Before-After Control-Impact field surveys and novel experimental approaches provide valuable insights for characterizing stream recovery from acid mine drainage

Abstract

Mineral extraction has resulted in widespread stream impairment due to habitat degradation and water quality impacts from acid mine drainage (AMD). The North Fork of Clear Creek (NFCC), Colorado, USA was historically impaired by AMD from two major point-source inputs, with some stream segments devoid of aquatic life prior to remediation. In the summer of 2017, the North Clear Creek Water Treatment Plant (NCCWTP) began AMD water treatment. To predict and characterize the biological recovery of NFCC to improvements in water quality, we conducted stream mesocosm and field experiments, as well as biomonitoring of benthic communities using a Before-After Control-Impact (BACI) study design. The NFCC stream community responded rapidly to improved water quality. Benthic algal biomass increased at impacted sites and macroinvertebrate surveys showed significant increases in abundance, taxa richness, and emerging adult aquatic insects. However, the dominant taxa colonizing downstream segments of NFCC differed considerably from those predicted based on previous field and experimental results. We hypothesize that this discrepancy is the result of differences in metal exposure regimes observed between our field and mesocosm approaches (i.e., fluctuating vs stable), colonization attributes (i.e., open vs closed system), and spatiotemporal differences in metal sensitivity due to macroinvertebrate phenology. We expect continued biological recovery in NFCC, but habitat impairment and residual sources of metals will continue to impair aquatic life until those stressors abate. Applying a combination of controlled experimental and BACI field approaches to predict and evaluate AMD-remediation projects in the future will improve the ability to understand the physical, chemical, and biological mechanisms influencing stream recovery.