2000 Savanna River Biological Surveys for Westinghouse Savannah River
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WSRC-TR-2002-00057 2000 Savannah River Biological Surveys for Westinghouse Savannah River Company by M. Amett Westinghouse Savannah River Company Savannah River Site Aiken, South Carolina 29808 DOE Contract No. DE-AC09-96SR18500 This paper was prepared in connection with work done under the above contract number with the U. S. Department of Energy. By acceptance of this paper, the publisher and/or recipient acknowledges the U. S. Government's right to retain a nonexclusive, royalty-free license in and to any copyright covering this paper, along with the right to reproduce and to authorize others to reproduce all or part of the copyrighted paper. 2000 Savannah River Biological Surveys for Westinghouse Savannah River Company Report No. 01-16F 0ý9"L South Carolina DHEC Laboratory I.D. #89011 Patrick Center for Environmental Research 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway Philadelphia, PA 19103-1195 30 September 2001 This document was prepared in conjunction with work accomplished under Contract No. DE- AC09-96SR18500 with the U.S. Department of Energy. DISCLAIMER This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. 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Box 62, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-0062 phone: (865)576-8401 fax: (865)576-5728 email: reports@adonis. osti. gov NON-TECHNICAL SYNTHESIS 2000 Savannah River Studies NO-EHIA SYTESS Overview and Rationale The Academy's been conducting biological and water quality studies monitoring program, Theof theAcademy Savannah of NaturalRiver since Sciences 1951. of These Philadelphia studies arehas conducted since 1951, designed to assess potential effects of Savannah River Site (SRS) contaminants and warm-water discharges on the gen- assesses the effects of the eral health of the river and its tributaries. They therefore look Savannah River Site on for spatial patterns of biological disturbance that are geo- graphically associated with the site, and for temporal patterns the health of the Savannah of change that indicate improving or deteriorating conditions. River ecosystem. Components of the Academy's Savannah River studies have included basic water chemistry, diatoms, other attached algae, u aquatic macrophytes (mosses entoa SOUTH and rooted aquatic plants), CAROLINA protozoa, aquatic insects, non- Runs insect macroinvertebrates, and fish. The study design in- cludes multiple biological groups spanning a broad range of ecological roles, both because no single group is the best indicator of every Par Poncomponent of water quality Par Pond and because there is wide- spread agreement that protect- L Lake ing the entire system is :el eko important. el~ePrior to 1997, four basic types of studies were con- ducted by the Academy: Comprehensive Surveys, Cur- sory Surveys, Diatometer SCrek Studies, and Plant Vogtle Sur- veys. Comprehensive Sur- I Patrick Center for Environmental Research The Academy of Natural SciencesSciences i Patrick Center for Environmental Research 2000 Savannah River Studies NON-TECUMCAL SYNTHESIS 2000 Savannah River Studies NON-TECHNICAL SYNThhESIS veys included the largest number of study components, were carried out roughly every four years, and included two sam- pling periods during the year. Cursory Surveys included a re- duced set of study components-typically attached algae, insects, and fish-but were conducted annually, with four Cursory sampling periods per year (except in years with Comprehen- * Conducted Every Year sive Surveys, which substituted for two of the usual Cursory * Four Sampling Periods # Fewer Study Components sampling periods). Thus, Cursory Surveys provided more nar- # Fewer Sampling Stations rowly focused information, but on a more frequent basis. Dia- Comprehensive tometer Studies addressed only the diatom flora but provided # Roughly Every Four Years # Two Sampling Periods year-round annual monitoring. Plant Vogtle Surveys, which * All Study Components as Comprehensive Surveys # All Sampling Stations included the same components but different sampling stations, were initiated in 1985 in order to assess potential impacts of Georgia Power and Light's Vogtle Nuclear Power Plant so that these could be separated from potential SRS impacts. Beginning with the 1997 study, several changes were made in the monitoring program in order to reduce the number of types of studies conducted. Aspects of the Diatometer Study and the Cursory, Comprehensive, and Plant Vogtle Surveys were combined into a single, comprehensive study. The num- ber of study components was reduced by eliminating assess- ments of water chemistry and protozoa. The scale of the diatometer component was also reduced, with both the num- ber of sampling stations and the number of exposure periods being decreased. Components of the new study design include diatoms (dia- tometer sampling using artificial substrates), attached algae and aquatic macrophytes (hand collections from natural sub- strates), aquatic insects, non-insect macroinvertebrates, and fish. Diatometers are deployed for one two-week exposure pe- riod in each month of the year. Four sampling stations are em- ployed in each study component: three exposed to SRS influence (Stations 2B, 5, and 6) and an upstream reference station that is thought not to be exposed to SRS influence (Sta- tion 1). (Station locations are shown in the map on the pre- vious page.) Multiple exposed stations are employed because of the complex pattern of SRS inputs along the river. As in previous Academy studies on the Savannah River, po- tential impacts of the SRS are assessed in the new study de- sign by determining whether differences exist between the exposed and reference stations that are either greater or of a ii The Academy of Natural SciencesSdences ii NON-TECBMCAL SYNTHESIS 2000 Savannah River Studies NON-TECHNICAL SYNTHESIS 2000 Savannah River Studies different character than would be expected if they were due merely to natural differences among sampling sites. For exam- ple, the character of differences among stations is judged in part by comparing the individual species collected. Evidence of impact exists if a station shows elevated abundances of spe- cies known to be moderately or highly tolerant of pollution and depressed abundances of species known to be intolerant of pollution. If this pattern is detected at the exposed stations but not at the reference station, then there is evidence that the impact originates within the study area and further studies would be recommended to determine the exact type and source of pollution. If, however, the pattern is seen at the ref- erence station, then the impact must be due to sources up- stream from the study area. Other potential types of evidence for impact include de- creased numbers of species, decreased numbers of individu- als, and numerical dominance by a small proportion of the ý species present. These patterns arise because pollution tends to reduce population sizes in a majority of species, while a few tolerate or thrive in such conditions. Determining whether exposed and reference stations differ is complicated by the fact that considerable variation exists even among samples collected at the same time from the same loca- tion. Apparent differences may therefore be spurious if each station is characterized by only a single sample. For this rea- son, several components of the Academy's studies collect multiple samples from each station, making it possible to quantify both of the important components of variation: within and among stations. Compelling evidence for station differences exists if average variation among samples from different stations is significantly greater than average vari- ation among samples from the same station, as judged by ap- propriate statistical techniques (e.g., analysis of variance). When statistically significant biological differences among stations are found, it is advisable to determine whether these might be caused by differences in physical characteristics of the stations rather than pollution. For example, the fish fauna at a station with shallow, fast-moving water is likely to differ from that at a station with deep, slow-moving water. The pos- sible role of differences in physical characteristics such as water