Spatial and temporal trends in contaminant concentrations in Hexagenia nymphs following a coal ash spill at the Tennessee Valley Authority's Kingston Fossil Plant
Abstract
A dike failure at the Tennessee Valley Authority Kingston Fossil Plant in East Tennessee, United States, in December 2008, released approximately 4.1 million m(3) of coal ash into the Emory River. From 2009 through 2012, samples of mayfly nymphs (Hexagenia bilineata) were collected each spring from sites in the Emory, Clinch, and Tennessee Rivers upstream and downstream of the spill. Samples were analyzed for 17 metals. Concentrations of metals were generally highest the first 2 miles downstream of the spill, and then decreased with increasing distance from the spill. Arsenic, B, Ba, Be, Mo, Sb, Se, Sr, and V appeared to have strong ash signatures, whereas Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Pb appeared to be associated with ash and other sources. However, the concentrations for most of these contaminants were modest and are unlikely to cause widespread negative ecological effects. Trends in Hg, Cd, and Zn suggested little (Hg) or no (Cd, Zn) association with ash. Temporal trends suggested that concentrations of ash-related contaminants began to subside after 2010, but because of the limited time period of that analysis (4 yr), further monitoring is needed to verify this trend. The present study provides important information on the magnitude of contaminantmore »
- Authors:
-
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Tennessee Valley Authority, Chattanooga, TN (United States)
- Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, MI (United States)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1256796
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC05-00OR22725
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 35; Journal Issue: 5; Journal ID: ISSN 0730-7268
- Publisher:
- SETAC
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; 01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT; Coal ash; Contaminants; Ecotoxicology; Exposure; Mayfly nymphs; Metals
Citation Formats
Smith, John G., Baker, Tyler F., Murphy, Cheryl A., and Jett, R. Trent. Spatial and temporal trends in contaminant concentrations in Hexagenia nymphs following a coal ash spill at the Tennessee Valley Authority's Kingston Fossil Plant. United States: N. p., 2016.
Web. doi:10.1002/etc.3253.
Smith, John G., Baker, Tyler F., Murphy, Cheryl A., & Jett, R. Trent. Spatial and temporal trends in contaminant concentrations in Hexagenia nymphs following a coal ash spill at the Tennessee Valley Authority's Kingston Fossil Plant. United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.3253
Smith, John G., Baker, Tyler F., Murphy, Cheryl A., and Jett, R. Trent. Thu .
"Spatial and temporal trends in contaminant concentrations in Hexagenia nymphs following a coal ash spill at the Tennessee Valley Authority's Kingston Fossil Plant". United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.3253. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1256796.
@article{osti_1256796,
title = {Spatial and temporal trends in contaminant concentrations in Hexagenia nymphs following a coal ash spill at the Tennessee Valley Authority's Kingston Fossil Plant},
author = {Smith, John G. and Baker, Tyler F. and Murphy, Cheryl A. and Jett, R. Trent},
abstractNote = {A dike failure at the Tennessee Valley Authority Kingston Fossil Plant in East Tennessee, United States, in December 2008, released approximately 4.1 million m(3) of coal ash into the Emory River. From 2009 through 2012, samples of mayfly nymphs (Hexagenia bilineata) were collected each spring from sites in the Emory, Clinch, and Tennessee Rivers upstream and downstream of the spill. Samples were analyzed for 17 metals. Concentrations of metals were generally highest the first 2 miles downstream of the spill, and then decreased with increasing distance from the spill. Arsenic, B, Ba, Be, Mo, Sb, Se, Sr, and V appeared to have strong ash signatures, whereas Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Pb appeared to be associated with ash and other sources. However, the concentrations for most of these contaminants were modest and are unlikely to cause widespread negative ecological effects. Trends in Hg, Cd, and Zn suggested little (Hg) or no (Cd, Zn) association with ash. Temporal trends suggested that concentrations of ash-related contaminants began to subside after 2010, but because of the limited time period of that analysis (4 yr), further monitoring is needed to verify this trend. The present study provides important information on the magnitude of contaminant exposure to aquatic receptors from a major coal ash spill, as well as spatial and temporal trends for transport of the associated contaminants in a large open watershed.},
doi = {10.1002/etc.3253},
journal = {Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry},
number = 5,
volume = 35,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Feb 25 00:00:00 EST 2016},
month = {Thu Feb 25 00:00:00 EST 2016}
}
Web of Science
Works referenced in this record:
Selenium and other trace metals in fish inhabiting a fly ash stream: Implications for regulatory tissue thresholds
journal, August 2006
- Reash, Robin J.; Lohner, Timothy W.; Wood, Kenneth V.
- Environmental Pollution, Vol. 142, Issue 3
Geochemical investigations of metals release from submerged coal fly ash using extended elutriate tests
journal, December 2010
- Bednar, A. J.; Chappell, M. A.; Seiter, J. M.
- Chemosphere, Vol. 81, Issue 11
Ecological risk assessment for residual coal fly ash at Watts Bar Reservoir, Tennessee: Site setting and problem formulation: Coal Fly Ash at Watts Bar Reservoir, Tennessee
journal, December 2014
- Walls, Suzanne J.; Jones, Daniel S.; Stojak, Amber R.
- Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management, Vol. 11, Issue 1
Particle-size and chemical control of As, Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn in bed sediment from the Clark Fork River, Montana (U.S.A.)
journal, October 1988
- Brook, Edward J.; Moore, Johnnie N.
- Science of The Total Environment, Vol. 76, Issue 2-3
Sediment quality criteria in use around the world
journal, August 2002
- Burton, Jr., G. Allen
- Limnology, Vol. 3, Issue 2
Particle Size and Chemical Control of Heavy Metals in Bed Sediment from the Rouge River, Southeast Michigan
journal, February 1999
- Murray, Kent S.; Cauvet, Douglas; Lybeer, Mark
- Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 33, Issue 7
The fate of trace elements in a large coal-fired power plant
journal, February 2001
- Llorens, J. F.; Fernández-Turiel, J. L.; Querol, X.
- Environmental Geology, Vol. 40, Issue 4-5
Bioaccumulation dynamics and exposure routes of Cd and Cu among species of aquatic mayflies
journal, September 2011
- Cain, Daniel; Croteau, Marie-Noële; Luoma, Samuel
- Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Vol. 30, Issue 11
Observations of bluegills fed selenium-contaminatedhexagenia nymphs collected from Belews Lake, North Carolina
journal, July 1985
- Finley, Keith A.
- Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, Vol. 35, Issue 1
Cadmium and mercury in emergent mayflies (Hexagenia bilineata) from the upper Mississippi River
journal, July 1992
- Dukerschein, J. Therese; Wiener, JamesG.; Rada, RonaldG.
- Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, Vol. 23, Issue 1
Annual Production of Burrowing Mayfly Nymphs (Hexagenia spp.) in U.S. Waters of Lake St. Clair
journal, January 2001
- Edsall, Thomas A.; Haas, Robert C.; Adams, Jean V.
- Journal of Great Lakes Research, Vol. 27, Issue 4
Cadmium and mercury in sediment and burrowing mayfly nymphs (Hexagenia) in the upper Mississippi River, USA
journal, February 1995
- Beauvais, S. L.; Wiener, J. G.; Atchison, G. J.
- Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, Vol. 28, Issue 2
Effect of Sedimentary Cadmium on the Behavior of a Burrowing Mayfly (Ephemeroptera, Hexagenia Limbata)
journal, January 2004
- Gosselin, Anne; Hare, Landis
- Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Vol. 23, Issue 2
Hexagenia rigida (ephemeroptera) as a biological model in aquatic ecotoxicology: Experimental studies on mercury transfers from sediment
journal, January 1991
- Saouter, E.; Ribeyre, F.; Boudou, A.
- Environmental Pollution, Vol. 69, Issue 1
Surviving in anoxic surroundings: how burrowing aquatic insects create an oxic microhabitat
journal, September 2008
- Gallon, Céline; Hare, Landis; Tessier, André
- Journal of the North American Benthological Society, Vol. 27, Issue 3
Temporal variation of energy reserves in mayfly nymphs ( Hexagenia spp.) from Lake St Clair and western Lake Erie: Temporal variation of energy reserves in mayfly nymphs
journal, September 2003
- Cavaletto, J. F.; Nalepa, T. F.; Fanslow, D. L.
- Freshwater Biology, Vol. 48, Issue 10
The Scent of Genetic Compatibility: Sexual Selection and the Major Histocompatibility Complex
journal, January 2002
- Penn, Dustin J.
- Ethology, Vol. 108, Issue 1
Trophic status and metal bioaccumulation differences in multiple fish species exposed to coal ash-associated metals
journal, November 2012
- Otter, Ryan R.; Bailey, Frank C.; Fortner, Allison M.
- Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, Vol. 85
Survey of the Potential Environmental and Health Impacts in the Immediate Aftermath of the Coal Ash Spill in Kingston, Tennessee
journal, August 2009
- Ruhl, Laura; Vengosh, Avner; Dwyer, Gary S.
- Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 43, Issue 16
History of mercury use and environmental contamination at the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant
journal, January 2011
- Brooks, Scott C.; Southworth, George R.
- Environmental Pollution, Vol. 159, Issue 1
The Urban Environmental Gradient: Anthropogenic Influences on the Spatial and Temporal Distributions of Lead and Zinc in Sediments
journal, December 1999
- Callender, Edward; Rice, Karen C.
- Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 34, Issue 2
Environmental Impacts of the Tennessee Valley Authority Kingston Coal Ash Spill. 1. Source Apportionment Using Mercury Stable Isotopes
journal, December 2012
- Bartov, Gideon; Deonarine, Amrika; Johnson, Thomas M.
- Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 47, Issue 4
Environmental Impacts of the Coal Ash Spill in Kingston, Tennessee: An 18-Month Survey
journal, December 2010
- Ruhl, Laura; Vengosh, Avner; Dwyer, Gary S.
- Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 44, Issue 24
Assessment of sediment toxicity by metal speciation in different particle-size fractions of river sediment
journal, April 2003
- Lin, J. G.; Chen, S. Y.; Su, C. R.
- Water Science and Technology, Vol. 47, Issue 7-8
Disturbance, patchiness, and diversity in streams
journal, December 2000
- Lake, P. S.
- Journal of the North American Benthological Society, Vol. 19, Issue 4
Influence of remediation in a mine-impacted river: metal trends over large spatial and temporal scales
journal, September 2009
- Hornberger, Michelle I.; Luoma, Samuel N.; Johnson, Michael L.
- Ecological Applications, Vol. 19, Issue 6
Long-term changes in mercury concentrations in fish from the middle Savannah River
journal, September 2007
- Paller, M. H.; Littrell, James W.
- Science of The Total Environment, Vol. 382, Issue 2-3
Long-term Bioaccumulation Monitoring with Transplanted Bivalves in the San Francisco Estuary
journal, March 1999
- Gunther, Andrew J.; Davis, Jay A.; Hardin, Dane D.
- Marine Pollution Bulletin, Vol. 38, Issue 3
Why Is Metal Bioaccumulation So Variable? Biodynamics as a Unifying Concept
journal, April 2005
- Luoma, Samuel N.; Rainbow, Philip S.
- Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 39, Issue 7
Temporal trends in the bioaccumulation of trace metals in herring, sprat, and cod from the southern Baltic Sea in the 1994–2003 period
journal, September 2009
- Polak-Juszczak, Lucyna
- Chemosphere, Vol. 76, Issue 10
Long-term increased bioaccumulation of mercury in largemouth bass follows reduction of waterborne selenium
journal, October 2000
- Southworth, George R.; Peterson, Mark J.; Ryon, Michael G.
- Chemosphere, Vol. 41, Issue 7
Magnetic susceptibility measurements to detect coal fly ash from the Kingston Tennessee spill in Watts Bar Reservoir
journal, March 2013
- Cowan, Ellen A.; Seramur, Keith C.; Hageman, Steven J.
- Environmental Pollution, Vol. 174
Ecological risk assessment for residual coal fly ash at Watts Bar Reservoir, Tennessee: Limited alteration of riverine-reservoir benthic invertebrate community following dredging of ash-contaminated sediment: Limited Alteration of Benthic Invertebrate Community
journal, December 2014
- Buys, David J.; Stojak, Amber R.; Stiteler, William
- Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management, Vol. 11, Issue 1
Benthic macroinvertebrates of a fluctuating reservoir
journal, June 1978
- Kaster, J. L.; Jacobi, G. Z.
- Freshwater Biology, Vol. 8, Issue 3
Application of ecological risk assessment in managing residual fly ash in TVA's Watts Bar Reservoir, Tennessee: Application of Ecological Risk Assessment in Managing Fly Ash
journal, December 2014
- Carriker, Neil E.; Jones, Daniel S.; Walls, Suzanne J.
- Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management, Vol. 11, Issue 1
Guidelines for evaluating selenium data from aquatic monitoring and assessment studies
journal, October 1993
- Lemly, A. Dennis
- Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, Vol. 28, Issue 1
Uncertainty Is Part of Making Decisions
journal, April 1999
- Hoffman, F. Owen; Chambers, Douglas B.; Stager, Ronald H.
- Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal, Vol. 5, Issue 2
Spatial and Temporal Variation in the Diet of Tree Swallows: Implications for Trace-Element Exposure After Habitat Remediation
journal, May 2013
- Beck, Michelle L.; Hopkins, William A.; Jackson, Brian P.
- Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, Vol. 65, Issue 3
Variation in riparian consumer diet composition and differential bioaccumulation by prey influence the risk of exposure to elements from a recently remediated fly ash spill: Diet influences element exposure in a riparian consumer
journal, September 2014
- Beck, Michelle L.; Hopkins, William A.; Jackson, Brian P.
- Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Vol. 33, Issue 11
Selenium bioaccumulation in fish exposed to coal ash at the Tennessee Valley Authority Kingston spill site: Selenium bioaccumulation in fish from a coal ash spill site
journal, August 2014
- Mathews, Teresa J.; Fortner, Allison M.; Jett, R. Trent
- Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Vol. 33, Issue 10
Using ordination and clustering techniques to assess multimetric fish health response following a coal ash spill: Multimetric assessment of fish health after coal ash exposure
journal, June 2014
- Bevelhimer, Mark S.; Adams, S. Marshall; Fortner, Allison M.
- Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Vol. 33, Issue 8
Metal Accumulation and Health Effects in Raccoons (Procyon lotor) Associated with Coal Fly Ash Exposure
journal, January 2013
- Souza, Marcy J.; Ramsay, Edward C.; Donnell, Robert L.
- Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, Vol. 64, Issue 4