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U.S. Department of Energy
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Industrial landfill affects on fish communities at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore (INDU)

Conference ·
OSTI ID:382720
 [1];  [2]
  1. National Biological Service, Porter, IN (United States)
  2. Environmental Protection Agency, Chicago, IL (United States)
INDU, an urban park near the third largest metropolitan area in the US, provides access to over two million visitors per year. The Grand Calumet River/Indiana Harbor Ship Canal is the only Area of Concern (AOC) with all 14 designated uses impaired. The Grand Calumet Lagoons are the former mouth of the Grand Calumet River and form part of the western boundary of INDU, adjacent to Gary, IN. An industrial landfill (slag and other industrial waste) forms the westernmost boundary of the lagoon and a dunal pond. A least-impacted lagoon and a pond lying across a dune ridge were compared to sites adjacent to the landfill. Fish communities censused from twelve sites during the summer of 1994 were analyzed for several community metrics including species richness and composition, trophic structure, and community and individual health. A modified headwater Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) was utilized to evaluate lacustrine community health. Results include the first record of the Iowa darter (Etheostoma exile) found in northwest Indiana. Examination of the fish community found the least impacted lagoon to contain Erimyzon sucetta, Esox americanus, and Lepomis gulosus. The landfill lagoon lacked these species, with the exception of fewer L. gulosus, while Pimephales notatus was found at all sites in the impacted lake but not at all in the least impacted lagoon. Statistically significant differences in species diversity and IBI can be attributed to landfill proximity. Whole fish analyses of a benthic omnivore (Cyprinus carpio) revealed PAH levels near 1 mg/kg of total PAH in several fish analyzed.
OSTI ID:
382720
Report Number(s):
CONF-9511137--; ISBN 1-880611-03-1
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English