Recovery of a stream macroinvertebrate community from mine drainage disturbance

Nelson, S. Mark; Roline, Richard A.

doi:10.1007/bf00008915

Cited by 57 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Local macroinvertebrate taxonomic richness, mean macroinvertebrate density, mean live biomass, and Shannon Wiener diversity index were all significantly higher in 2011 (post-restoration) than in 1967 (pre-restoration), and regional taxonomic richness throughout the watershed more than doubled after remediation efforts were implemented. These results are consistent with studies showing that degradation of water quality from AMD is typically associated with a reduction in the diversity and abundance of macroinvertebrates (Tomkiewicz and Dunson, 1977;Kimmel, 1983), and studies demonstrating biological recovery from AMD following restoration (Nelson and Roline, 1996;Gunn et al, 2010).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Acid mine drainage and stream recovery: Effects of restoration on water quality, macroinvertebrates, and fish

Williams

Turner

2015

Knowl. Manag. Aquat. Ecosyst.

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Key-words:acid-mine drainage, stream acidification, watershed remediation, water quality, biological recovery Acid mine drainage (AMD) is a prominent threat to water quality in many of the world's mining districts as it can severely degrade both the biological community and physical habitat of receiving streams. There are relatively few long-term studies investigating the ability of stream ecosystems to recover from AMD. Here we assess watershed scale recovery of a coldwater stream from pollution by AMD using a 1967 survey of the biological and chemical properties of the stream as a pre-restoration benchmark. We sampled water chemistry, benthic macroinvertebrates, and fish throughout the watershed during the spring and summer of 2011. Water chemistry results indicated that pH and total alkalinity increased post-restoration, while acidity, sulfate, and iron concentrations decreased. Watershedlevel taxa richness, local taxa richness, biomass, diversity, and density of macroinvertebrates were significantly higher post-restoration; however, %EPT was not significantly different. Fish species richness, density, and brook trout density were all significantly higher post-restoration. These results provide clear evidence that both abiotic and biotic components of streams can recover from AMD pollution. RÉSUMÉDrainage minier acide et restauration d'une rivière : effets de la restauration sur la qualité de l'eau, des macroinvertébrés et des poissons Le drainage minier acide (AMD) est une menace importante à la qualité de l'eau dans de nombreux districts miniers du monde, car il peut endommager gravement à la fois la communauté biologique et l'habitat physique des cours d'eau récep-teurs. Il y a relativement peu d'études à long terme sur la capacité des écosys-tèmes des cours d'eau à récupérer de l'AMD. Ici, nous évaluons la récupération à l'échelle d'un bassin versant d'un cours d'eau froid après pollution par AMD en utilisant un suivi fait en 1967 des propriétés biologiques et chimiques de la rivière comme référence pré-restauration. Nous avons échantillonné la chimie de l'eau, les macroinvertébrés benthiques, les poissons, dans tout le bassin au cours du printemps et de l'été 2011. Les résultats de la chimie de l'eau ont révélé que le pH et l'alcalinité totale ont augmenté post-restauration, alors que l'acidité, les concentrations en sulfate et en fer ont diminué. La richesse en taxons à l'échelle du bassin versant, la richesse locale en taxons, la biomasse, la diversité et la densité des macroinvertébrés étaient significativement plus élevées après restauration ;

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Acid mine drainage and stream recovery: Effects of restoration on water quality, macroinvertebrates, and fish

Williams

Turner

2015

Knowl. Manag. Aquat. Ecosyst.

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“…Because of this, many of these systems studied had been impacted by metals for decades prior to sampling, preventing comparisons to a preimpact community. A few researchers have dosed experimental streams to examine effects, and some studies have examined recovery using upstream reference sites (Nelson and Roline 1996) or reference streams within the watershed (Clements et al 2000). Wallace (1990) suggested that many studies looking at recovery take place only after the impact has occurred and that manipulating individual streams might address pretreatment or reference comparisons.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Numbers of taxa continued to increase steadily over the two years of post-treatment sampling, and by fall 2007 (two years post-treatment) numbers of taxa at the downstream site in Pelican Brook were similar to pre-treatment. Nelson and Roline (1996) saw recovery of macroinvertebrate community from impacts of heavy metals within one-two years in a stream impacted by mine drainage after water treatment reduced metal inputs. They suggested that recovery was helped by adults moving upstream to oviposit from unimpacted areas.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of Copper on a Lotic Benthic Invertebrate Community: Response and Recovery

Montz¹,

Hirsch²,

Rezanka

et al. 2010

Journal of Freshwater Ecology

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We examined the impact of copper on invertebrate community composition in a small stream (Pelican Brook) originating from a zebra mussel infested lake in central Minnesota. One bay of the lake was treated weekly with chelated copper during the summers of 2004 and 2005, resulting in copper levels in Pelican Brook ranging from 0.1 to 0.8 mg/L for three months each summer. Benthic macroinvertebrates were collected from two sites in Pelican Brook in spring and fall over four years (2004)(2005)(2006)(2007), including one pretreatment collection (spring 2004). Samples were also collected from two reference streams (2005)(2006)(2007). Ephemeroptera, Trichoptera, and Plecoptera comprised over half of the community in pre-treatment and reference stream samples. During treatment seasons, mayflies were eliminated and the community shifted to only a few taxa (Hydropsychidae and Chironomidae, primarily Orthocladiinae). Reference stream communities showed seasonal fluctuations but not the massive shifts in taxa abundance seen in the impacted sites. Invertebrate communities began to recover in the first year post-treatment (2006), and by fall 2007 Ephemeroptera and Trichoptera again accounted for over half of the taxa collected. Ephemeroptera, particularly Heptageniidae, appear to be good signal taxa for copper impacts.

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“…Following treatment of the minewaters, Ephemerella ignita were the first species to obviously recover. Nelson and Roline (1996) also found that the number of taxa in the Ephemeroptera order increased following minewater treatment along with Plecoptera and Trichoptera. Ephemeroptera were identified as being intolerant to elevated metal concentrations by Malmqvist and Hoffsten (1999) and Soucek et al (2000).…”

mentioning

confidence: 77%

“…Nelson and Roline (1996) found that invertebrate populations recovered to comparable levels of upstream sites within two years. They suggested that aquatic communities impacted by metals, in the absence of degraded habitat and with nearby colonist pools, will recover At site P2 on the Pelenna there was a large increase in the population of both fry and parr, again exceeding the expected densities.…”

mentioning

confidence: 91%

Ecological Recovery of the River Pelenna (South Wales) Following the Passive Treatment of Abandoned Mine Drainage

Wiseman¹,

Edwards²,

Rutt³

2002

JASMR

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Abstract. From the 1960s to the late 1990s, the River Pelenna in South Wales was impacted for a distance of 7 km by five significant discharges from abandoned coal mines. Elevated iron and low pH caused significant orange staining and had detrimental effects on the river ecology. The River Pelenna Minewater Project constructed a series of passive wetland treatment systems to treat these discharges. Monitoring of the performance and environmental benefits of these has been undertaken as part of an ongoing Environment Agency R&D project. This project has assessed the changes in water quality as well as monitoring populations of invertebrates, fish and birds between 1993 and 2001.Performance data from the wetlands show that on average the three systems are removing between 82 and 95% of the iron loading from the minewaters. Downstream in the rivers the dissolved iron concentration has dropped to below the Environmental Quality Standard (EQS) of 1 mg/l for the majority of the time. Increases in pH downstream of the discharges have also been demonstrated.Trout (Salmo trutta) recovered quickly following minewater treatment, returning the next year to areas that previously had no fish. Intermittent problems with overflows from the treatment systems temporarily depleted the numbers, but the latest data indicate a thriving population. The overflow problems and also background episodes of acidity have affected the recovery of the riverine invertebrates. However there have been gradual improvements in the catchment, and in the summer of 2001 most sites held faunas, which approached unpolluted controls. Recovery of the invertebrate fauna is reflected in marked increases in the breeding success of riverine birds between 1996 and 2001.This study has shown that constructed wetlands can be an effective, low cost and sustainable solution to ecological damage caused by abandoned mine drainage. ___________________

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Recovery of a stream macroinvertebrate community from mine drainage disturbance

Cited by 57 publications

References 36 publications

Acid mine drainage and stream recovery: Effects of restoration on water quality, macroinvertebrates, and fish

Acid mine drainage and stream recovery: Effects of restoration on water quality, macroinvertebrates, and fish

Impacts of Copper on a Lotic Benthic Invertebrate Community: Response and Recovery

Ecological Recovery of the River Pelenna (South Wales) Following the Passive Treatment of Abandoned Mine Drainage

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