A new school of thought

A CLEAN WATER ACTION: Anne DiMonti, director of the Audubon Society's Environmental Education Center in Bristol, examines one of the saltwater tanks at the nonprofit's renovated aquarium. / PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO
A CLEAN WATER ACTION: Anne DiMonti, director of the Audubon Society's Environmental Education Center in Bristol, examines one of the saltwater tanks at the nonprofit's renovated aquarium. / PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

What might have escaped the average visitor of the Audubon Society of Rhode Island’s Environmental Education Center last year was the subtly deteriorating health of its aquatic animals and the weakening condition of its 15-year-old aquarium.

“I don’t think we realized it was as bad as it was,” said Anne DiMonti, director of the Bristol-based center.

But last summer the Audubon Society teamed up with faculty and students from Roger Williams University to install a new, state-of-the-art aquarium system designed specifically to improve animals’ health and to create a model heavily reliant on electricity to become energy efficient.

The $137,000 renovation, funded by The Champlin Foundations and private donations, was completed in the spring. Animal health has improved and the aquarium’s electricity use has been cut nearly in half, reducing the Audubon Society’s overall energy costs by 30 percent, the nonprofit says.

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DiMonti says the benefits were recognized immediately.

“The animals’ disease has gone way down, the water clarity is way better and the overall health system is better for the animals,” DiMonti said. “Those of us who’re working with [the animals] every day recognize the improvement.”

The Environmental Education Center aquarium hosts much of the marine life found in Narragansett Bay, which is partly how a longstanding relationship between the society and Roger Williams started.

Andrew Rhyne, associate professor of marine biology in the Feinstein College of Arts and Sciences at Roger Williams, headed the redesign and refurbishing efforts from the university side. He says there are about 400 undergraduate students studying biology at the Bristol-based school and having the Audubon Society as an added resource for his students greatly benefits the program.

Rhyne, with a background in aquaculture and aquarium research, teaches aquarium science. He said water quality greatly affects animal health and he says the Audubon Society’s previous model was haphazard and not up to the industry standards.

“Think about humans,” he said. “If you have a lot of stress in your life, you tend to get sick. That’s kind of what bad water quality is for a fish.”

He approached the redesign challenge with a goal to create a system that replicates the natural ecosystem as best as he could, but also use the least amount of power possible while maintaining water quality and requiring minor continued maintenance, he said.

Rhyne says public aquariums generally use one type of water filter, which runs under a lot of pressure. The greater the pressure, he says, the greater the electricity demand and because aquarium systems run 24/7, electricity bills can grow quickly.

Rhyne and his team of fellow faculty and students at Roger Williams decided to use a different type of water filter that isn’t new, but is designed to alleviate the head pressure taken from the tank. When combined with the most energy-efficient water pumps he could find, Rhyne says the technique has resulted in significant savings and desirable amenities.

“One thing you’ll notice is the room is really quiet,” Rhyne said. “You don’t hear pumps.”

The new system design has not only benefited the Audubon Society, but Rhyne’s techniques are beginning to catch momentum in the field. He’s presented the model at regional and national conferences and is currently installing another system at the New England Aquarium in Boston.

Rhyne says any new design that improves the overall health of animals will get noticed in the industry, but that this particular model’s energy-efficiency characteristics often further piques the interest of his colleagues in the field.

“We hope other institutions will pick up on it because the savings are substantial,” Rhyne said.

Ryne plans to develop additional exhibits at the Audubon Society, such as adding seahorses and coral reef, according to the university, which he said will incorporate into the Aquarium System Design course he teaches at Roger Williams.

The continued collaboration could further solidify the relationship between the educational institution and the Audubon Society.

“It’s nice to have that facility when you teach,” Rhyne said. “We have a great lab, but we don’t have all the equipment in our lab, so it really benefits us a lot.”

How long this new system will hold the title of “state-of-the-art” is anyone’s guess, but DiMonti says it’s important to note that 15 years ago the Audubon Society’s previous model was considered top notch in the field.

She says it’s likely that in another 15 years a new system will be needed.

“That’s the name of the game,” DiMonti said. “There’s always changes to aquarium systems because they take a lot of abuse.”

In the future, however, DiMonti says she wouldn’t have to look far in order to tap into the talent needed for a redesign.

“We couldn’t do it without [Roger Williams],” DiMonti said. “We love working with them and the next generation of environmentalists.” •

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