Effects of urban stormwater and iron‐enhanced sand filtration on Daphnia magna and Pimephales promelas

Abstract

Urban stormwater is an important but incompletely characterized contributor to surface-water toxicity. The present study used 5 bioassays of 2 model organisms (Daphnia magna and fathead minnow, Pimephales promelas) to investigate stormwater toxicity and mitigation by full-scale iron-enhanced sand filters (IESFs). Stormwater samples were collected from major stormwater conveyances and full-scale IESFs during 4 seasonal events (winter snowmelt and spring, early summer, and late summer rainfalls) and analyzed for a diverse range of contaminants of emerging concern including pharmaceuticals, personal care products, industrial chemicals, and pesticides. Concurrently, stormwater samples were collected for toxicity testing. Seasonality appeared more influential and consistent than site type for most bioassays. Typically, biological consequences were least in early summer and greatest in late summer and winter. In contrast with the unimproved and occasionally reduced biological outcomes in IESF-treated and late summer samples, water chemistry indicated that numbers and total concentrations of detected organic chemicals, metals, and nutrients were reduced in late summer and in IESF-treated stormwater samples. Some potent toxicants showed more specific seasonality (e.g., high concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and industrial compounds in winter, pesticides in early summer and spring, flame retardants in late summer), which may have influenced outcomes. Potential explanations for insignificant or unexpected stormwater treatment outcomes include confounding effects of complex stormwater matrices, IESF nutrient removal, and, less likely, unmonitored toxicants. Environ Toxicol Chem 2018;37:2645-2659. © 2018 SETAC.

Using the Daphnia magna Transcriptome to Distinguish Water Source: Wetland and Stormwater Case Studies

“…The actual sampling dates were selected based on antecedent and predicted weather and catchment conditions, anticipated contaminant profiles, and/or exposure periods of interest (e.g., early summer runoff would reflect urban and preemergent crop pesticide applications and near‐peak growth). Samples were collected in accordance with previously described chemical and biological methods (Fairbairn et al, 2018; Westerhoff et al, 2018). Water for D. magna exposures was collected in precleaned 1‐L polytetrafluoroethylene containers.…”

“…Phenotype bioassays of stormwater samples. Bioassays included phenotyping for reproduction and survival, as described (Westerhoff et al, 2018). Throughout the experiment, all beakers were inspected daily for mortality, with dead animals removed immediately.…”

“…The few published studies of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in stormwater have reported complex contaminant mixtures with chemicals and concentrations typical of treated municipal wastewater (e.g., nonprescription pharmaceuticals, personal care products, urban‐ or residential‐use pesticides, and manufacturing‐industrial compounds (e.g., flame retardants, benzotriazoles; Fairbairn et al, 2018; Wicke et al, 2016). Yet, like wetlands, surprisingly few stormwater–based bioeffect studies exist (Fairbairn et al, 2018; Mehinto et al, 2021; Westerhoff et al, 2018). The few stormwater–based studies of sublethal toxicity have reported estrogenic, molecular, transcriptional, and/or organismal effects comparable to those present in organisms exposed to treated wastewater (Bai et al, 2018; Bertucci et al, 2018; Martinovic‐Weigelt et al, 2018; McIntyre et al, 2016; Schultz et al, 2013; Seward, 2014).…”

“…FIGURE 5: Canonical redundancy analysis (RDA) of differentially expressed Daphnia magna genes and phenotypes (response variables, represented as dots, reported inWesterhoff et al [2018]) following daphnid exposure to stormwater samples based on chemical class and in situ conditions (predictor variables, represented as arrows), with response variables including all differentially expressed genes (DEGs) identified in (A) Experiments 1-3 (variable wetland, pyriproxyfen, and stormwater exposures) and (B) Experiment 3 only (variable stormwater exposures). Daphnids (<24 h) were treated with a sample for 96 h, and RNA was extracted for gene expression analysis.…”

Potential Impacts of Oil and Grease on Algae, Invertebrates and Fish in the Bujagali Hydropower Project Area

“…While effects of oil and grease contamination on the aquatic ecosystems may not be significant on a global scale, local catastrophes may occur, and in areas affected by oil leaks, local populations of invertebrates, birds and mammals may be greatly reduced and aquatic saprophytes may die off (Maletić et al, 2019). The concentration of dispersed oil and grease is an important parameter for water quality and safety (Osibanjo et al, 2011;Westerhoff et al, 2018). Oil and grease includes fats, oils, waxes, and other related constituents found in water and wastewater (Achanta et al, 2011;Lugt and Pallister, 2012;Radulescu et al, 2018), and their low solubility reduces their rate of microbial degradation (Bai et al, 2011).…”