water Article Assessment of the Environmental Impact of Acid Mine Drainage on Surface Water, Stream Sediments, and Macrophytes Using a Battery of Chemical and Ecotoxicological Indicators Paula Alvarenga 1,* ,Nádia Guerreiro 2, Isabel Simões 2, Maria José Imaginário 2 and Patrícia Palma 2,3 1 LEAF—Centro de Investigação em Agronomia, Alimentos, Ambiente e Paisagem, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisboa, Portugal 2 Escola Superior Agrária, Instituto Politécnico de Beja. R. Pedro Soares S/N, 7800-295 Beja, Portugal;
[email protected] (N.G.);
[email protected] (I.S.);
[email protected] (M.J.I.);
[email protected] (P.P.) 3 Instituto de Ciências da Terra (ICT), Universidade de Évora, 7000-849 Évora, Portugal * Correspondence:
[email protected] Abstract: Mining activities at the Portuguese sector of the Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB) have been responsible for the pollution of water, sediments, and biota, caused by the acid mine drainage (AMD) from the tailing deposits. The impact has been felt for years in the rivers and streams receiving AMD from the Aljustrel mine (SW sector of the IPB, Portugal), such as at the Água Forte stream, a tributary of the Roxo stream (Sado and Mira Hydrographic Region). To evaluate the extent Citation: Alvarenga, P.; Guerreiro, of that environmental impact prior to the remediation actions, surface water, sediments, and the N.; Simões, I.; Imaginário, M.J.; macrophyte Scirpus holoschoenus L. were sampled at the Água Forte and the Roxo streams,