Environmental Contaminants in the Aquatic Bird Food Chain of an Oil Refinery Wastewater Pond;Contaminants rept

摘要

Bird mortalities have been documented in oilfield waste pits in Wyoming and various other oil-producing states in the western United States. In the semi-arid West, migratory birds mistake wastewater ponds or pits for wetlands. Most refineries use large ponds to contain their wastewater. One refinery in Casper, Wyoming actively discharged refinery wastewater into a closed basin, Soda Lake. This created a wetland that attracts numerous aquatic birds, in particular, nesting colonies of gulls (Larus spp.), terns (Sterna spp.), double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus), eared grebes (Podiceps nigricollis), dabbler ducks (Anas spp.) and American avocets (Recurvirostra americana). Soda Lake is a popular site with local birdwatchers. Wastewater was discharged into a small pond (Pond 1) adjacent to Soda Lake (Pond 2). Water from Pond 1 flowed through a spillway into Pond 2. The refinery ceased discharging wastewater in 1990. The objectives of this study were to determine if trace element and hydrocarbon concentrations in sediment and biota from Soda Lake are present in concentrations adverse to migratory aquatic birds.