Residual toxicity of acid mine drainage-contaminated sediment to stream macroinvertebrates: Relative contribution of acidity vs. metals

Acid mine drainage (AMD), a legacy of coal and mineral extraction, contaminates streams with complex mixtures of acid and heavy metals that are usually partitioned between the water column and substrate. Understanding the conditions under which sediments retain toxicity after the water column is cleared is important for predicting the long term success of remediation efforts. We conducted laboratory and field experiments to evaluate the relative contribution of acidity versus metals to the toxicity of AMD contaminated sediment towards aquatic macroinvertebrates. Laboratory bioassays showed that precipitate-coated substrate from AMD-impacted sites were toxic to Ctenodaphnia magna and reduced growth of mayflies (Ephemeroptera: Heptageniidae). Toxicity correlated more with acidity released from the sediment than with metals. After transplantation to a clean stream, the same Al- and Fe-contaminated substrate were not toxic to daphnia and was readily colonized by benthic macroinvertebrates within 5 weeks.