Site-Specific Water Quality Studies of the Straight River, Minnesota: Complex Effluent Toxicity, Zinc Toxicity, and Biological Survey Relationships

摘要

Comparative laboratory toxicity tests using Ceriodaphnia reticulata and the fathead minnow Pimephales promelas were conducted to establish relationships between the toxicity of a sewage treatment plant effluent containing high concentrations of zinc, toxicity of the effluent in the receiving water, toxicity of zinc added to the receiving water and a reference water, and receiving water biota survey data. Water and biota were sampled under summer (3 times), fall (once) and winter (once) conditions over a one year period. The relationships were used in evaluating the protectiveness of a site-specific water quality criterion derived for zinc. A strong correlation between the effluents toxicity to daphnids was established, however, toxicity correlation with adverse impact on river biota could not be established.