Temporal changes in the benthos along a pollution gradient: Discriminating the effect of natural phenomena from sewage-industrial wastewater effects

Abstract

As pollution from the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts (LACSD) outfalls decreased between 1980 and 1983, the macrobenthic community partially recovered and surficial (0–2 cm deep) sediment contamination and toxicity decreased at 60 m water depth along a pollution gradient from the outfalls. Pollution from the LACSD outfalls continued to decrease but macrobenthic conditions and surficial sediment quality deteriorated 1 km, was unchanged 3 km, and improved 5–15 km from the LACSD outfalls between 1983 and 1986. The net effect of natural phenomena is indicated when ecosystem changes occur in the opposite direction from that expected under prevailing pollution conditions. Our data suggest that the net effect of natural phenomena (e.g. winter storms, El Niño) on the benthos was greater than LACSD wastewater effects 1 km, about equal to LACSD wastewater effects 3 km, and less than the LACSD wastewater effects 5–15 km from the outfalls at the LACSD 1983–1986 mass emission rate. Surficial sediment samples collected beyond the 1 km station from the LACSD outfalls probably represented ⪢ 3 years of natural + effluent particulates accumulation, and they were, therefore, better suited for detecting long-term trends than for testing short-term temporal variability in surficial sediment contamination and toxicity. Nevertheless, some contaminants in the surficial sediments significantly increased between 1983 and 1986, probably primarily reflecting renewed wastewater effects near the outfalls and the effects of natural phenomena (e.g. storm-induced sediment transport or erosion) further from the outfalls. Since natural phenomena may have an effect on the benthos ≥ 3 years of LACSD wastewater effects, short-term benthic changes must be interpreted cautiously at the study site.