Contaminant chemistry and toxicity of sediments in Sydney Harbour, Australia: spatial extent and chemistry–toxicity relationships

Birch, G.F.; McCready, S.; Long, Edward R.; Taylor, Stuart S.; Spyrakis, G.

doi:10.3354/meps07445

Cited by 48 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Other commonly used test species are the amphipods Ampelisca abdita, Eohaustorius estuarius and Rhepoxynius abronius collected in the wild (ASTM, 2008c). Amphipods of the genus Corophium have been used in sediment toxicity testing in Europe (Guerra et al, 2009), Canada (Hellou et al, 2008) and Australia (Birch et al, 2008). In addition to amphipods and polychaetes, benthic harpacticoid copepods have also been successfully used in whole-sediment tests that rapidly assess the chronic sublethal effects, such as on reproduction and development, of sediment contaminants (e.g., Ward et al, 2011).…”

Section: Laboratory Sediment Toxicity Testsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Processes, Assessment and Remediation of Contaminated Sediments

2014

SERDP/ESTCP Environmental Remediation Technology

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Section: Laboratory Sediment Toxicity Testsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Processes, Assessment and Remediation of Contaminated Sediments

2014

SERDP/ESTCP Environmental Remediation Technology

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“…In this approach, contaminant concentrations at each site are normalised to (divided by) respective ERM values, the quotients are summed and divided by the total number of contaminants being considered. In North America, sediment with a mean ERM quotient of 0.11-0.5 has a 21% probability of toxicity; a mean ERM quotient of 0.5-1.5 has a 49% probability of toxicity and a mean ERM quotient of >1.5 has a 76% probability of toxicity Estuarine sediment samples were subjected to four laboratory ecotoxicological tests; a 10-day whole-sediment amphipod survival test; a 1-h pore water sea urchin fertilisation test; a 72-h sea urchin larval development test and a 30-min microbial bioluminescence Microtox© test (McCready et al 2004;Birch et al 2008). Table 1) (Snowdon and Birch 2004) and maximum enrichments were 75, 490 and 188 times above background, respectively.…”

Section: Biological and Ecotoxicological Analyses Of Estuarine Sedimementioning

confidence: 99%

Contaminated soil and sediments in a highly developed catchment-estuary system (Sydney estuary, Australia): an innovative stormwater remediation strategy

Birch

2010

J Soils Sediments

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Purpose The objective of the current research was to provide a strategy to remediate stormwater from an old, highdeveloped catchment dominated (94%) by diffuse sources. Contaminated catchment soils, a dense road network and extensive residential development have resulted in degraded sediments in the receiving basin. Retrofitting stormwater remedial devices in such catchment-estuarine systems is difficult, costly and long term. Materials and methods The metal content of soils, road dust and gully pot deposits was investigated to assess catchment sources. Fluvial input was assessed using loading models and analyses of water and bedload sediments in two canals draining the catchment, whereas 45 surficial samples were collected from the adjacent estuary to determine impact. All materials were digested using aqua regia and analysis was by inductively coupled plasma (ICP) mass spectrometer and ICP plasma atomic emission spectrometer. Sediment quality guidelines were used to make an initial assessment of degradation by single chemicals and the mean ERM quotient approach was used to determined probable toxicity for mixtures of contaminants. An additional 13 samples were subjected to four laboratory ecotoxicological tests. Results and discussion Soil (mean 62, 410 and 340 μg g −1 for Cu, Pb and Zn, respectively) and sediments (mean 180, 320 and 640 μg g −1 , respectively) in the catchment-estuary system (Iron Cove, Sydney Harbour, Australia) contain greatly elevated metal concentrations. Contaminants associated with baseflow (none, or <5 mm day −1 rainfall) are deposited close to the mouths of two canals discharging to the estuary and this sediment is toxic to benthic animals, whereas chemicals carried by high flow (>50 mm day −1 rainfall) bypass the cove in a buoyant, freshwater plume. Remediation of baseflow and some first-flush stormwater will remove approximately 10% metals and 30-50% TN trapped in the embayment and harvest 2 to 4 ML day −1 of urban water runoff. Conclusions The current approach provides an opportunity to remove a large proportion of total stormwater-derived metals and TN trapped in the adjacent embayment, inexpensively and rapidly. The scheme will prevent stormwater-related chemicals from being deposited in the waterway where adverse biological risk is highest. The potential for recycling and harvesting enormous volumes of treated stormwater in highly desirable parts of intensely urbanised environments is in keeping with the concept of "cities as water supply catchments".

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“…Nutrients and heavy metals supplied by stormwater canals draining highly urbanised catchments, particularly along the southern shore of the estuary, have accumulated in bottom sediments in concentrations up to 50 times greater than preanthropogenic levels . Stormwater pollution has also changed estuarine community assemblages and led to regular closure of swimming areas in Sydney estuary (Stark 1998;Bickford et al 1999;Birch et al 2008;DECCW 2009a). Knowledge of sources, magnitudes and spatial and temporal patterns of stormwater contaminants is needed for the successful management of the potential for environmental harm to the receiving aquatic systems.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Metals, nutrients and total suspended solids discharged during different flow conditions in highly urbanised catchments

Beck

Birch

2011

Environ Monit Assess

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Stormwater discharged from highly urbanised catchments on the southern shore of Sydney estuary, Australia, has been identified as the primary source of contaminants responsible for ecological degradation and reduction in recreational value of the waterway. Effective management of this pollution requires knowledge of contaminant loads associated with various stormwater flow conditions in three highly urbanised catchments in Sydney estuary catchment. The majority (>90%) of metal (Cu, Pb and Zn) and total suspended solid annual loads were contributed during high-flow conditions (>50 mm rainfall day(t1)), whereas ≤55% of TN and ≤21% of total phosphorus were contributed to annual loading by dry weather base-flow conditions. All flow conditions posed an in-stream ecological threat because contaminant concentrations exceeded water quality guidelines for all analytes measured, except Pb. Irregular, temporal variability in contaminant concentrations associated with base-flow (within day and amongst days), high-flow (amongst events) and irregular discharges indicated that contaminant contributions in stormwater were strongly controlled by human activity in the three catchments. Significant variation in contaminant concentrations under all flow conditions revealed unique chemical signatures for each catchment despite similarities in land uses, location and geology amongst catchments. These characteristics indicate that assessment and management of stormwater pollution needs to be conducted on an individual-catchment basis for highly urbanised regions of Sydney estuary catchment.

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Contaminant chemistry and toxicity of sediments in Sydney Harbour, Australia: spatial extent and chemistry–toxicity relationships

Cited by 48 publications

References 30 publications

Processes, Assessment and Remediation of Contaminated Sediments

Processes, Assessment and Remediation of Contaminated Sediments

Contaminated soil and sediments in a highly developed catchment-estuary system (Sydney estuary, Australia): an innovative stormwater remediation strategy

Metals, nutrients and total suspended solids discharged during different flow conditions in highly urbanised catchments

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