Salt-loving algae wipe out fish in Appalachian stream
FRANK JERNEJCIC, WVDNR
of sodium and chloride were much years in West Virginia,” says Paul A salt-loving alga that killed tens of higher than usual in Dunkard Ziemkiewicz, director of the Water millions of fish in Texas has struck Creek during the fish killsbut even Research Institute at West Virginia for the first time in an Appalachian these high levels do not account for University. stream that flows along the border the loads in the main stem of the Relatively high levels of sulfate of Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Monongahela River. We are missand other dissolved salts have been Prymnesium parvum or “golden ing major sources of those ions” he common in Dunkard Creek over algae” caused the sudden death of says. It is not currently possible to the past 10 years as a result of acthousands of fish, mussels, and track the fate of hydraulic salamanders in early Septemfracturing wastewater beber along some 30 miles of cause, unlike coal mine disDunkard Creek. University charges, it is not subject to and government scientists permitted discharge controls fear the disaster could under the Clean Water Act. presage further kills in the region. Streams at risk due to high concentrations of total Midas touch dissolved solids (TDS) include First identified in the 1930s, P. portions of the northern parvum is a microscopic flagelbranch of the Potomac River lated organism that caused and 20 other streams in West massive fish kills in the Sea of Virginia, according to state Galilee and in Israeli fish farms scientists. Pennsylvania, in the 1950s. Toxic blooms Maryland, Virginia, and Kenhave also occurred in brackish tucky also have many vulner- Muskies are among the over 16 species of fish killed waters in Europe as far north by the golden algae bloom on Dunkard Creek. able rivers and streams, as Scandinavia and in China. tive and abandoned coal mine disaccording to U.S. EPA scientists. The algae thrive in naturally brackish charges, according to West Virginia Dunkard Creek is a tributary to water typical of rivers and reservoirs monitoring data. But immediately the Monongahela River, where last in East Texas, Oklahoma, and Wyobefore the bloom, chloride (300 year high TDS levels fouled indusming. Since the first documented ppm), sodium (>3000 ppm), TDS trial equipment and ruined the fish kill in Texas in 1985, when more (9500 ppm), and electrical conductaste of drinking water. Faced with than 100,000 fish died in the Pecos tivity (>50,000 microsiemens per projected increases in TDS as a reRiver, the organism has killed more centimeter) all skyrocketed to unsult of the burgeoning and waterthan 18 million fish valued at more precedented levels, prompting biintensive natural gas hydraulic than $7 million. In 2001, P. parvum ologists to initially blame the fracturing activity at the Marcellus killed the entire year’s production of chemical contamination for the Formation, Pennsylvania Departstriped bass in Texas’s Dundee State aquatic devastation. ment of Environmental Protection Fish Hatchery. Now that the algae have been (PA DEP) recently proposed TDS P. parvum’s numbers usually reidentified as the immediate cause standards for end-of-pipe dismain low. But sometimes it rapidly of the fish kills, biologists wonder if charges of 500 parts per million reproduces with blooms that give the the soaring salt levels somehow (ppm) TDS and 250 ppm each for affected water a golden color. In initiated the bloom. If so, there is sulfate and chloride. Texas, blooms usually occur during evidence that Dunkard Creek is not Despite historically high TDS levthe cooler months when the alga alone in recently receiving record els, the creek was a good fishing seems to have an advantage over high chloride, associated with hystream with small mouth bass, other algae that grow best in warm draulic fracturing or coal-bed muskie, mussels, and salamanders, waters. methane wastewaters, not coal according to biologist Frank Jernejcic The algae’s toxins do not threatmine water, according to Ziemkwith the West Virginia Department en humans, livestock, or wild aniiewicz. Using water monitoring and of Natural Resources. In just a few mals. But the algal toxins break gill stream flow data, he calculated days the algal bloom wiped out the membranes so that unwanted chemical loadings to the Monongacreek’s 18 species of fish and 14 spechemicals, in particular calcium, hela and its tributaries. “Our mass cies of freshwater musselssthe most pour in, says James Grover, a biolobalances can account for most of diverse population of mussels in the gist at the University of Texas Arthe sulfate but not the sodium and Monongahela basin. “This is the lington. “The cells fill up with chloride,” he says. “Concentrations worst fish kill I’ve experienced in 21 calcium and explode,” he says. 9046 9 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY / December 15, 2009
10.1021/es903354w
2009 American Chemical Society
Published on Web 11/11/2009
USGS-FUNDED STUDY BY PAUL ZIEMKIEWICZ
tive model for P. parvum, believes Dunkard Creek. While some workers The exact conditions that bring this may be due to variable rainfall. are extending this quest, others are on an algal bloom are unknown, “If we have a few wet months, the trying to explain how a salt-loving “That’s the $64,000 question,” says higher flow flushes out the algae. I organism common in East Texas and biologist Carmelo Tomas at the think that’s why it comes and goes,” coastal environments found its way University of North Carolina Wilmhe says. north of the Mason-Dixon line. Sea ington. “Studies have looked at nibirds such as seagulls could have trogen, vitamins, and trace metals, Fresh water transported the algae, but many but these present a confusing The algae’s need for high TDS sugwonder whether P. parvum could story,” he adds. gests a control measure in the Appahave hitched a ride in a water tanker Texas’s experience suggests that lachians because, unlike East Texas, truck or other drilling equipthe algae need an ecological ment that has moved from the opportunity, according to Luci fields of the Barnett Shale in Cook-Hildreth, Golden Alga East Texas to the Marcellus Coordinator with the Texas Shale in Appalachia. “The Parks and Wildlife Department. movement of water in tankers In Texas, blooms occur mainly for coastal species has been in the winter months. “When shown to be a powerful way temperatures cool down, that for alien species to invade,” knocks back other algae. Then says Grover. “Cells or spores if we have a couple of clear can survive in ships’ ballast sunny days, that’s when we water. I don’t know anybody tend to get a bloom,” she says. who has looked at smaller Ziemkiewicz says conditions tanker trucks or other such were similar on Dunkard Creek equipment, but it must be a just before the bloom. Loading data suggest dumping of hydraulic fracturing waste water. Chloride and sodium loadings in Dunkard Creek consideration,” he says. A re(DU 07) can’t account for loadings in the Monongahela River Many streams vulnerable cent New York state environdownstream (Mon 08). Other tributaries (YR-12) also have West Virginia estimates that mental impact study likewise high loadings despite a lack of known sources. 21 streams could be at risk, sounds a now somewhat prebased on having electrical the high TDS is a man-made probscient warning: “potential conductivities greater than 1500 lem, according to Tomas. He notes mechanisms for the possible transfer microsiemens per centimeter, that in 2001, a North Carolina striped of invasive aquatic species may inwhich converts to about 750 to bass business excavated and filled clude trucks, hoses, pipelines, and 1000 ppm TDS. This is a good preacres of ponds with artisanal well other equipment used for water liminary assessment, says Grover. water. The bass did not grow well withdrawal and transport,” the reIn Texas, blooms appear to require because the water was too soft. So port states. Residents who live along water with at least 500 to 1000 ppm the fish farmer changed the ponds to Dunkard Creek have seen drilling TDS. “Specific ions are not crucial,” brackish water with TDS of about 4 tankers remove water from the creek; says Grover, “but I get the impresparts per thousand. The fish thrived this suggests the physical possibility sion that the more calcium in the at first, but soon they died as a result of such a transfer. In Pennsylvania, mix, the better it grows,” he says. of a P. parvum bloom. It wasn’t until such withdrawals do not require a Calcium also enhances the toxicity. the fish farm went back to very low permit as long as they are small in Blooms are not as toxic in slightsalinity water that the cycle of algal comparison to the volume of the ly acidic water. “We think this is blooms ended. stream, according to PA DEP spokesbecause there are ionizable groups The case study makes it clear that person Helen Humphreys. on the toxin, so that the toxin bea switch from water high in TDS to Genetic studies are currently uncomes more potent as pH rises,” low TDS water can prevent the algae der way to see if P. parvum from Grover says. “There’s a lot we don’t from blooming, but the lower bound Dunkard Creek is genetically similar know, but I believe that we know for the TDS is unknown. Pennsylvato strains from Texas. “The genetic enough about the overall salinity nia’s proposed discharge standards studies may show that there is a lot and the role of calcium and pH to of 500 ppm TDS and 250 ppm each of variability. This might suggest offer guidance, and West Virginia’s for sulfate and chloride would apmultiple introductions from multiple on the right track.” pear to keep the salinity below levels sources,” says Grover. “But if the Blooms can occur when surface likely to cause an outbreak. Dunkard Creek strain matches those water temperatures are as low as from Texas, well maybe that looks a 12 °C. Hitching a ride little fishy,” he says sadly. They are unpredictable, but GrovIn early November, scientists found —REBECCA RENNER er, who is trying to develop a predicP. parvum in another stream close to December 15, 2009 / ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 9 9047
