Assessment of injury to fish and wildlife resources in the Grand Calumet River and Indiana Harbor Area of Concern, USA

Application of the original site point method in determining a baseline for two different types of sites in northern China

Determining an ecological and environment damage baseline is the foundation of natural resource damage assessment. In complex damage assessment, the importance of a baseline is often underestimated or ignored. Existing baseline determination methods are insufficiently accurate and poorly available in practical application, which affect the damage assessment work. Based on the definition of baseline and the shortcomings of existing baseline-determination methods, this paper suggests the original site point (OSP) method as a determination principle. The baseline calculation area can be directly determined according to the site conditions in a sludge storage site with clear pollution distribution, and the OSP method has the advantage of determining the baseline rapidly. For a waste oil sludge storage site with unclear pollution distribution, the baseline calculation area should be determined according to preliminary and detailed sampling data. The calculation results of the two sites indicate that the baseline determined using the OSP method and the reference point (RP) method are similar, and the results of the environmental standard (ES) method are superior to those of the other two methods. The order of accuracy of baseline determination methods is the historical data (HD) method > the OSP method > the RP method > the model calculation (MC) method > the ES method. Through two application cases, this paper discusses the applicability of the OSP method and finally establishes the determination steps of the method. The OSP method has proven effective in determining the baseline, and the fast and accurate baseline determination method is more helpful for damage assessment. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2021;17:1263-1273. © 2021 SETAC.

Influence of remediation on sediment toxicity within the Grand Calumet River, Indiana, USA

The Grand Calumet River (GCR), located in northern Indiana, is contaminated due to a wide range of historical industrial activities. This study was conducted to determine the influence of sediment remediation within the GCR on concentrations of chemical contaminants and toxicity to sediment-dwelling organisms. Between 2005 and 2016, sediments with high concentrations of metals and toxic organic compounds were remediated through a combination of removal, addition of activated carbon and organoclay amendments, and capping with sand or relatively uncontaminated sediment. Short-term and long-term sediment toxicity tests with the amphipod Hyalella azteca, the midge Chironomus dilutus, and the mussel Lampsilis siliquoidea were conducted with samples collected in 2013, 2015, and 2017, from 29 sites, including both remediated and non-remediated sites. Sediment chemistry and toxicity data for three groups of remediated sites (US Steel, West Branch, and East Branch) were compared to samples from contaminated but unremediated sites and to relatively uncontaminated reference sites. In general, remediated sediments had lower levels of PAHs, PCBs and metals, although sediments from the US Steel area still had elevated levels of PAH, PCB and chromium. Sediments from the three remediated sites and from reference sites showed significantly reduced toxic effects in short-term sediment bioassays, compared to unremediated sites. Variation in the long-term success of remediation may reflect site-specific factors such as the type of remediation and the potential for recontamination from uncontrolled sources.

Estimation of arsenic background concentration in stream sediments in Zia-Abad area (NW Iran)

Zia-Abad is in Qazvin Province (NW Iran), with many farmlands that cover all parts of the area. The purpose of this research is to determine the background concentration of arsenic in stream sediments of Zia-Abad. The main geological units of the area include volcanic and sedimentary rocks composed of rhyolite, dacite, tuff, limestone, dolomite, sandstone, and shale. Several mines occur in this area, including the abandoned Shakin Pb-Ag-Si mine and many Si active mines. It is important to assess As contents in sediments because sediments with concentrations of different potentially toxic elements can have different effects on ecology. A total of 313 samples were collected from stream sediments and analyzed by ICP-MS. However, data distribution is not normal, so for converting to normal distribution, the logarithmic, and z = Ln(x-α) methods are used. The background is determined using median (Md ± 2MAD), means, and standard deviations concentrations of As. On the basis of the results of this research, it can be concluded that arsenic contents of sediments in the area are more than probable effect concentrations and potentially can have environmental impacts.

Sediment contamination in Lyons Creek East, a tributary of the Niagara River: part I. Assessment of benthic macroinvertebrates

Sediments in Lyons Creek East (Welland, Ontario), a tributary of the Niagara River and part of the Niagara River Area of Concern, which exceed screening-level environmental-quality criteria for multiple contaminants, were assessed for biological impacts using information from multiple lines of evidence. An initial chemical survey indicated the primary contaminants of concern to be polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), zinc, and p,p'-DDE due to frequent exceedences of sediment guidelines. A subsequent study focused on the chemical composition of sediment, status of benthic invertebrate communities, contaminant bioaccumulation in resident benthos, and sediment toxicity to laboratory-exposed organisms. Chemical and biological conditions in the creek were compared with those in reference creeks using both multivariate (cluster analysis and ordination) and univariate (regression) techniques. Sediment PCBs (≤ 19 μg/g), PAHs (≤ 63 μg/g), and Zn (≤ 7969 μg/g) were increased above the sediment-quality guidelines along most of the creek; however, the upper 1.5 km portion of the creek was the most highly contaminated and therefore the main focus for biological study. Although severe toxicity was evident at several locations in the upper creek, resident benthic communities were minimally affected by sediment contamination. The cause of toxicity was likely related to a combination of stressors, including PCBs, PAHs, and metals. Due to its biomagnifiable nature, bioaccumulation focused on PCBs; concentrations in resident macroinvertebrates were ≤ 2 orders of magnitude greater than those found in reference creeks and were above tissue residue guidelines, indicating a potential risk for consumers of benthos. This risk was not limited to the upper 1.5 km where other effects were seen.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in fish and crayfish from the Calumet region of southwestern Lake Michigan

We identified and quantified polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in six aquatic taxa from the Calumet region of southwestern Lake Michigan in order to examine their differential exposure to and health risks from PAH. There was a high degree of variation in PAH concentrations across and within sites. Mean concentrations of total PAH were high in alewife (1,064 ng/g) and minnows (345 ng/g) collected from the Indiana Ship Canal, when compared to other taxa and locations. Concentrations of PAH in sunfish were relatively low (10 to 79 ng/g), even where environmental concentrations were elevated. In sunfish, regardless of location, concentrations of CHR, FLA, FLU, PHE and PYR were high whereas DBA, IPE, BAP, BBF, BGP and BKF concentrations were low. PAH concentrations in crayfish exceeded those of other taxa at three of four locations where they co-occurred. PAH profiles were similar in crayfish, sunfish and minnows from locations where sediment concentrations were low. Profiles for crayfish and minnows from a location where sediment concentrations were elevated displayed lower concentrations of ACY, and higher concentrations of BAA, BBF, and BKF, than those from the other three locations. In contrast, the profiles in sunfish from those three locations were similar. The PHE/ANT and FLA/PYR ratios for crayfish, minnows and sunfish suggested that the primary sources at most locations were pyrogenic, although some sites had strong petrogenic influences. Toxic equivalency factors in biota generally reflected the magnitude of sediment contamination. In three of four locations where they co-occurred, TEQs were higher in crayfish than in sunfish and minnows. Sunfish had higher TEQs than minnows at most, though not all, locations; TEQs were notably higher in minnows as compared to sunfish from the Little Calumet River. The selection of aquatic species as sentinels of PAH exposure and risks needs to consider differences in ecologies of taxa as well as the relative magnitude of sediment contamination.

Macroinvertebrate community response to acid mine drainage in rivers of the High Andes (Bolivia)

Several High Andes Rivers are characterized by inorganic water pollution known as acid mine drainage (AMD). The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between metal concentrations in the sediments and the macroinvertebrate communities in two river basins affected by AMD. In general, the taxon diversity of the macroinvertebrate community at the family level was low. The concentrations of Cd, Cu, Zn, Pb and Ni at mining sites were higher than at unpolluted sites. The pH of the water was alkaline (7.0-8.5) in unpolluted sites, whereas it dropped to very low values (<3) at mining sites. Redundancy Analysis (RDA) showed that pH was the best predictor of macroinvertebrate community richness. The number of macroinvertebrate families decreased gradually with increasing acidity, both in pools and riffles, though it is suggested that riffle communities were more affected because they are in closer contact with the acid water.

Fish community responses to metal pollution

The effect of metal pollution on fish communities was assessed at 47 sites, including a Cd and Zn gradient. Fish community structure was assessed by applying diversity indices, index of biotic integrity and the abundance/biomass comparison method (ABC-index). To relate the community responses to metal pollution, toxic unit values for dissolved metals (TU(w)) and for metals in fish liver (TU(t)) were calculated. If all sites were considered only a good relationship was found between the IBI and the TU(w), with 56% of the variation in IBI being described. Within the pollution gradient (sites 1--12) the described variation increased up to 85%. Relating the community structure to TU(t), the described variation in IBI further increased to 87%. Our results indicate that besides water quality other factors influenced diversity and ABC-index. The IBI proved a suitable index for the assessment of metal pollution, provided that other water quality characteristics meet the water quality criteria.