Field investigations and on-site toxicity testing: an assessment of habitat suitability-Arkansas River, Pueblo, Colorado
An on-site bioassay and aquatic ecological survey were conducted on the Arkansas River near Pueblo, CO. A mobile bioassay trailer was used to test the toxicity of sewage treatment plant (STP) effluent using Arkansas River water for dilution. The aquatic survey was conducted upstream and downstream of the STP's outfall. This study was conceived in accordance with the intent of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) site-specific water quality criteria guidelines, which recognize that national criteria may not be applicable to species in specific bodies of water because of biological, chemical, and physical variables. Flow-through tests were conducted using bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus), fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas), and a daphnid (Daphnia magna). Standard field and laboratory techniques were used to evaluate physical and biological components of the stream ecosystem. The physical components included flow, substrate, and qualitative fishery habitat description, and the biological components included benthic macroinvertebrate densities, diversity calculations, and fish population surveys. The results of the bioassay tests generally indicated the following: there were distinct differences in species' sensitivity to the effluent (that is, the sensitivity was bluegills > fathead minnows > daphnid); the required dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations in the test tanks were difficult to maintain even though the flow-through rate was increased to four times that required by protocol; the toxicity of the postchlorinated/dechlorinated effluent was less than that of the prechlorinated effluent; no single pollutant could be targeted as the toxic fraction, however, concentrations of chlorine, cyanide, copper, and zinc were at or near LC/sub 50/ values for the test organisms.
- Research Organization:
- Environmental Res. and Technology Inc., Fort Collins, CO
- OSTI ID:
- 6529665
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-8110103-
- Journal Information:
- Am. Soc. Test. Mater., Spec. Tech. Publ.; (United States), Vol. STP-802; Conference: American Society of Testing and Materials symposium on aquatic toxicology, St Louis, MO, USA, 15 Oct 1981
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
A Simple, Inexpensive in Situ Method for Assessing Acute Toxicity of Effluents to Fish
Histopathological changes induced by malathion in the gills of bluegill Lepomis macrochirus
Related Subjects
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ARKANSAS RIVER
WATER POLLUTION
FISHES
BIOASSAY
SEWAGE
BIOLOGICAL ACCUMULATION
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
CHLORINE
CONCENTRATION RATIO
COPPER
CYANIDES
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
EXPERIMENT PLANNING
FIELD TESTS
OXYGEN
TOXIC MATERIALS
TOXICITY
ZINC
ANIMALS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
ECOSYSTEMS
ELEMENTS
HALOGENS
MATERIALS
METALS
NONMETALS
PLANNING
POLLUTION
RIVERS
STREAMS
SURFACE WATERS
TESTING
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
VERTEBRATES
WASTES
520200* - Environment
Aquatic- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)
560300 - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology