Catfish Cleaning Foreclosed Swimming Pools
Creatures are cheaper than chemicals amid foreclosure boom
Friday, Sep 4, 2009 | Updated 2:09 PM EST
National Geographic/Getty Images
This catfish can help keep a swimming pool clean.
Bottom feeders in the foreclosed home market usually refers to the two legged kind, but in one Florida town, they're being used to clean swimming pools.
Debra Mitchell, a code enforcement officer in Wellington, said the town is using catfish to clean pools in homes foreclosed on amid the devastated housing market. Officials were previously spending nearly $7,000 a month of taxpayer funds on chemicals to keep the stagnant pools sanitary.
"Some of us got clever and decided to try the fish-eating...er algae eating fish," Mitchell told NBC affiliate WPTV-5.
At a typical home, the town drops 15 algae-eating fish in the pool to keep the water clean. In addition to being a potential health hazard, Mitchell believes that cleaner more sanitary pools will make the houses more attractive to buyers, as will the lower fees for upkeep.
Get more: WPTV
Posted Thursday, Sep 3, 2009 - 9:27 AM EST
