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- Title
Application of Limestone to Restore Fish Communities in Acidified Streams.
- Authors
Clayton, Janet L.; Dannaway, Eric S.; Menendez, Raymond; Rauch, Henry W.; Renton, John J.; Sherlock, Sean M.; Zurbuch, Peter E.
- Abstract
Five, second-order, acidic streams in West Virginia were treated with instream applications of fine-grained limestone. Three variations in treatment were tested to optimize limestone dissolution: the particle size of the limestone, the amount used, and the number of application points. The goal of the study was to develop a cost-effective method to restore water quality that would sustain fisheries for native brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis. In all of the treatments, water quality improved and the fish communities were either restored or enhanced. Before limestone treatment, only one of the study streams contained a reproducing brook trout population. Following treatment, the fish communities expanded rapidly from 0.01 kg/ha to a high of 38 kg/ha, and the number of species increased to a high of eight. The untreated control stream remained unchanged. Due to a lack of duplicate streams, a statistical comparison could not be made between the different sizes of limestone tested or the amounts added. However, sand and crusher-run-sized limestone appeared to be more effective than coarse gravel in improving water quality. An initial treatment equivalent to two times the stream's estimated annual acid load was as effective in neutralizing acid flow as a treatment of four times the estimated annual acid load. Treatment at one stream point was as effective as treatment at three stream points. The instream addition of fine-grained limestone can restore fish communities to streams acidified by acid deposition at a substantially lower cost than most other treatment methods.
- Publication
North American Journal of Fisheries Management, 1998, Vol 18, Issue 2, p347
- ISSN
0275-5947
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1577/1548-8675(1998)018<0347:AOLTRF>2.0.CO;2