Urban runoff impacts on receiving aquatic ecosystems assessed using periphyton community

Abstract

Urban runoff is a major cause of stream degradation. For appropriate management action, there is a need to establish whether or not the runoff is degrading or potentially will degrade the receiving water. This work explored the use of local periphyton communities for assessing the ecological impacts of runoff of two urban catchments. Periphyton communities were colonized on glass substrate for 2 weeks in riverine waters receiving the urban runoff and in non-receiving waters at an upstream reference site. The receiving communities were evaluated against the reference community for photosynthetic efficiency and tolerance to copper, identified to be a significant runoff stressor. Photosynthesis efficiency was measured as a PSII quantum yield, and community tolerance was assessed using a laboratory ecotoxicological test. The hypothesis tested is that the runoff degrades by causing communities in receiving waters to become more sensitive to runoff stressors. The bioassessment indicated a much higher copper threshold than provided for in the generic water quality guidelines. The significance in the use of local community is that it allows for ecological risk analysis of exposure to runoff stressors, providing site-specific information relevant to management.