment plant, Mike Fox and his staff just have to check with their fish. The North East Wastewater Treatment Plant in Conover, N.C., has an aquarium in its laboratory and two ponds on the grounds outside, both fed with plant effluent and stocked with fish and other aquatic creatures. Besides giving the staff a “miner’s canary” assessment of effluent quality, these features help show the public that the plant is protecting life in local waterways.Monitoring qualityThe original plant went online in 1991, serving Conover’s population of 8,016, spread over 10.2 square miles. Situated on
