The first time we went water testing this year we were very impressed with the results that our probes gave us. Then a tugboat sank in the Mill Rver, spilling 1,000 gallons of oil.When we went a few days after the spill, the water was caked in oil and our results were not impressive. We couldn't find any critters because the tide was high. When we went testing a week later,the tide was low again and the water quality was improving, but all of the critters we found were dead. To read more see the article below.

Before tug sinks Temp:64.7 PH:7.0 DO:12.1 Lots of creatures living Clams, crabs, worms, fish eggs

Tug sinks temp:57.4 PH:6.5 DO:1.5 High tide

A week later temp:55.5 PH:6.1 DO:12.1 Lots of creatures dead, Only shells remained

Tugboat Sinks In Mill River Crews Clean Up Fuel Spilled By Tug October 12, 2003 NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- A 49-foot tugboat sank in New Haven's Mill River. One of the questions rising out of the strange overnight event is how to handle the resulting fuel spill. The flag-bearing top was all that was visible of the tugboat named "Pootie" Saturday morning. Cleanup crews estimated in excess of 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel escaped into the water. The top priority Saturday was containing the spill to protect the environment. Crews acted quickly, surrounding the diesel with yellow spill barriers. Specially designed foam is absorbing the product. The Coast Guard said vessels entering New Haven Harbor must use caution. The cleanup effort continued Sunday and was expected to last for a few more days.