HR: 1330h
AN: NB33B-15    [Abstracts]
TI: Bioassessment of Alkaline Drainage from Coal Mines in Western Pennsylvania: A Ten-Year Study
AU: Walter, C A
EM: cwalter@stvincent.edu
AF: Saint Vincent College, Biology Department, Saint Vincent College, 300 Frazer Purchase Rd., Latrobe, PA 15650 United States
AU: Nelson, D
EM: den@pitt.edu
AF: University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, Department of Mathematics, University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, 1150 Mt. Pleasant Rd., Greensburg, PA 15601 United States
AU: * Earle, J I
EM: jearle@state.pa.us
AF: Water Pollution Biologist, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Watershed Management, P.O. Box 8555, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8555 United States
AB: Abandoned coal mine drainage (AMD) impacts over 6,500 km of streams in Pennsylvania. AMD alters stream pH and dissolved ions, and often produces precipitated metals that coat stream substrates. We studied 3 streams from 1994 to 2004, before and after treatment wetlands were constructed in 1997-9 to intercept discharges with high iron (60-90 ppm) and alkalinity (100-130 mg/L CaCO3) and low manganese and aluminum. Receiving streams are circumneutral with 5-40 ppm total iron and thick iron precipitate. Annual replicate sets of Surber and D nets, rock wash, and leaf packs were sampled. Regression analysis of genus level data showed statistically significant improvement in the two second-order streams. Community profiles are now statistically similar in sites upstream and downstream from AMD. The larger third stream showed moderate AMD impacts before 1997 and no statistically significant biological trends after wetlands substantially decreased levels of AMD in all three streams. This study indicated biological recovery lagged behind chemical recovery by at least 3 years. The patterns of appearance of macroinvertebrate taxa in alkaline AMD sites indicate that commonly used tolerance indices developed for organic pollution do not predict macroinvertebrate responses to AMD. Our study can provide a basis for broader benchmarks in bioassessment of coal mine pollution.
DE: 9810 New fields (not classifiable under other headings)
SC: North American Benthological Society [NB]
MN: 2005 Joint Assembly