The lack of effect of low temperature and high turbidity on operational Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis activity against larval black flies (Diptera: Simuliidae).

Black fly suppression programs are conducted across a wide range of environmental conditions, targeting a variety of pest species with diverse life histories. Operational applications of Vectobac 12AS (Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis) were conducted during times characterized by water temperature and turbidity extremes. Applications were conducted in the Yellow River in central Wisconsin targeting Simulium annulus and S. johannseni when water temperatures were 1-2 degrees C. Applications were conducted in the Green River in western North Carolina targeting the S. jenningsi group after a rain event, when portions of the treatment zone experienced turbidities of 276 nephelometric turbidity units. Excellent larvicidal activity was observed in both programs, with 97% mortality or greater being observed at distances over 5 km downstream of a treatment site. Mortality data for larval black flies in 2 operational suppression programs conducted in 2011 demonstrated a negligible effect of near-freezing water temperatures and exceptionally high turbidity on Bti activity.

Impacts of land disturbance on aquatic ecosystem health: quantifying the cascade of events.

The impacts of land disturbance on streams have been studied extensively, but a quantitative mechanism of stream degradation is still lacking. Small changes in land use result in changes in physical and chemical characteristics in the stream, which significantly alter biotic integrity. The objective of this study was to quantify the mechanisms of aquatic ecosystem degradation in streams impacted by watershed urbanization. By quantifying the development level and the changes in the physical parameters of receiving streams, the effects of land use change can be illustrated in a conceptual model and evaluated using a traditional ecological risk assessment framework. Three 1st-order streams draining catchments undergoing varying stages of land development were examined in the upper Piedmont physiographic province of South Carolina, U.S.A. A disturbance index was developed to quantify the changes in land use on a monthly basis. This normalized disturbance index (NDI) was quantitatively linked to an increase in the percentage of impervious cover, stormwater runoff, storm-event total suspended solid (TSS) concentrations, and the North Carolina biotic index (NCBI). The NDI was inversely related to a decline in habitat, median bed-sediment particle size, and benthic index of biotic integrity (BIBI). Unlike the percentage of impervious cover, the NDI facilitated the development of strategies for multiple scales of regulation. Predictive multivariate regressions were developed for storm-event TSS concentrations, the BIBI, and the NCBI. These regressions can be used to develop improved regulations for the effects of development and can lead to better implementation of best management practices, improved monitoring of land use change, and more sustainable development.

Influence of drought and municipal sewage effluents on the baseflow water chemistry of an upper piedmont river.

The Reedy River in South Carolina is affected by the urban area of Greenville, the third most populous city in the state, and by the effluents from two large-scale municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) located on the river. Riverine water chemistry was characterized using grab samples collected annually under spring season baseflow conditions. During the 4-year time period associated with this study, climatic variations included two severe drought spring seasons (2001 and 2002), one above-normal precipitation spring season (2003), and one below-normal precipitation spring season (2004). The influence of drought and human activities on the baseflow chemistry of the river was evaluated by comparing concentrations of dissolved anions, total metals, and other important water chemistry parameters for these different years. Concentrations of copper and zinc, common non-point source contaminants related to urban activities, were not substantially elevated in the river within the urban area under baseflow conditions when compared with headwater and tributary samples. In contrast, nitrate concentrations increased from 1.2-1.6 mg/l up to 2.6-2.9 mg/l through the urban stream reach. Concentrations of other major anions (e.g., sulfate, nitrate) also increased along the reach, suggesting that the river receives continuous inputs of these species from within the urban area. The highest concentrations of major cations and anions typically were observed immediately downstream from the two WWTP effluent discharge locations. Attenuation of nitrate downstream from the WWTPs did not always track chloride changes, suggesting that nitrate concentrations were being controlled by biochemical processes in addition to physical processes. The relative trends in decreasing nitrate concentrations with downstream distance appeared to depend on drought versus non-drought conditions, with biological processes presumably serving as a more important control during non-drought spring seasons.