Aquatic Invertebrates as Indicators of Stream Pollution

Abstract

Year-round field studies of the biology of stream sanitation were initiated by the biology section of the Public Health Service's Environmental Health Center on Lytle Creek in October 1949. The aims of these investigations were: 1. To develop or devise and field test procedures and equipment for biological surveys and investigations of polluted streams. 2. To investigate seasonal and diurnal environmental changes in a stream polluted with oxygen-depleting wastes. 3. To determine how the physical-chemical environment in the various pollutional zones affects the qualitative and quantitative composition of aquatic populations and how these populations in turn affect or change physicalchemical conditions. 4. To relate various qualitative and quantitative compositions of aquatic populations to environmental conditions found in streams polluted with organic wastes and to test the value and use of aquatic organisms as indicators of clean water and various degrees of pollution at all seasons of the year. 5. To determine the rate of satisfaction of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), the area in which most of the demand is satisfied, and how seasonal and other environmental conditions affect the process. 6. To determine the value of fishes as indicators of pollution and their use in evaluating the effects of pollution.

The Big River, Co Louth, Ireland: a case study in recovery

“…Above the point of discharge gill breathing aquatic insects predominated (i.e. Plecoptera, Ephemeroptera and Trichoptera) indicating high quality (Gaufin 1956). Downstream, the increased concen tration of organic matter from the effluent resulted in an increase in the decomposer component of the ecosystem.…”

Impacts of waste on macroinvertebrate assemblages of Msimbazi River, Tanzania

“…Changes in the water quality of streams can reflect increased nutrient loads associated with sewage discharge and probably, to a lesser degree and agricultural runoff (Gaufin and Tarzwell, 1956;Gaufin, 1958;Olive and Dambach, 1973). In this study, the observed decreases in dissolved oxygen levels from SS2 to SS6 indicated a potential increased organic load in the stream.…”

Influence de la pollution organique sur la faune aquatique des eaux courantes

“…De son côté BERTHELEMY, 1966, après avoir comparé la répartition de 32 de ces espèces rencontrées d'amont en aval dans les torrents pyrénéens avec celle donnée par WINKLER, estime que « la similitude entre les deux classements est nette, les zones amont étant, en effet, les moins polluées ». Cependant le système de KOLKWITZ et MARSON n'est plus guère utilisé car il est l'objet de nombreuses critiques (GAUFIN et TARZWELL, 1956, HAVRANEK, 1966, ZELINKA et MARVAN, 1966. Il ne saurait, en effet, résister sans de profondes retouches à un examen approfondi, tant d'ordre chimique que bactériologique et biologique.…”