ML20033A197
| ML20033A197 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Seabrook  |
| Issue date: | 08/31/1979 |
| From: | NORMANDEAU ASSOCIATES, INC. |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20033A174 | List:
|
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8111240898 | |
| Download: ML20033A197 (10) | |
Text
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i 9
O EFFECTS OF SETTLING BASIN EFFLUENT ON SURVIVAL OF SELECTED PARINE INVERTEBRATES:
In SI N BI0 ASSAY O
For PUBLIC SERVICE COMPANY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE By:
NORMANDEAU ASSOCIATES, INC.
25 Nashua Road Bedford, New Hampshire O
8111240898 811118 PDR ADOCK 05000443 C
PDR August 1979
t O
TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1 2.0 METHODS AND MATERIALS.................
1 2.1 SELECTION OF ORGANISMS.................
1 2.2 FIELD PROCEDURES....................
3 2.3 STATISTICAL ANALYSIS..................
5 3.0 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION.................
5 4.0 LITERATURE CITED....................
7 APPENDIX........................
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EFFECTS OF SETTLING BASIN EFFLUENT ON SURVIVAL 0F SELECTED MARINE INVERTEBRATES: IF SITU BI0 ASSAY 1.0 INTRODUCTI0t{
A series of site specific bioassay...periments were conducted to determine, in situ, the short-term (7-day) effects of effluent from Seabrook Station settling pond on survival of selected estuarine inver-tebrates. The one-acre settling pond receives influent from site dewatering, stormwater runoff, and tertiary treated sanitary wastewater while Seabrook Station is under construction. Some sattling pond water is lost through evaporation and below ground seepage, but an average of approximately 0.2 million gallon per day flows into the Brown's River.
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Bioassay tests were intended to show if any (unspecified) substances harmful to Hampton-Seabrook estua:.ine crganisms were present in the vicinity of the settling pond outfall (Figure 1) during selected testing periods. Chemical identification of potentially hazardous substances, or speculation as to their origin, was beyond the scope of this study.
3 2.0 METHODS AND MATERIALS 2.1 SELECTION OF ORGANISMS Crangon septemspinosus (sand shrimp) and Nereis virens (clam worm) were chosen because these species were known from previous exper-ience to be among the most sensitive to environmental stress, particu-larly lack of oxygen (NAI, 1973). Nua arenaria (soft-shell clam) was f'_.
included because of wide spread concern for the welfare of nearby Hamp-l
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ton Harbor stocks. All organisms were collected in the lower Hampton-Seabrook Estuary by hand within 48 hours5.555556e-4 days <br />0.0133 hours <br />7.936508e-5 weeks <br />1.8264e-5 months <br /> of each test.
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3 2.2 FIELD PROCEDURES Test containers used were plastic pans, 25 x 30 x 13 cm, filled 8 cm deep with sand <0.505 mm.
The pans.were set in wooden frames, six pans to a frame, and covered with 1.6 cm mesh plastic-screening held in place by a rubber band passed around the. circumference of the pan.
On the day before the beginning of a test, frames, each con-taining six pans with animals in place, were set out below MLW in Hamp-ton Farbor. The-next day the pans were checked for dead animals before being taken to the test sites. In Brown's River, test sites were imme-diately above and below the settling pond outf all (Figure 1). For the initial tests (15-22 August 1978), a far-field reference site on the Hampton Falls River was used; subsequently (12-19 September; 6-13 Novem-()
ber 1978), a creek (Drakeside) flowing into the Hampton River was selected as a reference site because the salinity range more nearly 4
matched conditions near the settling pond outfall (Table 1). The 12-19 September experiment was run due to a greater than 10% mortality of N.
virens at the control site in the earlier (12-22 August) run.
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samples were taken on several succeeding high and low tides and the l
samples analyzed for dissolved oxygen concentration, salinity, and j
turbidity. Water temperature was also measured over the frames on high I
and low tides.
Screening covering the pans was brushed clean each day during low tide.
l At the end of seven days, test frames were hauled out and organis=s recovered from the pans by passing the sand through a 6 mm mesh sieve. The number of live organisms were then counted and these
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counts compared against original live counts to determine the total V) number of dead and missing. Results were statistically analyzed only when mortality of organis=s at the reference site was less than 10%.
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2.3 STATISTICAL ANALYSIS i
l Generally, counts of live versus dead (or missing) Nya are-naria and Nerels virens were submitted to.a 3-factor G-test (Sokal and -
Rohlf, 1969). Sr.is test computed expected chi square frequency distri-butions for:
- 1) condition (live or dead), 2) test site, and 3) pans (replicates), and tested the independence of the three factors from one
-another. Of primary concern was comparison of condition with test site; finding a significant dependency between these two factors would mean that organism deaths depended on where the frames were placed with j
l respect to the settling pond discharge (this was the treatment effect being tested).
I 3.0 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION From the N. arenaria or N. virens test results statistically s
analyzed, no dependency could be demonstrated between mortality and site (Table 1, Appendix Table 1). However, N. virens results were not 'sta-tistically tested when water temperatures were highest (18.3-26.5'C at Brown's River) due'to mortalities in excess of 10% at the reference.
site. Average mortalities at the experimental sites were more than twice those of the reference site during August.
Crangon septemspinosus results were not analyzed statistically because deaths at the reference site could not be reduced below an average of 15%. observations suggested that aggressiveness among individuals within each pan may have largely contributed to the mor-talities at each site. Crangon were not tested at maximum su==er temp-eratures nor at dissolved oxygen concentrations below 4 mg/1- (Table 1).
i As expected, Nya arenaria were minimally affected in these brief tests. Like other bivalve molluscs, soft-shell cla=s can resist unfavorable conditions by remaining dormant. With little or no crygen supply, M. arenaria can survive for up to 8 days at 19'c (Collip,1921) using a form of anaerobic respiration unique to certain invertebrates
6 I'V (Ha= men, 1969). Nove=ber mortalities for M. arenaria were analyzed by a 2-way rather than a 3-way test of dependency because sone of the speci-mens were accidentally lost on recovery causing inequality of test populations.
1 These bioassay results suggest that:
- 1) seven days may not be sufficient to test the physiological tolerance of a facultative aerobe, such as M. arenaria, and 2) testing at temperatures in excess of 18'c may be necessary to provide credible evidence of no appreciable harm to obligate aerobes, such as C. septemspinosus and N. virens. Perspective provided by the reference sites (Figure 1) was constrained by inability to duplicate (even after considerable search) the physical (particularly salinity) environmental regime at Brown's River.
Conclusions, drawn from the results (Table 1) show that no harm-ful substances are suspected to emanate from Seabrook Station settling AQ pond, however, these must be considered tentative and only applicable to the cooler months of fall 1978. Any additional in situ bioassays, should attempt to mitigate some of the problems encountered in the 1978 tests; specifically:
- 1) all three organises used in 1978 should be tested at maximum 1979 su=mer temperatures, 2) C. septe:17pInosus test specimens should be separated from one another to eliminate the possi-bility of injury due to aggression, and 3) M. arenaria tests should run for a minimum of 14 days.
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4.0 LITERATURE CITED
- Collip, J.-B.
1921. A further study of the respiration processes in Nya arenaria and other marine molluscs.
J. Biol. Chem.
49:297-310.
Ha= men, C. S.
1969. Lactate and succinate oxidoreductases in marine invertebrates. Mar. Biol.
4:233-238.
Normandeau Associates, Inc.
1973. Effects of extract of salt marsh sub-l strate on the survival of selected marine fish and invertebrates.
Seabrook Ecological Study Tech. Rept. N-1.
i Sokal, R. R. and F. J. Rohlf. 1969. Biometry.
W. H. Freeman Co., San Francisco.
776 pp.
i i
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l 8
APPENDIX TABLE 1.
SEABROOK SETTLING POND: BI0 ASSAY G-TEST STATISTICS.
IcEIS FIENS: SEPTEttBER 19, 1978 3-WAY G-TEST HYPOTHESIS TESTED DF G
COND x REPS x STAT IND 12 11.543 REPS x STAT IND 4
0.062 COND x. STAT IND 2
3.087 COND x REPS IND 2
1.967 l
COND x REPS x STAT INT 4
6.426 IEEIS FIRENS: NOVEftBER 13, 1978 3-WAY G-TEST HYPOTHESIS TESTED DF G
REPS x STAT x MORT IND 12 9.623 STAT x MORT IND 2
4.324 REPS x MORT IND 2
4.426 REPS x STAT IND 4
0.054 O
REPS x STAT x MORT INT 4
0.818 MYA AENAP.IA: AUGUST 22, 1978 3-WAY G-TEST HYPOTHESIS TESTED DF G
REPS X STAT x MORT IND 7
7.270 STAT x MORT IND 2
4.417 REPS x MORT IND 1
2.773 REPS x STAT IND 2
0.011 REPS x STAT x MORT INT 2
0.069 MYA ARENARIA:
NOVEMBER 13, 1978 2-WAY G-TEST HYP0 THESIS TESTED DF G
STAT x MORT IND 2
1.979 0
.