By JULIE GRANT (THE ALLEGHENY FRONT)
MAR 2, 2016
In a world facing growing problems with water scarcity, the Great Lakes region could be poised to draw businesses—big and small—from other parts of the country. But despite the region’s vast quantities of freshwater, water quality can’t always be taken for granted.
One example: Big Crickets Farms, which raises edible crickets for restaurants and specialty foods producers. Owner Kevin Bachhuber moved his business from drought-stricken California to Youngstown, Ohio in part because there was plenty of water. But after moving to Youngstown, he noticed the farm would periodically lose entire generations of crickets.
Bachhuber suspected the city water. So they started filtering the crickets’ drinking water. But they still relied on tap water for the humidifiers, which were used to create the high-humidity conditions that baby crickets require.
Without knowing it, Bachhuber says they were providing a chlorinated environment, and many crickets just couldn’t make it.