7350

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 7350
• Author: Woodward, D. F., et al.
• Title: Leaching of Retorted Oil Shale
• USFW Year: 1985
• USFW - Doc Type: Assessing the Toxicity to Colorado Squawfish, Fathead Minnows, and Two Food-Chain Organisms
• Copyright Material: YES

888

WOODWARD ET AL.

columns (Amy et al. 1980; Fransway and Wa-
genet 1981; Stollenwerk and Runnells 1981) and
in field ]ysimeters (Kilkelly et al. ] 9 8]). Leachate
percolation models indicate that contaminants
will reside for severa] years within the shale pile
before moving into surface water (Battelle Pacific
Northwest Laboratories, unpublished report).
Limited information is available relating the
water quality of leachate to biological effects
(McKnight et al. ] 983), and any assessment
should take retention time in the shale pile into
consideration. The objective of this study was to
determine acute and partially chronic effects of
a spent shale leachate on two fish species and
two food-chain organisms and to determine the
correlation of any effects with concentrations of
salts, metals, and organics.

Methods

Test Organisms

Tests were conducted at Columbia, Missouri,
and at Jackson and Laramie, Wyoming. Well
water used to culture test animals and to dilute
shale-oil leachate had these characteristics:

Columbia Jackson Laramie
pH 8,0 8,4 8.4
Alkalinity
(mglL CaC03) 260 200 220
Hardness
(mglL CaC03) 280 175 310
Conductivity
(itS/em) 700 480 570

Colorado squawfish were obtained from the
Dexter Nationa] Fish Hatchery (New Mexico)
and held at Jackson, laboratory populations of
fathead minnows Pimephales promelas were cu]-
tured by standard procedures (USEPA ]972) at
Jackson and Laramie, and Daphnia magna were
reared at Laramie and Columbia by procedures
described by Buikema et al. (]980), The mayfly
Hexagenia bilineata was collected and cultured
as described by Frem]ing and Mauck (] 980),
Mayfly eggs were collected from the wild and
hatched in culture ponds; nymphs were accli-
mated to Columbia water in containers with glass
burrowing substrates. During culture and tests,
oxygen concentrations exceeded 4.0 mglL for fish
and 5.0 mglL for invertebrates. Ammonia con-
centrations were below 0.02 mglL for all species,
All organisms were held at water temperatures
of ] 80C.

Spent Shale Leachate

Leachates were collected from ]ysimeters at
Anvi] Points, Colorado, that contained shale re-
torted by the Paraho process. These ]ysimeters
were constructed in ] 977 by Colorado State Uni-
versity to simulate a canyon-fill disposal site
(Harbert et al. ] 979). The design allowed the
collection of ]eachates from the spent shale pile.
Our leachate sample (8,000 L) was a composite
collected from the ]ysimeter, which had either
no soil overburden or one 20 cm thick, The
leachate was collected from Apri] 22 to May I,
] 983, and transported to Jackson, Wyoming,
where it was thoroughly mixed and held in two
3,785-L po]yolefin food grade tanks. We then
transported 800 L to Columbia and 800 L to
Laramie.

Acute and Chronic Toxicity Tests

Standard 96-h acute toxicity tests were per.
formed on daphnids for 48 h and fathead min.
nows for 96 h (ASTM 1980). Seven Daphniu
magna neonates or fathead minnow larvae (boo':
less than 24 h old) were placed in each 100-ut
beaker used in the test. Three replicate beake,
were tested for each control and exposure COI>
centration. The five exposure concentratic,,;
tested were 10:90, ]8:82,32:68,56:44 and ]CO"
(percent leachate: percent dilution water, hu.'
after referred to by the percentage leachate). L:','
amie well water was used for dilution. Tempe"
ture was maintained at 170C for fathead minnc",'.
and 200C for daphnids; a photoperiod of 1 t, "
light: 8 h darkness was used in all experimerh
Every 24 h, test animals were transferred to fre~h ,
prepared control and exposure solutions, Dc,:
organisms were removed at the time of tram'
and percent survival was used to calculate U
(concentration lethal to 50% of the test orgd!'
isms) values by the trimmed Spearman-Ka,"""
method (Hamilton et al. 1977).
We performed partial-chronic toxicity te:".
with daphnids, mayflies, fathead minnows, ;,,~:,
Colorado squawfish. Separate modified pro,
tional diluter systems (Mount and Brungs I S:':, I
were used for invertebrates and fish. First,
premixed a high concentration of 25% leach:
in a special toxicant chamber, and then suC\:'
sively diluted this high concentration by 5m:co
produce four leachate solutions (25%, 13%, 6':0,
3%); controls were 0% leachate (lOO% dilutiorl
water), Every exposure was duplicated. Dap:'.

nids were expose
2-L chambers; e
of exposure SOiL
exposed in ] 5-L
500 mL of expos
in 15-Lexposure
in Columbia, fis:
tures were maint
Reproduction:
gun by placing I:
in each test cham
and numbers of
on days 14 and
stocked in each
tained glass tube
acclimated in the
ing began. Fathe
and Colorado Sql
stocked in each r'
tebrates and fish v
Iy. Total-Iengthml
15 and 30 for ma:
a modification of
method. Actual J.
measured on day
until leachate wa'
additional time f
constituents into f
posure groups wa
square tests, and
Iyzed by analysis c
comparison tests
Snedecor 1965).

General C/.

Routine monita
standard methods
ature, calibrated t}-;
Corning4 Model I
90 I with hydrogen
gen, Winkler-calib
oxygen meter; cor
Model 440 or Alte
meter; and total a:
or 90 I meter equi~
monia probe. Alk2
termined by titra:
(TDS) were deterrn
filterable residue \\

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