The effects of coal industry pollutants on the macroinvertebrate fauna of a small river in the South Wales coalfield

Abstract

SUMMARY. The effects of pollutants from the coal industry on the macroinvertebrate fauna of a small river in the South Wales coalfield were investigated during 1972 and 1973. Three major types of pollution, each spatially separate, affected the river and its tributaries. The upper reaches received acidic drainage from coal stockpiles. The lower reaches received a discharge from a drift mine, bearing high loads of suspended coal particles which caused siltation of the river bed downstream to its confluence with the R. Taff (3.5 km). The largest tributary was subjected, under neutral pH, to siltation by ferric hydroxide, derived from seepage from an abandoned mine. In the upper reaches, a few acid‐tolerant invertebrate species survived in low numbers. Downstream recovery was not complete before the discharge of coal particles. In the reaches silted by ferric hydroxide or coal there was a pronounced reduction (80–90%) in faunal abundance. Clear differences in sensitivity of invertebrate groups to these types of siltation were apparent. The data are used to assess the various methods of biological surveillance involving invertebrates.

The effects of hydrological factors on river suspended solids contamination from a colliery in South Wales

“…is clearly ineffectual since inputs contributed by unconsented surface runoff appear to be the major source of contamination, Peak concentrations found in the river during the present study were up to 8028 mg I-' and are much higher than those found by other workers studying colliery suspended solids pollution elsewhere in the U.K. (Learner et al, 1971;Edwards et al, 1972;Turnpenny and Williams, 1980). The large range observed (4 to 8028mgI-I) is a common feature of similar studies, although again it is higher than most (Scullion and Edwards, 1980b;Turnpenny and Williams, 1980). Factors responsible for these high concentrations include the existence of large areas of unvegetated tip surface subjected to the processes of splash erosion, sheetwash and gullying.…”

Hydrology of stockpiled industrial coal exposed to rainfall

“…The degree to which PAHs derived from coal-pile runoff are bioavailable, however, needs to be investigated further (Bender et al, 1987;Chapman et al, 1996;Curran et al, 2000). Coal piles also can be a strong source of trace metal (Anderson and Youngstrom, 1976;Davis and Boegly, 1981;Curran et al, 2000;Karayigit et al, 2000) and suspended sediment (Cox et al, 1977;Stahl et al, 1984;Curran et al, 2000), each with their own potential detrimental effects on the aquatic environment (Wong et al, 1978;Scullion andEdwards, 1980, Canadian Council of Resource andEnvironment Ministers, 1993;Waters, 1995). In general, berms are used to contain coal pile surface runoff and tile drains are used to route the runoff and infiltration to a collection system for treatment.…”

Response of macroinvertebrates to blooms of iron-depositing bacteria

“…Many authors have cited these factors to account for depleted macroinvertebrate communities found in ironenriched streams (Parsons, 1968;Warner, 1971;Koryak et al, 1972;Brown, 1977;Greenfield & Ireland, 1978;Letterman & Mitch, 1978;Osborne et al, 1979;Scullion & Edwards, 1980;Matter & Ney, 1981;Sode, 1983;McKnight & Feder, 1984;Rasmussen & Lindegaard, 1988), but only toxicity has been tested (Warnick & Bell, 1969;Brown, 1977). In view of the importance of both substrate and food in determining lotic macroinvertebrate distributions (Minshall, 1984), these parameters must be addressed if macroinvertebrate community structure inside blooms of iron-depositing bacteria is to be understood.…”