“Although contaminant concentrations were highest immediately after the breach and have been falling ever since, sites are still contaminated several years after the initial event,” the paper, which was published in the journal Environmental Science and Pollution Research, states. “Cu and Al are bioavailable to mayfly larvae and Cu is bioavailable to H. azteca even four years after the initial breach. Our study suggests that sediment, not overlying water, is the likely source of potentially toxic contaminants.”
The document points out that the local environmental conditions do not favour the most bioavailable and toxic forms of metals, such as low pH, hardness, and DOC.
The process
To reach their conclusions, the scientists behind the study collected and analyzed water, sediment, freshwater scuds (Hyalella azteca), and mayfly larvae (Ephemeroptera) during the summer of 2018 from Polley Lake, affected and unaffected sites in…
