CADDIS Volume 2: Sources, Stressors & Responses
Water & sediment quality in urban streams
Courtesy of U.S. EPA
Urbanization has been associated with numerous impairments of water and sediment quality, including:
↑ dissolved solutes or conductivity (Table 5)
↑ suspended solids or turbidity
↑ fecal bacteria
↑ nitrogen and phosphorus (Table 5)
↑ toxics (Table 5, Fig 22)
- metals (e.g., Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Zn)
- polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
- polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
- pesticides (e.g., chlordane, chlorpyrifos, diazinon)
- pharmaceuticals (e.g., antibiotics, hormones, anti-depressants, ibuprofen)
- other organic pollutants (e.g., caffeine, triclosan, detergents, fragrances)
Exposure of aquatic organisms to these pollutants can result in toxic effects, specific to each pollutant’s mode of action. The following pages focus on a few urban-specific water and sediment quality issues in greater depth; in addition, more detailed information on many of these parameters can be found in CADDIS’ individual stressor modules.
Click below for more information on specific topics
| Location [Reference] | Parameter |
Least Urban Site |
Most Urban Site |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malibu Creek, CA [Busse et al. 2006] |
% Impervious | 2 | 55 |
| Conductivity (μS cm-1) |
670 | 3060 | |
| SRP (μg L-1) | 43 | 75 | |
| DIN (μg L-1) | 30 | 521 | |
| Etowah River, GA [Roy et al. 2003] |
% Urban | 5 | 61 |
| Conductivity (μS cm-1) |
21 | 172 | |
| SRP (μg L-1) | 8 | 135 | |
| NH4-N (μg L-1) | 0.6 | 2.0 | |
| Charles River and Stillwater River, MA [Chalmers et al. 2007] |
% Urban | 2 | 97 |
| PAHs (mg kg-1) | 1.2 | 32.5 | |
| PCBs (mg kg-1) | <0.1 | 0.3 | |
| Cr (μg g-1) | 36 | 92 | |
| Pb (μg g-1) | 73 | 250 |
Figure 22. Overall sediment quality, as indicated by mean probable effect concentration (PEC) quotient, vs. commercial, industrial and transportation land use. PEC quotient = contaminant concentration/PEC for that contaminant; at each site, PEC quotients for metals, chlorinated hydrocarbons, and PAHs were averaged to determine mean PEC quotients.
From Chalmers AT et al. 2007. The chemical response of particle-associated contaminants in aquatic sediments to urbanization in New England, U.S.A. Journal of Contaminant Hydrology 91:4-25. Reprinted with permission from Elsevier.
From Chalmers AT et al. 2007. The chemical response of particle-associated contaminants in aquatic sediments to urbanization in New England, U.S.A. Journal of Contaminant Hydrology 91:4-25. Reprinted with permission from Elsevier.