No abstract

Field surveys were conducted in Lake Chickamauga, Tenn., to determine the effects from wastewater discharge from the Volunteer Army Ammunition Plan. Trinitrotoluene (TNT) is the principal munitions component manufactured at this facility, and process wastes contain a complex mixture of compounds associated with the production of this explosive. Effects from the waste stream via selected components were established in periphyton and the macroinvertebrate communities, utilizing the Pinkham-Pearson Biotic Similarity Analysis. Less success was achieved in assessing impact by employing the Shannon-Weaver diversity theory. The utility of standard artificial substrates in periphyton studies was realized by comparing effects between community structures on natural substrates and glass slides. The results of the investigation show that effects on fixed biological communities from wastewater components of TNT manufacture can be detected at concentrations in the microgram per litre range.

Statistical procedures for evaluating periphyton sampling techniques and results are described. The sampling technique utilized was glass slides incubated at various locations in a reservoir receiving industrial effluent. The density, diversity, and dominance of organisms were utilized as dependent variables. Initially, the sampling and processing technique was evaluated to determine the variability at each step. From this information, decisions were made regarding where in the process replication would be most important. Further, statistical procedures are demonstrated for relating sampling replication to the ability to detect differences between results obtained at different sampling locations. Techniques for relating processing or counting effort to the reliability of estimates of dominant species are discussed. The statistical techniques illustrated can be used to relate overall sampling or processing effort or costs to the reliability of the final results.