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Assessing urban stormwater toxicity: methodology evolution from point observations to longitudinal profiling.

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PubMed
Summary

Stormwater runoff in Toronto contaminates aquatic habitats. Sediment toxicity, driven by metals and PAHs, harmed invertebrates, while salinity reduced benthic community diversity.

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Area of Science:

  • Environmental Toxicology
  • Aquatic Ecology
  • Urban Hydrology

Background:

  • Stormwater management facilities (SMFs) in urban areas receive diverse contaminants.
  • Highway runoff introduces trace metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and road salt into SMFs.
  • Assessing ecotoxicological impacts on benthic invertebrates is crucial for evaluating aquatic habitat quality.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the ecotoxicological responses of benthic invertebrates to sediment and water from a Toronto SMF.
  • To identify sources and types of contamination affecting aquatic habitat quality within the SMF.
  • To correlate sediment and water chemistry with observed toxicity and benthic community structure.

Main Methods:

  • Collected surficial sediment from 14 locations within a multi-pond SMF and an outlet channel.
  • Conducted laboratory toxicity tests using four benthic invertebrate species, assessing 10 acute and chronic endpoints.
  • Analyzed sediment and water for trace metals, PAHs, and salinity; characterized macroinvertebrate communities.

Main Results:

  • Upstream pond sediment exhibited the highest toxicity, causing up to 100% mortality in amphipods and mayflies.
  • Sediment toxicity correlated with elevated trace metal and high-molecular weight PAH concentrations.
  • Benthic macroinvertebrate communities were depauperate, dominated by oligochaetes and chironomids, with reduced diversity linked to high water column salinity.

Conclusions:

  • The studied SMF's aquatic habitat quality is compromised by highway runoff contaminants.
  • Trace metals and PAHs contribute to sediment toxicity, while salinity impacts benthic community structure.
  • Effective management strategies are needed to mitigate ecotoxicological risks in urban stormwater systems.