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<br />00213 <br /> <br />making them poor indicator organisms for <br />evaluating water quality. Winner et al. (19801 <br />11 71 J, following a study of heavy metal pollu- <br />tion in lotic ecosystems, hypothesize that heavi- <br />ly polluted habitats are dominated by chirono- <br />mids, moderately pOlluted habitats by chirono- <br />mids and caddisflies, and minimally polluted or <br />unpolluted habitats by caddisflies and mayflies. <br />These trends are not clear from this study, as <br />caddisflies and mayflies are found in areas of ap- <br />parently severe heavy metals pollution. <br /> <br />Fish <br /> <br />Fish are generally more sensItIve to toxic <br />pollutants than are invertebrates because of a <br />longer and more complex life cycle. They require <br />a more stable habitat and, therefore, they are ex- <br />cellent indicators of long-term water quality. <br />Fish population and species composition <br />changed considerably from upstream of the ma- <br />jor sources of heavy metals pollution to down- <br />stream of these SOurces. <br /> <br />A large population of brown and brook trout of <br />180-mm average length was found at EF-l, <br />reflecting good quality water. The small size <br />may also indicate that the habitat may be limited <br />by flows, and severe winters may result in <br />winter-kill. Heavy metals pollution downstream <br />may also be a barrier to fish movement and in- <br />tense competition may result in smaller in- <br />dividual fish. Colder water temperatures may <br />also slow growth, and water temperatures are <br /> <br />always lower in the headwaters of mountain <br />streams than downstream. Roch and Maly <br />(1979) 11301 concluded that cadmium toxicity <br />to rainbow trout was less severe at colder <br />temperatures. This may also be true with olher <br />metals. <br /> <br />Smaller fish populations, of predominantly <br />brown trout. were found at stations below the <br />Leadville Drain, suggesting that these fish were <br />adversely affected by heavy metals. Brown trout <br />may be more resistant to heavy metals pollution <br />than are brook or rainbow trout, as reflected by <br />their abundance relative to the total fish popula- <br />tion, or are naturally more aggressive when <br />establishing a territory. The absence of any fish <br />below the California Gulch inflow indicates that <br />water quality above the Lake Fork inflow is en- <br />tirely unsuitable for fish habitation. At AR-7 the <br />collection of brown trout and two species of <br />suckers indicate that water quality improved to <br />some degree downstream of the freshening in-. <br />flows. The deeper river channel downstream. <br />the substrate. and the generally warmer water <br />temperatures make it a more suitable habitat for <br />suckers. <br /> <br />Analyses for heavy metal content in brown trout <br />livers showed that fish taken from severely <br />polluted areas contained considerably higher <br />levels of copper and zinc, indicating bioaccumu- <br />lation of these elements and chronically high ex- <br />posure to these metals. <br /> <br />BIBLIOGRAPHY <br /> <br />[11 Adams, M. P., "Treatment and Control of In- <br />dustrial Wastes," Water Pollut. AbslT. <br />vol. 14. 1941. <br /> <br />/21 American Public Health Association, Stand- <br />ard Methods for the Examination of Water <br />and Wastewater, 14th ed.. APHA, Wash- <br />ington. D.C., 1975. <br /> <br />131 Anderson. J. B.. and W. T. Mason. "A Com- <br />parison of Benthic Macroinvertebrates Col- <br />lected by Dredge and Basket Sampler," J. <br />Water Pol/ut. Control Fed., vol. 40, <br />pp. 252-259, 1968. <br /> <br />141 Armitage, K. B., "Ecology of Riffle Insects of <br />the Firehole River. Wyoming," Ecology, <br />vol. 3D, pp. 571-580, 1958. <br /> <br />15\ Arthur. J. W.. and W. B. Horning, "The Use <br />of Artificial Substrates in Pollution <br /> <br />Surveys," Am. Midi. Nat., vol. 82, No. I, <br />pp. 83-89, 1969. <br />(61 Beak, T. W., T. C. Griffing. and A. G. <br />Appleby, "Use of Artificial Substrate <br />Samplers to Assess Water Pollution." In: <br />Biological Methods for the Assessment of <br />Water Quality, J. Cairns and K. L. Dickson, <br />editors, ASTM Spec. Tech. Publ. 528, <br />pp. 227-241, 1973. <br />(71 Becker, C. D., and T. L. Thatcher. Toxicity of <br />Powerplant Chemicals to Aquatic Life, U.S. <br />Atomic Energy Commission. UC-l', Wash- <br />ington, D.C.. 1973. <br />(81 Benke, A.C.. and J. 8. Wallace, "Trophic <br />Basis of Production Among Net-Spinning <br />Caddisflies in a Southern Appalachian <br />Stream," Ecology, vol. 61. No.1. <br />pp. 108-118. 1980. <br /> <br />39 <br />