Using Benthic Assessment Techniques To Determine Combined Sewer Overflow and Stormwater Impacts in the Aquatic Ecosystem

2000 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 365-398 ◽  
Author(s):  
Q. Rochfort ◽  
L. Grapentine ◽  
J. Marsalek ◽  
B. Brownlee ◽  
T. Reynoldson ◽  
...  

Abstract Urban wet-weather sources of pollution such as Stormwater and combined sewer overflows (CSOs) can contribute significantly to the contamination of receiving waters, particularly in sediment depositional areas near outfalls. Analyses of sediment chemistry alone are not sufficient to fully assess the effects of these discharges. Toxicity testing and evaluations of benthic invertebrate communities, in conjunction with chemical analyses, provide a more complete characterization. This study assessed relationships among three separate aspects of the benthic environment:sediment chemistry (metals, PAHs and nutrients) and particle size, sediment toxicity (ten endpoints with four benthic taxa), and benthic invertebrate community structure. In this initial survey, ten sites in five different study areas, representing a range of receiving water environments exposed to Stormwater and CSO discharges, were sampled in October 1998. Results of analyses indicated that while contaminant (metals and PAHs) concentrations were relatively high in sediments, biological effects were not evident Toxicity of sediments was low and altered benthic communities were not detected. Neither toxicity endpoints nor benthic community descriptors were related to sediment contaminant levels. To improve the power of these assessments, future investigations of Stormwater and CSO discharge impacts should use “upstream/downstream” sampling designs and study sites with minimal variability of habitat conditions.

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 775
Author(s):  
Mary McGann

The benthic foraminifers Bulimina denudata and Eggerelloides advenus are commonly abundant in offshore regions in the Pacific Ocean, especially in waste-discharge sites. The relationship between their abundance and standard macrofaunal sediment toxicity tests (amphipod survival and sea urchin fertilization) as well as sediment chemistry analyte measurements were determined for sediments collected in 1997 in Santa Monica Bay, California, USA, an area impacted by historical sewage input from the Hyperion Outfall primarily since the late 1950s. Very few surface samples proved to be contaminated based on either toxicity or chemistry tests and the abundance of B. denudata did not correlate with any of these. The abundance of E. advenus also did not correlate with toxicity, but positively correlated with total solids and negatively correlated with arsenic, beryllium, chromium, lead, mercury, nickel, zinc, iron, and TOC. In contrast, several downcore samples proved to be contaminated as indicated by both toxicity and chemistry data. The abundance of B.denudata positively correlated with amphipod survival and negatively correlated with arsenic, cadmium, unionized ammonia, and TOC; E. advenus negatively correlated with sea urchin fertilization success as well as beryllium, cadmium, and total PCBs. As B. denudata and E. advenus are tolerant of polluted sediments and their relative abundances appear to track those of macrofaunal toxicity tests, their use as cost- and time-effective marine sediment toxicity tests may have validity and should be further investigated.


1982 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 537-548 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gilles Patry ◽  
Gilles Marchi ◽  
Jean Rousselle

As point sources of pollution are being eliminated others, less apparent, are becoming increasingly threatening to many water users. Non-point sources of pollution generated by combined sewer overflows have been found to be responsible for many of our water quality problems. The purpose of this paper is twofold: (a) to offer a summary of the combined sewer overflow control problem, and (b) to suggest a methodology for the anticipation or prediction of runoff flows from an urban catchment.Two types of regression models designed to predict urban runoff are presented and compared with the calibrated runoff model ILLUDAS. The simplicity of regression models and their ease of application to the real-time automatic control of combined sewer overflows make their use very promising.


2001 ◽  
Vol 58 (5) ◽  
pp. 950-960 ◽  
Author(s):  
U Borgmann ◽  
W P Norwood ◽  
T B Reynoldson ◽  
F Rosa

Application of the Sediment Quality Triad approach to non-pH-stressed Sudbury area lakes clearly demonstrated increased metal (Cd, Co, Cu, and Ni) contamination, decreased abundances of some benthic invertebrates (amphipods, pisidiid clams, and tanytarsiid midges), and severe sediment toxicity to amphipods and mayflies. However, the bioavailability of metals and the cause of biological effects cannot be identified from these data. Bioaccumulation measurements, however, clearly demonstrated increased Cd, Co, and Ni bioavailability to Hyalella. Copper concentrations in Hyalella were not elevated, in spite of much higher sediment Cu concentrations. Nickel was the only metal accumulated in sufficient amounts to cause toxicity. Toxicity in Hyalella caged above the sediments was equivalent to that of animals exposed directly in sediment, demonstrating that effects were due to dissolved metal and not metals in the solid phase. Copper concentrations in overlying water were much lower than Ni concentrations and insufficient to account for toxicity. Including bioaccumulation data with traditional measurements of sediment chemistry, benthic community composition, and sediment toxicity allows quantification of metal bioavailability and identification of the cause of toxicity. This approach results in a much more complete assessment of the biological impacts of metals in sediments.


2016 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 151
Author(s):  
Ivanildo Surini De Souza ◽  
Priscila Araújo Da Silva

Pacoti estuary is located on the East coast of Ceará State/Brazil and is influenced by several sources of pollution. The sediment quality in three sampling stations was evaluated through an integrated approach. The sediments obtained were analyzed geochemically with respect to texture, organic matter, phosphorus, nitrogen and concentration of metals (Fe, Pb, Cu and Zn). Additionally, the metal loading in the sediment was determined considering a toxic risk quotient (RQ) and enrichment factor (EF). The ecotoxicological approach consisted of acute and chronic toxicity tests with species of marine invertebrates. The geochemical and ecotoxicological data were integrated using qualitative and technical criteria for multivariate analysis. The analyses showed a moderate change in the quality of the sediment Pacoti and there are influences of different contaminant sources. For this reason, one cannot disregard the input of other contaminants, not measured in this study, which probably may also have been relevant for sediment toxicity.  Nonetheless, the data suggest that Pb and Cu metals as well as N tended to quality degradation in depositional areas and the sediment had some influence on the biological effects observed.


2009 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 70 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. R. Townsend ◽  
V. J. Pettigrove ◽  
M. E. Carew ◽  
A. A. Hoffmann

Aquatic sediments act as a sink for pollutants that potentially impact on aquatic communities. However, spatial correlations between pollution, hydrology, catchment disturbance and other factors make it difficult to determine the impact of sediment pollution. Field-based microcosm experiments utilising aquatic macroinvertebrates are one approach to isolating the biological effects of sediment pollution on aquatic biota. A field-based microcosm experiment was used to assess the effects of sediment from 14 sites along the River Murray system, Australia. Aquatic ecosystem declines have been observed in this river, but few studies have investigated the quality of its sediments or their biological impact. Chironomidae (midge larvae) dominated the microcosm experiment and were useful as bioindicators of sediment quality. Community composition, high incidences of larval mouthpart deformities in Procladius paludicola and skewed sex ratios in Tanytarsus fuscithorax indicated sediments from irrigation districts were having a toxic effect, but only nutrients were detected at biologically relevant concentrations and these did not correlate with species responses. The present study showed that the biological endpoints used in the microcosm approach can elucidate sediment toxicity even in the absence of supporting sediment chemistry and could successfully be applied to examine changes in sediment quality along a river system.


2004 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 259-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Katayama ◽  
K. Okuma ◽  
H. Furumai ◽  
S. Ohgaki

Combined sewer overflows (CSOs) have been recognised as one of the serious sources of pollution to the water environment during rain events, although field surveys to investigate the effect of their magnitude and duration on receiving waters have been very limited. The fates of enteric viruses (norovirus G1, G2, enteroviruses) and coliforms were determined in the wastewater treatment plant on a fine day and on a rainy day. Not all microorganisms were reduced in the primary treatment, but were reduced in the secondary treatment. Occurrences of enteric viruses and levels of coliforms were surveyed in the receiving coastal area after a CSO event, with the profiles of the enteric viruses in the coastal seawater being almost at the same positive ratio for 4 d after the CSO event.


1974 ◽  
Vol 77 (1_Suppla) ◽  
pp. S315-S354 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Neumann ◽  
R. von Berswordt-Wallrabe ◽  
W. Elger ◽  
K.-J. Gräf ◽  
S. H. Hasan ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Two types of so-called "depot contraceptives", long-acting steroids which are of interest for human use, were studied in animals. Norethisterone oenanthate, mainly gestagenic in the human and other species, turned out to be predominantly oestrogenic in rats. This oestrogenicity caused indirectly, via an enhanced hypophysial prolactin secretion, the well-known hypophysial and mammary tumours in rats. Another synthetic gestagen, 4,6-dichloro- 17- acetoxy- 16α-methyl-4,6-pregnadiene-3,20-dione, which might be considered in its biological actions similar to preparations containing chlormadinone acetate or medroxy-progesterone acetate, induced no signs of oestrogenicity in dogs. It is surmised that its gestagenic influence indirectly, and probaby, via an enhanced hypophysial prolactin secretion caused "mammary nodules" in this "non-rodent" species. These studies have born out mainly two facts: A synthetic steroid, norethisterone oenanthate, exerted different biological effects in different species: it was a gestagen in the rabbit, whereas in rats, its predominant influence was oestrogenic. The hypophysial prolactin secretion was enhanced in various species by different mechanisms: in rats, the oestrogenicity caused an increased prolactin plasma level, whereas in dogs, a gestagen with obviously no inherent oestrogenicity, 4,6-dichloro-17-acetoxy-16α-methyl-4,6-pregnadiene-3,20-dione, converted the histological appearance of the anterior pituitary into a condition with a greatly increased number of eosinophils. This histological finding was interpreted as an indicator for a hypersecretion of prolactin. Hence, animal work with "gestagens" has only limited predictive value with respect to their possible effects in the human species. Therefore, inflexible recommendations are not helpful in solving the safety problem of long-acting steroids which affect primarily reproductive processes.


1996 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 453-472 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Stirrup

Abstract The Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth operates a large combined sewer system which diverts excess combined sewage to local receiving waters at over 20 locations. On average, there are approximately 23 combined sewer overflows per year, per outfall. The region’s Pollution Control Plan, adopted by Regional Council in 1992, concluded that the only reasonable means of dealing with large volumes of combined sewer overflow in Hamilton was to intercept it at the outlets, detain it and convey it to the wastewater treatment plant after the storm events. The recommended control strategy relies heavily on off-line storage, with an associated expansion of the Woodward Avenue wastewater treatment plant to achieve target reductions of combined sewer overflows to 1–4 per year on average. The region has begun to implement this Pollution Control Plan in earnest. Three off-line detention storage tanks are already in operation, construction of a fourth facility is well underway, and conceptual design of a number of other proposed facilities has commenced. To make the best possible use of these facilities and existing in-line storage, the region is implementing a microcomputer-based real-time control system. A number of proposed Woodward Avenue wastewater treatment plant process upgrades and expansions have also been undertaken. This paper reviews the region's progress in implementing these control measures.


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