Eric Null, Conemaugh Valley Conservancy (CVC), “Benthic Macroinvertebrate as Indicators of Mine Drainage Impacts and Recovery Efforts” Benthic macroinvertebrates have been used as water quality indicators for decades, but significant weight on the information that they provide has only occurred in recent years. Their communities provide a historic look at water quality due to their inability to seek refuge during times of pollution episodes. Correlating acid impacts with these “stream bugs” requires a much deeper look into the communities than some standard metrics allow.

1. Benthic Macroinvertebrates as Indicators of Acid
Mine Drainage Impacts and Recovery Efforts
Conemaugh Valley Conservancy - Kiski –Conemaugh Stream Team
Eric Null, Aquatic Biologist
AMR Conference
August 2013

2. Macroinvertebrates as Pollution
Indicators
• Provide a Historic
Record
• Can Only Move
Downstream
(Catastrophic Drift)
• Very Noticeable
Community Changes

3. Pollution
• Types of Pollution
– Acidic
– Organic
– Chemical (synthetic, industrial)
– Metal Compounds (salts)
– Thermal
• Most Common
– Acidic
– Organic

4. Acid vs. Organic Macroinvertebrate
Reactions
• Acid
– Decrease in
Biomass**(what was
biomass)
– Decrease in Diversity
– Increase in Shredder
Taxa
– Increase in Tolerant Taxa
• Organic
– Increase in Biomass
– Decrease in Diversity
– Decrease in EPT Taxa **
(always exceptions)
– Increase in Collector and
Predator Taxa

5. Acidic Pollution Indicators
• Genus Level ID
Necessary With Many
Taxa
• EPT Can Increase
• Decrease in Diversity

6. Indicator Taxa High Acidity and Toxic
Metals
• Blood Midges
• Semi Aquatic Beetle
Larvae

7. Indicator Taxa Medium –Low Acidity
Low Toxic Metals
• Stone Flies
– Acroneuria
– Amphinemura
– Sweltsa
– Taeniopteryx
• Mayflies
– Baetis
– Caenis
– Leptophlebia
– Paraleptophlebia
– Stenacron
– Maccaffertium
• Caddis Flies
– Cheumatopsyche
– Hydropsyche
– Chimarra
– Diplectronia
– Lype
– Neureclipsis
– Polycentropus
– Rhyacophila

8. Macroinvertebrate Indicators
Continued
• Megaloptera
– Sialis
– Corydalus
• Beetles
– Stenelmis
• Diptera
– Simulidae
– Tipula
– Chironomidae
• Crayfish
– Cambarus
• Dragonflies
– Boyeria

9. Sources of Acidic Pollution
• Mining
• Precipitation (Acid
Deposition)
• Geologic

10. Macroinvertebrate Effects from Mining
Acidity
• Chronic
– Depending on Severity
(Metals) =Almost Total
Loss of Community
– Most Limiting Factor is
Aluminum
– Many Macros can
Tolerate pH Below 4.5
• Episodic (pulse)
– Low Diversity
– Low Biomass
– Complete Community
but Mostly Tolerant
Individuals (Plecoptera,
Trichoptera)
– Low Total Number of
Individuals

11. Streams With Chronic Mine Drainage
71
14
4
33
3 3
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
EPT Total Individuals Total Taxa
Examples of Chronic Acid Mine Drainage
Stream A
Stream B

12. Streams With Episodic Mine Drainage
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
EPT Total Individuals Total Taxa Percent Dominant Taxa
22
270
15
62
36
14 6
28
Episodic Acidification
Stream A
Stream B

13. Acid Precipitation Effects on
Macroinvertebrate Communities
• High Metals/Low pH
(below 4.8)
– Low Individuals
– Low Diversity
– Chironomidae, Semi
Aquatic Beetles, Sialis
• Low Metals/pH (4.0-5.8
Most Common)
– Increase in Shredder
Stonefly Taxa
– Tolerant Cadisflies
Hydropsyche, Cheumato
psyche
– Possible Baetis
– Low Diversity
– Ok Biomass Depending
on Season

14. Streams with Acid Deposition High
Metal vs. Low Metal
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
EPT Total Individuals Total Taxa Percent
Dominant Taxa
15
39
7
7772
376
15
48
High vs. Low Metal Acid Deposition
High Metal
Low Metal

15. Acid Geology Effects on
Macroinvertebrates
• Naturally Occuring Acidity due
to Geologic Strata or Bogs
• Usually Lower Toxic Metal
Concentrations
• Prolific Shredder Stonefly Taxa
• High Biomass Depending on
the Season
• pH Usually above 4.2
• Crayfish
• Black flies
• Can have Baetis
• Low Diversity

16. The Tale of Limestone Testing on Acidic
Geology Streams
• Spruce Run
• Limestone Rock Packs to Test Armoring
• Stoneflies (Amphinemura)
• Blackflies
• Many Macroinvertebrates Colonized the Rock
Packs

17. Curve Ball: Very Infertile Streams
• Very Infertile Streams Exhibit Diversities and
Biomasses of Acidified Streams
• They are Pristine
• Taxa Composition is Different
• At Family Level they Look Identical to Acidified
Taxa
• At Genus Level they are Acid Intolerant or
Facultative Taxa

18. Examples of Infertile Streams
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
EPT
Total Individuals
Total Taxa
Percent Dominant Taxa
62
20
8
45
45
38
14
48
Infertile Streams
Stream B
Stream A

19. After Proper Treatment
• Macroinvertebrate Communities Will Shift on
the Genus Level First
• Family Level Shifts Occur Much Later
• Biomass May Decrease for a While
• Diversity May Decrease

20. Acidified Stream Recovery
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
EPT Total Individuals Total Taxa Percent
Dominant Taxa
93
61
11
50
81
27
13
22
Impacted Stream vs. Recovering Stream
Impacted
Recovering

21. All Acidic Conditions Discussed
• Impair Brook Trout
• Brook Trout will Often Recolonize Before
Macroinvertebrates
• If the Type of Acidic Condition is Misdiagnosed
Treatment will Not Work

22. Acidified Streams Summary
• Are Often Outliers When Run Through IBIs
• If Further Investigation is not Deep Enough
Acidity can be Blamed on Infertility
• Mix Organics with Acid and it is a Whole New
Ball Game
• Thorough Assessment Requires Thinking
Outside the Box

23. Macroinvertebrate Data Interpretation
and Collection Trainings
• Available at No Cost Through the Conemaugh
Valley Conservancy Kiski-Conemaugh Stream
Team and C-SAW
• Contact Melissa Reckner 814-444-2669
mreckner@kcstreamteam.org

24. Questions?