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Use of watershed characteristics to select control streams for estimating effects of metal mining wastes on extensively disturbed streams

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Abstract

Impacts of sediments and heavy metals on the biota of streams in the copper-mining district of southwestern Montana were examined by comparing aquatic communities of impacted streams with those of control streams. Control streams were chosen through the use of a technique that identifies similar streams based on similarities in their watershed characteristics. Significant differences between impacted and control sites existed for surface substrate, riparian vegetation, and the number of macroinvertebrate taxa. These results revealed that: (a) chemical and physical habitats at the impacted sites were disrupted, (b) the presence of trout was an inadequate measure of ecological integrity for these sites, and (c) watershed classification based on a combination of mapped terrestrial characteristics provided a reasonable method to select control sites where potential control sites upstream and downstream were unsuitable.

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  1. Robert M. Hughes

    Present address: Northrop Services, Inc., 200 SW 35th Street, 97333, Corvallis, OR, USA

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  1. Department of Ecology, Ethology, and Evolution, University of Illinois, 61820, Champaign, Illinois, USA

    Robert M. Hughes

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  1. Robert M. Hughes
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Hughes, R.M. Use of watershed characteristics to select control streams for estimating effects of metal mining wastes on extensively disturbed streams. Environmental Management 9, 253–262 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01867081

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