Validity Of Laboratory Tests For Predicting Copper Toxicity In Streams
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Date
1976-12
Authors
Geckler, Jack R.
Horning, William B.
Neiheisel, Timothy
Pickering, Quentin H.
Robinson, Ernest L.
Stephan, Charles E.
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Abstract
A field study was conducted on Shayler Run, in Clermont County, Ohio, to
determine the effects of copper on the stream biota. Copper was added to the
stream for 33 months to maintain a concentration of 120 pg/z., a concentration
that was expected to adversely affect some species of fish and not others. This
natural stream received sewage effluent containing a variety of compounds known
to affect acute copper toxicity. All but one abundant species of fish in the
stream and four of the five most abundant macroinvertebrates were adversely
affected by exposure to copper. Direct effects on fish were death, avoidance,
and restricted spawning.
To determine the usefulness of laboratory toxicity tests when establishing
water quality criteria for an aquatic ecosystem, acute and chronic tests with
copper were conducted at the Newtown Fish Toxicology Station and on-site at
Shayler Run with stream species and the fathead minnow. The acute toxicity of
copper varied widely because of water quality variations in the stream. The
chronic tests underestimated the in-stream toxicity by about two times because
only the effects of copper on survival, growth, and reproduction were measured.
Agreement
between the predictions from laboratory toxicity tests and the observed effect is surprisingly close considering the measurement errors involved.
Description
Keywords
Laboratory Tests , Copper Toxicity , Streams