Effects of oil shale-related effluents on some benthic freshwater organisms

Technical Report · Sat Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1979

OSTI ID:6796622

Russell, P P

Laboratory scale model streams were developed to assess the effects of oil shale-related effluents on lotic freshwater aufwuchs and caddisfly larvae. A major impact of oil shale development in the headwaters of the Colorado River System may be on aquatic organisms in small streams. Colonization and development of aufwuchs were monitored over the course of the 9-day experimental runs. Model stream design allowed variation of water temperature, chemical composition, flow rate and illumination intensity and periodicity. Chemical constancy of the stream water was provided by continuously metering new water to the streams with doses of test effluents. Experimental runs tested Omega-9 water (groundwater diluted, in situ retort water) at dilutions between 0.013% and 2.12%; Unfiltered Omega-9 water at dilutions between 0.27% and 1.06%; 150 ton retort water (retort water from an above-ground, in situ simulator) at dilutions between 0.084% and 0.67%; and ammonium carbonate solutions of 0.56 mM to 4.52 mM. The aufwuchs' response to the effluents was monitored macroscopically, microscopically, and through measurement of biomass, ATP, chlorophyll a, respiration rate and photosynthetic rate. Readily measurable effects in the aufwuchs was produced by exposure to Omega-9 water and Unfiltered Omega-9 water at 1% and higher and 150 ton retort water at 0.34% and higher. High effluent concentrations reduced the percentage of diatoms in the aufwuchs population, increased heterotrophy and promoted sloughing of the aufwuchs mat. Very dilute effluent exposure stimulated aufwuchs productivity. Larvae of the caddisfly Gumaga nigracula were not measurably affected by the Omega-9 water and Unfiltered Omega-9 water concentrations tested, nor by the ammonium carbonate solution. Larvae of the caddisfly Dicosmoecus gilvipes were noticeably affected by concentrations of ammonium carbonate greater than 2mM.

• Research Organization: California Univ., Berkeley (USA). Lawrence Berkeley Lab.
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 6796622
• Report Number(s): LBL-9818
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS
041000 -- Oil Shales & Tar Sands-- Environmental Aspects
520200* -- Environment
Aquatic-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
550700 -- Microbiology
560302 -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology-- Microorganisms-- (-1987)
560305 -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology-- Vertebrates-- (-1987)
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ALGAE
AMMONIUM CARBONATES
AMMONIUM COMPOUNDS
ANIMALS
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
ARTHROPODS
ATP
AUFWUCHS
BENCH-SCALE EXPERIMENTS
BIOASSAY
BIOMASS
BITUMINOUS MATERIALS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CARBONATES
CARBOXYLIC ACIDS
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHLOROPHYLL
DATA
DECOMPOSITION
DIATOMS
DOSE-RESPONSE RELATIONSHIPS
ECOSYSTEMS
ENERGY SOURCES
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
HETEROCYCLIC ACIDS
HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INDUSTRY
INFORMATION
INSECTS
INVERTEBRATES
LARVAE
LIQUID WASTES
MATERIALS
MULTI-ELEMENT ANALYSIS
NUCLEOTIDES
NUMERICAL DATA
OIL SHALE INDUSTRY
OIL SHALES
ORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHOTOCHEMICAL REACTIONS
PHOTOSYNTHESIS
PHYTOCHROMES
PIGMENTS
PLANTS
PORPHYRINS
PRODUCTIVITY
RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
RESPIRATION
RETORTING
SCALE MODELS
SPECIES DIVERSITY
STREAMS
STRUCTURAL MODELS
SURFACE WATERS
SYNTHESIS
WASTE WATER
WASTES
WATER