Selenium poisoning of fish by coal ash wastewater in Herrington Lake, Kentucky
| Autor: | A. Dennis Lemly |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2018 |
| Předmět: |
inorganic chemicals
Ash pond Geologic Sediments Health Toxicology and Mutagenesis 0211 other engineering and technologies Kentucky chemistry.chemical_element Micropterus 02 engineering and technology Wastewater 010501 environmental sciences Coal Ash 01 natural sciences Selenium pollution Selenium Animals 0105 earth and related environmental sciences 021110 strategic defence & security studies biology Public Health Environmental and Occupational Health General Medicine biology.organism_classification Pollution Lakes chemistry Benthic zone Fly ash Environmental chemistry Environmental science Bass Surface water Water Pollutants Chemical Environmental Monitoring |
| Zdroj: | Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety. 150:49-53 |
| ISSN: | 0147-6513 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2017.12.013 |
| Popis: | Selenium pollution from the E.W. Brown Electric Generating Station was investigated in Herrington Lake, KY. Coal ash wastewater is discharged as surface water overflow from ash disposal ponds into the lake via a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit issued by the Kentucky Division of Water, but the permit does not restrict or limit the amount of selenium released. Unpermitted discharges occur from seeps and drainage through leaks in ash pond dams. Together, these discharges have resulted in selenium concentrations in water, sediment, benthic macroinvertebrates, and fish that are 2-9 times the level that is toxic for fish reproduction and survival. A large proportion (12.2%, or 25 times background) of juvenile largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides, the only species examined) exhibited spinal and/or craniofacial malformations that are consistent with selenium poisoning. Teratogenic Deformity Index values indicated a 3.05% population-level impact on the bass fishery, with total selenium-induced mortality (including pre-swimup mortality) estimated to be in excess of 25% per year. These findings confirm that coal ash discharges into Herrington Lake are contributing selenium to the Lake that is poisoning fish. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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