A Ten Year Summary of Concurrent Ambient Water Column and Sediment Toxicity Tests in the Chesapeake

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Published:
January 7, 2001
Originator:
University of MD System; Ag. Experiment Station; Wye Research and Education Ctr; University of Nevada
Associated with:
Watershed Technical Workgroup

The goal of this study was to identify the relative toxicity of ambient areas in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed by using a suite of concurrent water column and sediment toxicity tests at seventy-five ambient stations in 20 Chesapeake Bay rivers from 1990 through 1999. Spatial and temporal variability was examined at selected locations throughout the 10 yr. study. Inorganic and organic contaminants were evaluated in ambient water and sediment concurrently with water column and sediment tests to assess possible causes of toxicity although absolute causality can not be established. Multivariate statistical analysis was used to develop a multiple endpoint toxicity index (TOX-INDEX) at each station for both water column and sediment toxicity data.