United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Environmental Research
Laboratory
Duluth MN 55804
Research and Development
EPA/600/S3-86/026 June 1986
4>EPA Project Summary
Evaluation of Site-Specific
Criteria for Copper and Zinc:
An Integration of Metal
Addition Toxicity, Effluent
and Receiving Water Toxicity,
and Ecological Survey Data
Anthony R. Carlson, Henry Nelson, and Dean Hammermeister
Comparative laboratory toxicity tests
using daphnids Ceriodaphnia dubla and
fathead minnows Pimephales promelas
were conducted to establish and evaluate
relationships between the toxicity of do-
mestic and industrial effluents containing
copper and zinc, toxicity of the effluents
in Naugatuck River, Connecticut receiving
water, toxicity of each metal added to the
receiving water and a reference water, and
receiving water ecological survey data.
The relationships were used to determine
if site-specific water quality criteria for
copper and zinc derived according to U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (U.S.
EPA) guidelines were protective of aquatic
life under complexed ambient conditions
caused by point source effluents.
Acute toxicity values for copper exposed
Ceriodaphnia dubia, Scaphrolebaris sp.,
and Pimephales promelas were used to
calculate mean water effect ratios (e.g.,
site water LC50 value/reference water
LC50) reflective of the difference in the bi-
ological availability and/or toxicity of cop-
per between Naugatuck River, Connecticut
water and Lake Superior reference water.
These ratios were used to modify U.S. EPA
ambient aquatic life criteria for copper to
site- and station-specific criteria using the
indicator procedure of the U.S. EPA site-
specific guidelines. A mean water effect
ratio of 1.0 was obtained using unpolluted
upstream water resulting in a site-specific
criterion maximum concentration (CMC)
and criterion continuous concentration
(CCC) of 8.7 and 6.2 ^g/l copper, respec-
tively. Mean water effect ratios of 3.9 to
7.0 reflective of reduced biological avail-
ability and/or toxicity of copper were de-
termined for four successive downstream
stations which contained copper and other
industrial and domestic wastes. The resul-
ting station specific CMC(s) and CCC(s)
ranged from 32 to 57 and 22 to 39 ^g/l
copper, respectively. These copper criteria
were compared to effluent contributed
ambient copper concentrations and ecolo-
gical survey data from each downstream
station to ascertain impact on aquatic life.
It was concluded that the national and
site-specific criteria derived for copper
would be protective of the rivers aquatic
life. This conclusion was based on the
observation that a relatively healthy
aquatic community existed where the cop-
per criterion was exceeded slightly.
Whether or not the station specific criteria
were protective could not be determined
because these criteria were not exceeded
at stations with healthy communities;
however, where they were exceeded, im-
paired aquatic communities were evident.
Generally, Ceriodaphnia dubia survival
and young production data from receiving
water tests and copper addition tests con-
ducted during the week prior to the initia-
tion of the acute toxicity tests used to de-
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rive site- and station-specific criteria were
also indicative of reduced copper biologi-
cal availability and/or toxicity in the Nauga-
tuck River at downstream stations.
It could not be determined whether or
not criteria for zinc were protective of the
Naugatuck River biota.
This Project Summary was developed
by EPA's Environmental Research Labora-
tory, Duluth,MN, to announce key findings
of the research project that is fully docu-
mented in a separate report of the same
title (see Project Report ordering informa-
tion at back).
Introduction
The physical and chemical character-
istics of water in a natural system may
alter the biological availability and toxicity
of materials such as copper and zinc.
Guidelines for deriving site-specific water
quality criteria for the protection of aquatic
life and its uses [1,2] which take these fac-
tors into account (hereafter referred to as
the site-specific guidelines) have been pro-
vided by the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (U.S. EPA). One guideline approach
is to simply test a prescribed number of
resident species in site water to meet
minimum data requirements from which
a site criterion is calculated. Another ap-
proach is to test sensitive indicator or sur-
rogate species from the same population
in both clean reference water, hereafter
referred to as laboratory water, and site
water at the same time under similar con-
ditions except for water characteristics.
The ratio of the site water toxicity value/
lab water toxicity value is used to modify
the national criteria value to a site-specific
value. Both of these criteria derivation ap-
proaches are based on the assumptions:
(1) that differences in the toxicity values
of a specific material determined in labor-
atory water and site water may be attri-
buted to chemical
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The EPA author Anthony R. Carlson is with the Environmental Research
Laboratory, Duluth, MN 55804; Henry Nelson is with Science Applications,
International Corporation, McLean, VA; and Dean Hammermeister is with the
University of Wisconsin-Superior, Superior, Wl.
The complete report, entitled "Evaluation of Site-Specific Criteria for Copper and
Zinc: An Integration of Metal Addition Toxicity, Effluent and Receiving Water
Toxicity, and Ecological Survey Data," (Order No. PB 86-183 928/AS; Cost:
$11.95, subject to change) will be available only from:
National Technical Information Service
5285 Port Royal Road
Springfield, VA22161
Telephone: 703-487-4650
The EPA author can be contacted at:
Environmental Research Laboratory
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
6201 Congdon Blvd.,
Duluth, MN 55804
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Center for Environmental Research
Information
Cincinnati OH 45268
^•-.'Tu;^!/^
Official Business
Penalty for Private Use $300
EPA/600/S3-86/026
0000329 PS
60604
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