On the Winnipeg River in the Vicinity of the Abitibi Manitoba Paper Company, Pine Falls, Manitoba
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Environment Environnement 1+ Canada Canada Fisheries and Pêches et Marine sciences de la mer Benthos Studies ( 1971 and 1972 ) on the Winnipeg River in the Vicinity of The Abitibi Manitoba Paper Company, Pine Falls, Manitoba by L.A. Gregory and J.S. Loch Technical Report Series No: CEN T -73-3 Resource Management Branch Central Region BENTHOS STUDIES (1971 and 1972) ON THE WINNIPEG RIVER IN THE VICINITY OF THE ABITIBI MANITOBA PAPER COMPANY, PINE FALLS, MANITOBA By . L.A. Gregory and J.S. Loch Resource Management Branch Fisheries Operations Directorate Fisheries & Marine Service Canada Department of the Environment Winnip'eg June, 1973 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abs tract . ii Acknowledgements. iii List of Figures. iv List of Tables · . v Introductian . 1 Description of Study Area. 2 Materials and Methods .....••.•..••.•..•••....•..•••.•..•.. 5 Results and Discussion.................................... 9 Conclusions. .............................................. 26 Summary........•. 27 Literature Cited.......................................... 28 Personal Communication Cited.• 30 (i) ABSTRACT Benthic surveys were conducted in the summers of 1971 and 1972 to assess the condition of the Winnipeg River in thevicinity of the Abitibi Manitoba Paper Company's pu1p mi11 at Pine Falls, Manitoba. Both qualitative and quantitative (genera diversity indices and information ana1ysis) analyses of the benthic data indicated that severe to moderate po11utant-effects pre vai1ed at the mi11's outfa11 and extended for up to four miles downstream. No change in the condition of the benthic conwunity occurred between the sum mers of 1971 and 1972. (ii) AC KNOWLEDGEMENTS J. Rudolph, C. Remple, C. Penny, S. Kostiuk and P. Stewart assisted in collecting and sorting the samples. P. Stewart also helped identify the Chironomidae. Their assistance is appreciated. Jo-Anne Crowe of the Manitoba Department of Mines, Resources and Environmental Management verified the Hirudinae identifications; E. EIders verified the clam identifications and Dr. O.E. Saether and W. Warwick verified the chironomid identifications. Dr. R.H. Green provided invaluable advice and assistance on the quantitiative methods of analysis. (iii) LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1 Benthos survey stations (1972) in the 3 Winnipeg River. 2 Information-analysis dendogram from the 16 fifteen substations sampled in each of the months: August (1-5), September (6-10) and October (11-15), 1971. 3 Three-dimensional cumulative diversity 20 indices for the fifteen substations sampled in each of the months, August, September and October, 1971. (DottedY Dâversdty Indices <2 (White) Diversity Indices >2 <3 (Shaded) Diver~ity I~d~ces >3 The stippled line indicates the substation grouping from information-analysis. 4 Three-dimensional genera diversity indi 22 ces for the eighteen substations sampled in duplicate in July, 1972. The line a above the bar represents the maximum estimated error from taking only two samples. 5 Information-analysis dendogram for the 23 eighteen substations sampled in July, 1972. (iv) LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1 Description of the 1972 study area. 4 2 Percent organic content. of the substrate 10 from each of the 1972 substations. 3 The accumulated number of benthic organisms Il p~r genera and the number of individuals and representative groups for each of the fifteen substations sampled in August, September and October, 1971. 4 The number of benthic organisms per genera 13 and the number of individuals and repre sentative groups for each of the eighteen substations sampled on July 31, 1972. 5 Information-analysis grouping with respect 17 to month (August, September and October) and substation for the three different levels from Figure 2. 6 Cumulative diversity values for the fif 18 teen substations sampled in each of August, September and October, 1971. (v) INTRODUCTION A pulp and paper mill operated by Abitibi Manitoba Paper Company is situated at Pine Falls on the Winnipeg River. This is an integrated news print mill; the newspr.int is made from 75% ground pulp, 20% sodium-based sulphite and 50% kraft pulp. Previous studies on the benthic communities in the vicinity of the mill have been conducted (Dickson 1961; Cober 1966 and Loch 1972). The most recent (Loch 1972) indicated that the mill effluent and the wood fiber accumulation in and beside the river had a detrimental effect (as measured by number of genera present and genera diversity) on the benthic fauna in the vicinity of the mill. This study has a two-fold purpose: first, to analyze data from both years using diversity indices as weIl as a more sophisticated method of quantitative analysis and, second, to determine whether changes have occurred in the benthic fauna between the summers of 1971 and 1972. -1- DESCRIPTION OF STUDY AREA The Winnipeg River has its sources in the English River system and the Lake of the Woods. It extends approximately 320 kilometers (200 miles) fromKenora on Lake of the Woods to Traverse Bayon Lake Winnipeg. The area of the Winnipeg River sampled is located in Township 19, Range 9, East, in the east-central part of Manitoba. This study area extends from the Pine Falls power dam to the village of Fort Alexander on the Winnipeg River (Figure 1). The pulp mill in question is situated 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) downstream from this power dam. Fort Alexander is 3.2 kilometers (2 miles) upstream from the mouth of the river • . There are a series of power installations on the Winnipeg River 3 and, .the flow is thereby regulated at an average of 8,500 m /sec (30,000 cfs) . Descriptions of the 1971 .st at.Lcns are found in Loch (1972). The 1972 stations were similar to the 1971 stations, however, the 1972 station near the outfall (6) was only represented as one substation (IVa) in 1971. In addition, the 1972 station 1 was located approximately one mile closer to the pulp mill discharge than the 1971 station I. In 1972, six transects (stations) were selected in the vicinity of the pulp mill (Figure 1). These stations were selected at locations that would reflect some stage of the effect of discharge. One station was located at the point of discharge (outfall), one slightly upstream from the outfall and the other four, below the outfall. Three substations were set up' along each transect. Similar ranges of depth and current were con- sidered in final positioning of the stations and substations. A description of the study stations is given in the following table. -2- FORT . ALEXANDER N 1 W 1 1 1 1 mile POWER DAM Figure 1. Benthos Survey Stations (1972) in the Winnipeg River. TABLE 1 Description of the 1972 benthic sampling stations in the Winnipeg River in the vicinity of Pine Falls, Manitoba Location (Dist. Description Depth From Outfall-Mi Channel's (At Substation) Station Downstream) Width--Mi Currents Substrate "A" "B" "c" 1 3 3/4 Moderate Wood Fiber 40' 43' 24' (up to 50%) and Mud 2 2 1/2 Moderate Wood Fiber 25' 24' 35' (50%) and Mud (50%) 3 0.8 2/5 Calm To Wood Fiber 14' 18' 18' Moderate (50%-100%) and Mud 4 North Shore just Moderate Mud & Clay 27' 29' 35' below & across Some Barks from outfall a- and Twigs- long edge of log Little Wood boom Fiber 5 North Shore just .Moderate Mud & Clay 38' 43' 40' above outfall a- Some Barks long edge of log and Twigs-- boom Little Wood Fiber 6 South Shore just Calm WoodPulp 20' 25' 12' below outfall and Fiber -4- MATERIALS AND METHODS Benthic sampling was accomplished as described by Loch (1972). Duplicate bottom samples were collected at each substation using a Ponar Grab. The grab sample was emptied into a conieal net of Nitex nylon (60% micron opening), washed, placed in a plastic bag and preserved with a sol ution of ethyl alcohol and rose bengal (100 mg/l 9S% ethyl alcohol) diluted to 70%. Rose bengal is a vital stain and enhances the ability to perceive small organisms (Lackey and May 1971). The samples were then returned to the laboratory where they were washed in a seive (300 micron opening) to re move excess mud, spread out in a white enamel tray and sorted with forceps. All visible organisms were removed and preserved in 70% ethyl alcohol. The number of organisms in each major taxonomie group (family, order or class) was recorded. In the case of Oligochaeta which were greatly fragmented, only segments having a head were considered. With the exception of Nematoda and Oligochaeta, the benthic fauna was then identified to genus. Chironomidae were mounted in a colourless mounting fluid and identified according to the provisional key by Hamilton and Saether of the Freshwater Institute, Winnipeg. Various authorities assisted in the identification of other organisms. After sorting and identification, the datawere assembled in a ma trix form with substation and number of organismsper genus being the two variables.. Data for each duplicate was pooled. ie Diversity indices were *Several samples were misplaced (lcii, 3bi, Sbi, 6aii) and, therefore, the number of individuals in the single sample was doubled. -5- ca1cu1ated for each substation. In addition, an information-ana1ysis was performed on the data matrix. Species diversity indices enab1e quantitative comparisons between samp1es. They are based on the theory that diversity is equated with the uncertainty that exists concerning the identity of an individua1 co11ected at random from a community. The fewer species present and the more unequa1 their abundance, the 1ess the uncertainty and the lower the diversity (Pie1ou 1969). In a po11uted area, fewer species wou1d be present, there wou1d be 1ess inter-specifie competition and the to1erant species would flourish. The diversity wou1d therefore be low. The index described by Pielou (1969) was employed in this study. It is given by the formula: s d = lIN (log N! 2: log N.!) i=l 1.