Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Development of sediment quality guidelines for freshwater ecosystems

  • SEDIMENTS, SEC 1 • SEDIMENT QUALITY AND IMPACT ASSESSMENT • RESEARCH ARTICLE
  • Published:
Journal of Soils and Sediments Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

The development of Sediment Quality Guidelines (SQGs) is one of the remaining challenges for a better protection of aquatic biodiversity and in particular sediment dwelling organisms. So far, sediment quality assessment in Flanders was based on a comparison of chemical concentrations to the geometric mean of the concentrations at 12 reference sites. The study described in this paper addressed the need for more science-based guidelines. The developed guidelines are already incorporated into Flemish legislation.

Materials and methods

Based on a large sediment monitoring database, containing physico-chemical properties, concentrations of chemicals, macrobenthic community assemblages and ecotoxicological data, Sediment Effect Concentrations (SECs) were calculated as basis for the SQGs. The derived SECs were based on ecological effects, namely Lowest and Severe Effect Levels (LEL/SEL), as well as ecotoxicological endpoints, namely Threshold and Probable Effect Levels (TEL/PEL). The average values of the ecological and ecotoxicological SECs were used to distinguish five sediment quality classes.

Results and discussion

The ecological values were in general less stringent than the ecotoxicological values. However, the Lowest Effect Levels (95% of the benthic taxa can be present under this level) and Threshold Effect Levels (no toxic effect is expected under this level) did not differ significantly. Probable Effect Levels (concentrations above this level will certainly result in toxic effects) were generally lower than the Severe Effect Levels (above this level only 5% or less of the taxa are present). The SECs calculated in this study enabled us to correctly identify 87.9% of the sediments as toxic. The development of SQGs based on a combination of the LEL/SEL and TEL/PEL methods enabled us to underpin these SQGs based on field observations and will improve the assessment of sediment quality based on chemical parameters. Although sediments typically contain complex mixtures of contaminants, only a limited number of these contaminants will be measured. Additional application of bioassays for the overall sediment quality assessment is therefore recommended.

Conclusions

This study describes the development of SQGs in Flanders, which are based on ecological and ecotoxicological data derived from a TRIAD monitoring network. The combination of the LEL and PEL resulted in SQGs that were recently incorporated in Flemish legislation and for which the respective pore water concentrations were in the same order of magnitude as the Annual Average Environmental Quality Standards values for Water Framework Directive priority pollutants.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Apitz S, Barbanti A, Bocci M, Carlin A, Montobbio L, Bernstein A (2007) The sediments of the Venice Lagoon (Italy) evaluated in a risk assessment and management approach: part I—application of international sediment quality guidelines (SQGs). Integr Environ Assess Manag 3:393–414

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • ASTM (2007) Standard test method for measuring the toxicity of sediment-associated contaminants with freshwater invertebrates. Method E1706-05. Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol. 11.06. American Society for Testing and Materials, Philadelphia, PA

  • Babut MP, Garric J, Camusso M, den Besten PJ (2003) Use of sediment quality guidelines in ecological risk assessment of dredged materials: preliminary reflections. Aquat Ecosyst Health Manag 6:359–367

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Babut MP, Ahlf W, Batley GE et al (2005) International overview of sediment quality guidelines and their uses. In: Wenning RJ, Batley GE, Ingersoll CG, Moore DW (2005) Use of sediment quality guidelines and related tools for the assessment of contaminated sediments. Pensacola, Florida: Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC), pp 345–378

  • Chapman PM, Fairbrother A, Brown D (1998) A critical evaluation of safety (uncertainty) factors for ecological risk assessment. Environ Toxicol Chem 17:99–108

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chapman PM, Birge WJ, Burgess RM et al (2005) Role of sediment quality guidelines and other tools in different aquatic habitats. In: Wenning RJ, Batley GE, Ingersoll CG, Moore DW (2005) Use of sediment quality guidelines and related tools for the assessment of contaminated sediments. Pensacola, Florida: Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC), pp 267–310

  • Chapman PM, McDonald BG, Kickham PE, McKinnon S (2006) Global geographic differences in marine metals toxicity. Mar Pollut Bull 52:1081–1084

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Commission E. Directive 2008/105/EC of the European Parliament and of the council of 16 December 2008 on environmental quality standards in the field of water policy, amending and subsequently repealing Council Directives 82/176/EEC, 83/513/EEC, 84/156/EEC, 84/491/EEC, 86/280/EEC and amending Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council, 2008, pp 84–97

  • Connell D, Lam P, Richardson B, Wu R (1999) Introduction to ecotoxicology. Blackwell, Hong Kong, p 184

    Google Scholar 

  • Contaminated sediment standing team (2003) Consensus-based sediment quality guidelines—recommendations for use and application interim guidance. Contaminated sediment standing team—Department of Natural Resources Wisconsin, 35 pp

  • Crane M, Babut M (2007) Environmental quality standards for water framework directive priority substances: challenges and opportunities. Integr Environ Assess Manag 3:290–296

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Crommentuijn T, Sijm D, de Bruijn J, van Leeuwen K, van de Plassche E (2000) Maximum permissible and negligible concentrations for some organic substances and pesticides. J Environ Manage 58:297–312

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Deckere E, De Cooman W, Florus M, Devroede-Vanderlinden MP (eds) (2000) A manual for the assessment of sediments in Flanders with the Triad approach. Ministry of the Flemish Community, Brussels

  • de Deckere E, Beyen W, Van Pelt D, Veraart B, Florus M, Meire P (2002) Biological assessment of sediments: a comparison. In: Pelleti M., Porta A, Hinchee RE (eds) Characterization of contaminated sediments. Proceedings of the First International Conference on Remediation of Contaminated Sediments, 10-12 October 2001, Venice. Battelle, Geneve, pp 33–44

  • De Pauw N, Heylen S (2001) Biotic index for sediment quality assessment of watercourses in Flanders, Belgium. Aq Ecol 35:121–131

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Pauw N, Vanhooren G (1983) Method for biological quality assessment of watercourses in Belgium. Hydrobiologia 100:153–168

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Den Besten PJ, de Deckere E, Babut MP, Power B, del Valls A, Zago C, Oen AMP, Heise S (2003) Biological effects-based sediment quality in ecological risk assessment for European waters. J Soils Sediments 3:144–162

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Di Toro DM, Zarba CS, Hansen DJ, Berry WJ, Swartz RC, Cowan CE, Pavlou SP, Allen HE, Thomas NA, Paquin PR (1991) Technical basis for establishing sediment quality criteria for nonionic organic chemicals using equilibrium paritioning. Environ Toxicol Chem 10:1541–1583

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Engler RM, Long ER, Swartz RC et al (2005) Chronology of the development of sediment quality assessment methods in North America. In: Wenning RJ, Batley GE, Ingersoll CG, Moore DW (2005) Use of sediment quality guidelines and related tools for the assessment of contaminated sediments. Pensacola, Florida: Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC), pp 311–344

  • Environment Canada (2003) The sediment–toxicity (SED–TOX) index. Sediment assessment series. Montréal-Québec

  • European Commission (2003) Technical guidance document on risk assessment – part II

  • Fairey R, Long ER, Roberts CA, Anderson BS, Phillips BM, Hunt JW, Puckett HR, Wilson CJ (2001) An Evaluation of methods for calculating mean sediment quality guideline quotients as indicators of contamination and acute toxicity to amphipods by chemical mixtures. Environ Toxicol Chem 20:2276–2286

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gevrey M, Comte L, de Zwart D, de Deckere E, Lek S (2010) Modeling the chemical and toxic water status of the Scheldt basin (Belgium), using aquatic invertebrate assemblages and an advanced modeling method. Environ Pollut 158:3209–3218

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Health Council of the Netherlands (2002) Recommended exposure limits for polychlorinated biphenyls in soils and sediments, for the protection of ecosystems. The assessment of a derivation method devised by the National Institute of Public Health and the Environment (RIVM). The Hague: Health Council of the Netherlands; publication no. 2002/17

  • Heininger P, Höss S, Claus E, Pelzer J, Traunspurger W (2007) Nematode communities in contaminated river sediments. Environ Pollut 146:64–76

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Heise S, Calus E, Heininger P, Krämer T, Krüger F, Schwartz R, Förnster U (2005) Studie zur Schadestoffbelastung der Sedimente im Elbeeinzugsgebiet—Ursachen und Trends. Studie Erstellt im Auftrag der Hamburg Port Authority, Beratungszentrum für Integriertes Sedimentmanagement

  • Helsel DR (2004) Nondetects and data analysis: statistics for censored environmental data. Statistics in practice. Wiley, Chichester, p 268

    Google Scholar 

  • Ingersoll CG, MacDonald DD, Wang N, Crane JL, Field LJ, Haverland PS, Kemble NE, Lindskoog RA, Severn C, Smorong DE (2000) Predictions of sediment toxicity using consensus-based freshwater sediment quality guidelines. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 41:8–21

    Google Scholar 

  • James A, Bonnomet V, Morin A, Fribourg-Blanc B (2009) Implementation of requirements on priority substances within the context of the water framework directive. Prioritization process: monitoring-based ranking, pp 58

  • Leung KMY, Bjorgesaeter A, Gray JS, Li WK, Lui GCS, Wang Y, Lam PKS (2005) Deriving sediment quality guidelines from field-based species sensitivity distributions. Environ Sci Technol 39:5148–5156

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liess M, von der Ohe PC (2005) Analyzing effects of pesticides on invertebrate communities in streams. Environ Toxicol Chem 24:954–965

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Long ER, Chapman PM (1985) A sediment quality triad: Measures of sediment contamination, toxicity and infaunal community composition in Puget Sound. Mar Pollut Bull 16:405–415

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Long ER, MacDonald DD (1998) Recommended uses of empirically derived sediment quality guidelines for marine and estuarine ecosystems. Hum Ecol Risk Assess 4:1019–1039

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MacDonald DD, Smith SL, Wong MP, Mudroch P (1992) The development of Canadian marine environmental quality guidelines, Environment Canada, Marine environmental quality series No 1. Ottawa, Ontario

  • MacDonald DD, Carr RS, Calder FD, Long ER, Ingersoll CG (1996) Development and evaluation of consensus-based sediment quality guidelines for Florida coastal waters. Ecotoxicology 5:253–278

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • MacDonald DD, Ingersoll CG, Berger TA (2000) Development and evaluation of consensus-based sediment quality guidelines for freshwater ecosystems. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 39:20–31

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • MacDonald DD, Ingersoll CG, Smorong DE, Lindskoog RA, Sloane G, Biernacki T (2003) Development and evaluation of numerical sediment quality assessment guidelines for Florida inland waters. Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Florida

  • Neff JM, Bean DJ, Cornaby BW, Vaga RM, Gulbransen TC, Scanlon JA (1986) Sediment quality criteria methodology validation: calculation of screening level concentrations from field data. Battelle Washington Environmental Program Office for U.S. EPA, 60 p

  • Persaud D, Jaagumagi R, Hayton A (1992) Guidelines for the protection and management of aquatic sediment quality in Ontario. Toronto (ON): Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Water Resources Branch, 27 p

  • Preston BL (2002) Indirect effects in aquatic ecotoxicology: implications for ecological risk assessment. Environ Manage 29:311–323

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Salomons W, Brils J (eds) (2004) Contaminated sediments in European River Basins. SedNet final summary report, 80 pp

  • Schäfer RB, Caquet T, Siimes K, Mueller R, Lagadic L, Liess M (2007) Effects of pesticides on community structure and ecosystem functions in agricultural streams of three biogeographical regions in Europe. Sci Total Environ 382:272–285

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shine JP, Trapp CJ, Coull BA (2003) Use of receiver operating characteristic curves to evaluate sediment quality guidelines for metals. Environ Toxicol Chem 22:1642–1648

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Smith SL, MacDonald DD, Keenleyside KA, Gaudet CL (1996) The Development and implementation of Canadian sediment quality guidelines. In: Munawar M, Dave G (eds) Development and progress in sediment quality assessment. rationale, challenges, techniques and strategies. Ecovision world monograph series. SPB Academic, Amsterdam, pp 233–249

    Google Scholar 

  • Swartz RC (1999) Consensus sediment quality guidelines for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon mixtures. Environ Toxicol Chem 18:780–787

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Teuchies J, Bervoets L, Meynendonckx J, Meire P, de Deckere E (2011) The effect of waste water treatment on river metal concentrations: removal or enrichment. J Soils Sediments. doi:10.1007/s11368-010-0321-4

    Google Scholar 

  • Vangheluwe ML, Janssen CR and Van Sprang PA (2000) Selection of bioassays for sediment toxicity screening. In: Persoone G, Janssen C, De Coen W (eds) New microbiotests for routine toxicity screening and biomonitoring. Kluwer/Plenum

  • Vidal DE, Bay SM (2005) Comparative sediment quality guideline performance for predicting sediment toxicity in Southern California, USA. Environ Toxicol Chem 24:3173–3182

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Von der Ohe PC, Prüß A, Schäfer RB, Liess M, de Deckere E, Brack W (2007) Water quality indices across Europe—a comparison of the good ecological status of five river basins. J Environ Monit 9:970–978

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • von der Ohe PC, de Deckere E, Muñoz I, Wolfram G, Villagrasa M, Ginebreda A, Prüß A, Brack W (2009) Towards an integrated and integrative European risk assessment. Integr Environ Assess Manage 5:50–61

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Washington Department of Ecology (2002) Development of freshwater sediment quality values or use in Washington State. Phase I Task 6: final report. Washington Department of Ecology Sediment Management Unit, pp 67

Download references

Acknowledgements

This study was financially supported by the Flemish Environmental Agency (Flanders Environment Report, MIRA) and the European Commission (MODELKEY, Contract No 511237-GOCE). P. C. von der Ohe received financial support through a Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft fellowship (PAK 406/1).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Environment & Sustainable Development, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium

    Eric de Deckere

  2. Flemish Environment Agency, A. Van De Maelestraat 96, 9320, Erembodegem, Belgium

    Ward De Cooman

  3. Ecosystem Management Research Group, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium

    Vicky Leloup, Patrick Meire & Claudia Schmitt

  4. UFZ, Department of Effect-Directed Analysis, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany

    Peter C. von der Ohe

Authors
  1. Eric de Deckere
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ward De Cooman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Vicky Leloup
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Patrick Meire
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Claudia Schmitt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Peter C. von der Ohe
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Eric de Deckere.

Additional information

Responsible editor: Marc Babut

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

de Deckere, E., De Cooman, W., Leloup, V. et al. Development of sediment quality guidelines for freshwater ecosystems. J Soils Sediments 11, 504–517 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-010-0328-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-010-0328-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation