Abstract
Diversity and biotic indices are often used to asses freshwater quality. However, few studies have been made of their applicability to mining-derived impact. Biotic indices, in particular, are problematic in this respect because they are devised for specific types of pollution (usually organic). Thus, caution is required when using them in streams contaminated by other classes of pollutants. This study evaluates the performance of several diversity and biotic indices in rivers affected by coal mining in northwestern Spain. The relation between them and a set of environmental variables has been determined by means of correlation (Pearson correlation coefficient). According to the correlation analysis, the variables most related to the biological parameters were by far those indicating mining impact (sulfate and conductivity). In general, the rest of the variables (nitrate, orthophosphate, chloride, distance from the source, among others) were not significantly correlated with th e biological indices. BMWP' (a Spanish version of the BMWP) and family richness of Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera (EPT family richness) were the indices most succesful in detecting mining impact, as shown by their high correlation with conductivity and sulfate. ASPT' (derived from BMWP'), the Shannon index and family richness were of lesser indicative value. These results suggest that some biotic indices may be a useful tool for monitoring water quality in rivers receiving coal mine drainage. BMWP', in particular, could be a good starting point for devising a biotic index specific to this type of pollution.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alba-Tercedor, J. & A. Sánchez-Ortega, 1988. Un método rápido y simple para evaluar la calidad biológica de las aguas corrientes basado en el de Hellawell (1987). Limnética 4: 51–56.
Armitage, P. D., 1980. The effects of mine drainage and organic enrichment on benthos in the River Nent system, Northern Pennines. Hydrobiologia 74: 119–128.
Armitage, P. D., D. Moss, J. F. Wright & M. T. Furse, 1983. The performance of a new biological water quality score system based on macroinvertebrates over a wide range of unpolluted running-water sites. Wat. Res. 17: 333–347.
Banks, D., P. L. Younger, R. T. Arnesen, E. R. Iversen & S. B. Banks, 1997. Mine-water chemistry: the good, the bad and the ugly. Environmental Geology 32 (3): 157–174.
Bargos, T., J.Ma Mesanza, A. Basaguren & E. Orive, 1990. Assessing river water quality by means of multifactorial methods using macroinvertebrates. A comparative study of main water courses of Biscay. Wat. Res. 24: 1–10.
Barton, D. R. & J. L. Metcalfe-Smith, 1992. A comparison of sampling techniques and summary indices for assessment of water quality in the Yamaska River, Québec, based on benthic macroinvertebrates. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 21: 225–244.
Camargo, J. A. & D. García de Jalón, 1995. Assessing the influence of altitude and temperature on biological monitoring of freshwater quality: A preliminary investigation. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 35: 227–238.
Canton, S. P. & J. W. Chadwick, 1983. Seasonal and longitudinal changes in invertebrate functional groups in the Dolores River, Colorado. Freshwater Invertebrate Biology 2 (1): 41–47.
Canton, S. P. & J. V. Ward, 1981. The aquatic insects, with emphasis on Trichoptera, of a Colorado stream affected by coal strip-mine drainage. The Southwestern Naturalist 25: 453–460.
Chadwick, J. W. & S. P. Canton, 1984. Inadequacy of diversity indices in discerning metal mine drainage effects on a stream invertebrate community. Wat. Air Soil Pollut. 22: 217–223.
Chadwick, J. W., S. P. Canton & R. L. Dent, 1986. Recovery of benthic invertebrate communities in Silver Bow Creek, Montana, following improved metal mine wastewater treatment. Wat. Air Soil Pollut., 28: 427–438.
Clements, W. H., 1994. Benthic invertebrate responses to heavy metals in the Upper Arkansas River Basin, Colorado. J. n. Am. Benthol. Soc. 13 (1): 30–44.
Clements, W. H., D. S. Cherry & J. H. Van Hassel, 1992. Assessment of the impact of heavy metals on benthic communities at the Clinch River (Virginia): Evaluation of an index of community sensitivity. Can. J. Fish. aquat. Sci. 49: 1686–1694.
Clements, W. H. & P. M. Kiffney, 1995. The influence of elevation on benthic community responses to heavy metals in Rocky Mountain streams. Can. J. Fish. aquat. Sci., 52: 1966–1977.
De Pauw, N. & D. Roels, 1988. Relationship between biological and chemical indicators of surface water quality. Verh. int. Ver. Limnol. 23: 1553–1558.
Evangelou, V. P. & Y. L. Zhang, 1995. A review: Pyrite oxidation mechanisms and acid mine drainage prevention. Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology 25 (2): 141–199.
Gower, A. M., G. Myers, M. Kent & M. E. Foulkes, 1995. The use of macroinvertebrate assemblages in the assessment of metalcontaminated streams. In D. M. Harper, A. J. D. Ferguson (eds), The Ecological Basis for River Management. JohnWiley & Sons Ltd.: 181–192.
Graça, M. A. S. & C. N. Coimbra, 1998. The elaboration of indices to assess biological water quality. A case study. Wat. Res. 32: 380–392.
Gray, N. F., 1996. The use of an objective index for the assessment of the contamination of surface water and groundwater by acid mine drainage. J. CIWEM 10: 332–340.
Growns, J. E., B. C. Chessman, P. K. McEvoy & I. A. Wright, 1995. Rapid assessment of rivers using macroinvertebrates: Case studies in the Nepean River and Blue Mountains, NSW. Aus. J. Ecol. 20: 130–141.
Johnson, R. K., T. Wiederholm & D. M. Rosenberg, 1993. Freshwater biomonitoring using individual organisms, populations, and species assemblages of benthic macroinvertebrates. In D.M. Rosenberg & V. H. Resh (eds), Freshwater Biomonitoring and Benthic Macroinvertebrates. Chapman & Hall: 40–158.
Nelson, S. & R. A. Roline, 1996. Recovery of stream macroinvertebrate community from mine drainage disturbance. Hydrobiologia 339: 73–84.
Raddum, G. G. & A. Fjellheim, 1984. Acidification and early warning organisms in freshwater in western Norway. Verh. int. Ver. Limnol. 22: 1973–1980.
Raddum, G. G., A. Fjellheim & T. Hesthagen, 1988. Monitoring of acidification by the use of aquatic organisms. Verh. int. Ver. Limnol. 23: 2291–2297.
Richards, C., G. E. Host & J. W. Arthur, 1993. Identification of predominant environmental factors structuring stream macroinvertebrate communities within a large agricultural catchment. Freshwat. Biol. 29: 285–294.
Rodríguez, P. & J. F. Wright, 1991. Description and evaluation of a sampling strategy for macroinvertebrate communities in Basque rivers (Spain). Hydrobiologia 213: 113–124.
Roline, R. A., 1988. The effects of heavy metals pollution of the upper Arkansas River on the distribution of aquatic macroinvertebrates. Hydrobiologia 160: 3–8.
Rose, S. & A. M. Ghazi, 1997. Release of sorbed sulfate from iron oxyhydroxides precipitated from acid mine drainage associated with coal mining. Envir. Sci. Technol. 31: 2136–2140.
Rossaro, B. & A. Pietrangelo, 1993. Macroinvertebrate distribution in streams: a comparison of CA ordination with biotic indices. Hydrobiologia 263: 109–118.
Ruse, L. P., 1996. Multivariate techniques relating macroinvertebrate and environmental data from a river catchment. Wat. Res. 30: 3017–3024.
Webb, J. A. & I. D. Sasowsky, 1994. The interaction of acid mine drainage with a carbonate terrane: evidence from the Obey River, north-central Tennessee. Journal of Hydrology 161: 327–346.
Whiting, E. R., S. Mathieu & D. W. Parker, 1994. Effects of drainage from a molybdenum mine and mill on stream macroinvertebrate communities. J. Freshwat. Ecol. 9 (4): 299–311.
Wright, J. F., D. Moss, P. D. Armitage & M. T. Furse, 1984. A preliminary classification of running-water sites in Great Britain based on macro-invertebrate species and the prediction of community type using environmental data. Freshwat. Biol. 14: 221–256.
Younger, P. L., 1995. Hydrogeochemistry of minewaters flowing from abandoned coal workings in County Durham. Quaterly Journal of Engineering Geology, 28: 101–113
Zamora-Muñoz, C., C. E. Sáinz-Cantero, A. Sánchez-Ortega & J. Alba-Tercedor, 1995. Are biological indices BMWP0 and ASPT0 and their significance regarding water quality seasonally dependent? Factors explaining their variations. Wat. Res. 29: 285–290.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
García-Criado, F., Tomé, A., Vega, F.J. et al. Performance of some diversity and biotic indices in rivers affected by coal mining in northwestern Spain. Hydrobiologia 394, 209–217 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1003634228863
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1003634228863