Bridgewater (2013) Muddy River Biodiversity
1
Effects of Contamination in Muddy River Sediment on Microbial Diversity Abstract The Muddy River, part of the Emerald Necklace park system designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, has been contaminated for many years with oil, pesticides, and heavy metals. This study will investigate if there is a relationship between the benthic biodiversity and the level of contamination. Willow Pond (contaminated) is about 400 yards downstream from Ward’s Pond (not contaminated). Both ponds will be sampled in areas of similar habitat and sediment type for comparison. Analytical techniques will include gas chromatography/ mass spectroscopy for analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and x-ray fluorescence for analysis of heavy metals in order to quantify the contaminant level. To complement the chemical analysis, a study of microbial diversity of the two sites will be conducted using microscopy (100x) and image analysis (CMEIAS) to quantify the characteristics of microbial populations. Background Over many years of exposure to pollution, the water quality of much of the Muddy River has deteriorated to the extent that only a very few species of fish can exist in many portions of the river. Pollutants have arisen from street run-off, and releases of oil, and illegal sewer discharges to the storm water system. Deferred park maintenance and neglect has allowed the dominance of invasive species and the erosion of the riverbank. The Muddy River Restoration Project that is currently underway aims to improve the water quality through a number of initiatives. While the total cost is expected to total more than $50 million dollars over several years, sufficient funding has been secured from governmental and non- governmental agencies, including the Town of Brookline, the City of Boston, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the Federal Government, and local non-government agencies such as the Emerald Necklace Conservancy. The significance of this research is to find out if there is a correlation between bacterial species and contamination levels in the Muddy River. I will investigate whether there is a trend in bacterial species found in contaminated versus cleaner sediments. While analyzing dissolved oxygen levels or other chemical levels can be a good indicator of health of a river, another way is to look at different microorganisms species in the sediments. Chemical indicators are a good way to understand the chemistry of a river, but it does necessarily predict a vibrant ecosystem. Indicator species of river are a way to test if the habitat will support a diversity of species, while a contaminated water source may have almost no biodiversity. Instead of disturbing sediment in order to catch invertebrates, such as water bugs, it is less disruptive to collect small samples of sediment in order to study microorganisms. Since they are also living organisms and have preferred habitats, they can be used to assess biodiversity of a river. Some species are sensitive to pollution and they can be a good indicator of what the water and sediment composition is like and if it is also safe for human consumption or recreational use. The US Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) started microbial assessments in Oregon Rivers in 1996 to test if microbes are a good for environmental indicators. There are many known microorganisms that could be used to test the health of the river, and could offer a relatively simple and inexpensive way to monitor ecosystem health. There are many microbial species in waters and studying these different species can give scientists a clearer idea what kind of ecosystems different bacteria prefer and how that preference is linked to contaminated or uncontaminated water sources. After testing the rivers in Oregon for a year, scientists were able to conclude that using microbial indicators for public health may be useful in determining the health of a river. HPC (Heterotrophic Plate Counting) and E.coli significantly correlated with most of the harmful chemicals that were sampled from the different rivers. Because of this study, it is possible to determine the health of a river, from the bacteriological communities living in water. We hope to extend that type of analysis to two ponds which have very different levels of contamination, but are within close proximity. Angeline Chen, Abigail Smith, Erika Yasamura, Dr. Michael Berger Department of Chemistry and Physics and the Department of Biology, Simmons College, Boston, MA 02115 12 th Annual Undergraduate Symposium on Sustainability and the Environment Bridgewater State University December 7, 2013 References Penninton, A.T., Harding, A. K., Hendricks, C.W., Campbell, H.M.K. (2001) “Evaluating microbial lndicators of Environmental Condition is Oregon Rivers.” Environmental Management, 28(6), 833-41. “Screening and Assessment of Contaminated Sediment”, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, January 24, 2013, Draft Version 4.0, http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/fish_marine_pdf/contamsedimentrev.pdf , accessed December 3, 2013 Acknowledgements The authors gratefully acknowledge the Simmons College Department of Chemistry and Physics and the Thermo Fisher Corporation. MICROBIAL ANALYSIS - CMEIAS (Center for Microbial Ecology Image Analysis Software) will be used to quantify microbial biodiversity by quantifying bacteria of different shapes without identifying the specific bacterial species. CMEIAS was created as a way to strengthen quantitative microscopy-based approaches to understanding microbial ecology. Biodiversity Assessment Of Willow and Ward Pond Image Analysis Using CMEIAS - Image Enhancement - Relative Microbial Populations Correlation with Chemical Data? Surficial Sediment Contaminants (by XRF) Ward's Pond Willow Pond Screening Level (ppm) (ppm) (ppm) As 9 17 33 Pb 146 267 130 Cr 17 57 110 Cu 33 122 150 Zn 68 250 460 Sample Prep of microbes from Sediment -Sample representative location -Wash sediment -Prepare slide CHEMICAL ANALYSIS - Sediment samples are collected about one foot from the surface using a scoop. The solids were air-dried slowly for a week at room temperature (avoiding heat to minimize the degradation or loss of volatiles), finely ground using a mortar and pestle, and finally sieved through a 120 mesh. A Thermo Scientific Niton XL3t portable X-ray fluorescence analyzer was used to analyze for metals. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) contaminants will be extracted from the sediment through agitation for 15 minutes at room temperature with a 50/50 mixture of hexane and methylene chloride. The extract was analyzed with a Perkin Elmer Claris 500 GC/MS with splitless injection and single ion monitoring (SIM), normally used for analyzing contaminants at trace levels. Analytical Methods Surficial PAH Sediment Contaminants (by GC/MS) Ward's Pond Willow Pond Screening Level (ppm) (ppm) (ppm) Naphthalene ND 0.07 7.7 Acenaphthylene 0.004 0.20 9.0 Acenaphthene 0.002 0.55 9.8 Fluorene ND 0.88 10.8 Phenanthrene / Anthracene 0.056 7.0 24.0 Fluoranthene 0.095 18.8 14.1 Pyrene 0.10 16.8 14.0 Benz(a)anthracene / Chrysene 0.027 9.88 33.6 Benzo(a)pyrene Benzo(b)fluoranthene 0.11 54.1 38.8 Indeno(1,2,3c,d)pyrene Benzo(g,h,i)perylene 0.036 24.1 44.2 Dibenzo(a,h)anthracene 0.036 7.14 22.4 Screening Level (ppm) with Sediment at 2% Total Organic Carbon (TOC) from U.S. EPA 2003) Results The results from the chemical analysis confirm past results that Willow Pond has considerably more contamination than Ward’s Pond. The PAH results indicate a significant difference between the ponds, that is consistent with their different history. While Willow Pond was impacted by a petroleum release about 10 years ago, and receives street storm water from a couple of drains, Ward’s Pond has had a clean history and receives no storm water. Indeed, the concentrations of PAH contaminants in Willow Pond are more than 100x greater than in Ward’s Pond. However, XRF analysis shows that both ponds have lead concentrations that exceed published Sediment Screening Values. A Sediment Screening Value is a conservative tool for making an initial assessment of the potential risks to aquatic life associated with contaminated sediment. They are primarily useful as the initial step in a multistep approach. Usually an initial assessment is followed up with three different types of sediment evaluations to ascertain risk: contaminant concentrations, sediment toxicity tests, and benthic community analyses. The microbial analysis, which is part of this test, will address the health of the benthic community in the two ponds.
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Transcript of Bridgewater (2013) Muddy River Biodiversity
Effects of Contamination in Muddy River Sediment on Microbial Diversity
Abstract
The Muddy River, part of the Emerald Necklace park system designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, has been contaminated for many years with oil, pesticides, and heavy metals. This study will investigate if there is a relationship between the benthic biodiversity and the level of contamination. Willow Pond (contaminated) is about 400 yards downstream from Ward’s Pond (not contaminated). Both ponds will be sampled in areas of similar habitat and sediment type for comparison. Analytical techniques will include gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy for analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and x-ray fluorescence for analysis of heavy metals in order to quantify the contaminant level. To complement the chemical analysis, a study of microbial diversity of the two sites will be conducted using microscopy (100x) and image analysis (CMEIAS) to quantify the characteristics of microbial populations.
Background Over many years of exposure to pollution, the water quality of much of the Muddy River has deteriorated to the extent that only a very few species of fish can exist in many portions of the river. Pollutants have arisen from street run-off, and releases of oil, and illegal sewer discharges to the storm water system. Deferred park maintenance and neglect has allowed the dominance of invasive species and the erosion of the riverbank. The Muddy River Restoration Project that is currently underway aims to improve the water quality through a number of initiatives. While the total cost is expected to total more than $50 million dollars over several years, sufficient funding has been secured from governmental and non-governmental agencies, including the Town of Brookline, the City of Boston, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the Federal Government, and local non-government agencies such as the Emerald Necklace Conservancy. The significance of this research is to find out if there is a correlation between bacterial species and contamination levels in the Muddy River. I will investigate whether there is a trend in bacterial species found in contaminated versus cleaner sediments. While analyzing dissolved oxygen levels or other chemical levels can be a good indicator of health of a river, another way is to look at different microorganisms species in the sediments. Chemical indicators are a good way to understand the chemistry of a river, but it does necessarily predict a vibrant ecosystem. Indicator species of river are a way to test if the habitat will support a diversity of species, while a contaminated water source may have almost no biodiversity. Instead of disturbing sediment in order to catch invertebrates, such as water bugs, it is less disruptive to collect small samples of sediment in order to study microorganisms. Since they are also living organisms and have preferred habitats, they can be used to assess biodiversity of a river. Some species are sensitive to pollution and they can be a good indicator of what the water and sediment composition is like and if it is also safe for human consumption or recreational use. The US Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) started microbial assessments in Oregon Rivers in 1996 to test if microbes are a good for environmental indicators. There are many known microorganisms that could be used to test the health of the river, and could offer a relatively simple and inexpensive way to monitor ecosystem health. There are many microbial species in waters and studying these different species can give scientists a clearer idea what kind of ecosystems different bacteria prefer and how that preference is linked to contaminated or uncontaminated water sources. After testing the rivers in Oregon for a year, scientists were able to conclude that using microbial indicators for public health may be useful in determining the health of a river. HPC (Heterotrophic Plate Counting) and E.coli significantly correlated with most of the harmful chemicals that were sampled from the different rivers. Because of this study, it is possible to determine the health of a river, from the bacteriological communities living in water. We hope to extend that type of analysis to two ponds which have very different levels of contamination, but are within close proximity.
Angeline Chen, Abigail Smith, Erika Yasamura, Dr. Michael Berger Department of Chemistry and Physics and the Department of Biology, Simmons College, Boston, MA 02115
12th Annual Undergraduate Symposium on
Sustainability and the Environment Bridgewater State University
December 7, 2013
References Penninton, A.T., Harding, A. K., Hendricks, C.W., Campbell, H.M.K. (2001) “Evaluating microbial lndicators of Environmental Condition is Oregon Rivers.” Environmental Management, 28(6), 833-41. “Screening and Assessment of Contaminated Sediment”, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, January 24, 2013, Draft Version 4.0, http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/fish_marine_pdf/contamsedimentrev.pdf, accessed December 3, 2013
Acknowledgements
The authors gratefully acknowledge the Simmons College Department of Chemistry and Physics and the Thermo Fisher Corporation.
MICROBIAL ANALYSIS - CMEIAS (Center for Microbial Ecology Image Analysis Software) will be used to quantify microbial biodiversity by quantifying bacteria of different shapes without identifying the specific bacterial species. CMEIAS was created as a way to strengthen quantitative microscopy-based approaches to understanding microbial ecology.
Biodiversity Assessment Of Willow and Ward Pond
Image Analysis Using CMEIAS - Image Enhancement - Relative Microbial Populations
Correlation with Chemical Data?
Surficial Sediment Contaminants (by XRF)
Ward's Pond
Willow Pond
Screening Level
(ppm) (ppm) (ppm)
As 9 17 33
Pb 146 267 130
Cr 17 57 110
Cu 33 122 150
Zn 68 250 460
Sample Prep of microbes from Sediment -Sample representative location
-Wash sediment -Prepare slide
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS - Sediment samples are collected about one foot from the surface using a scoop. The solids were air-dried slowly for a week at room temperature (avoiding heat to minimize the degradation or loss of volatiles), finely ground using a mortar and pestle, and finally sieved through a 120 mesh. A Thermo Scientific Niton XL3t portable X-ray fluorescence analyzer was used to analyze for metals. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) contaminants will be extracted from the sediment through agitation for 15 minutes at room temperature with a 50/50 mixture of hexane and methylene chloride. The extract was analyzed with a Perkin Elmer Claris 500 GC/MS with splitless injection and single ion monitoring (SIM), normally used for analyzing contaminants at trace levels.
Analytical Methods
Surficial PAH Sediment Contaminants (by GC/MS)
Ward's Pond
Willow Pond
Screening Level
(ppm) (ppm) (ppm)
Naphthalene ND 0.07 7.7
Acenaphthylene 0.004 0.20 9.0
Acenaphthene 0.002 0.55 9.8
Fluorene ND 0.88 10.8
Phenanthrene / Anthracene 0.056 7.0 24.0
Fluoranthene 0.095 18.8 14.1
Pyrene 0.10 16.8 14.0
Benz(a)anthracene / Chrysene 0.027 9.88 33.6
Benzo(a)pyrene Benzo(b)fluoranthene
0.11 54.1 38.8
Indeno(1,2,3-‐c,d)pyrene Benzo(g,h,i)perylene
0.036 24.1 44.2
Dibenzo(a,h)anthracene 0.036 7.14 22.4
Screening Level (ppm) with Sediment at 2% Total Organic Carbon (TOC) from U.S. EPA 2003)
Results The results from the chemical analysis confirm past results that Willow Pond has considerably more contamination than Ward’s Pond. The PAH results indicate a significant difference between the ponds, that is consistent with their different history. While Willow Pond was impacted by a petroleum release about 10 years ago, and receives street storm water from a couple of drains, Ward’s Pond has had a clean history and receives no storm water. Indeed, the concentrations of PAH contaminants in Willow Pond are more than 100x greater than in Ward’s Pond. However, XRF analysis shows that both ponds have lead concentrations that exceed published Sediment Screening Values. A Sediment Screening Value is a conservative tool for making an initial assessment of the potential risks to aquatic life associated with contaminated sediment. They are primarily useful as the initial step in a multistep approach. Usually an initial assessment is followed up with three different types of sediment evaluations to ascertain risk: contaminant concentrations, sediment toxicity tests, and benthic community analyses. The microbial analysis, which is part of this test, will address the health of the benthic community in the two ponds.
