Montana State Ubiaiy 3 0864 1003 0530 2 BIOLOGICAL INTEGRITY OF CARELESS CREEK BASED ON THE STRUCTURE AND COMPOSITION OF THE BENTHIC ALGAE COMMUNITY Prepared for: State of Montana Department of Environmental Quality P.O. Box 200901 Helena, Montana 59620-0901 Project Officer: Rebecca Ridenour DEQ Contract No. 200012-10 Prepared by: Loren L. Bahls, Ph.D. Hannaea 1032 Twelfth Avenue Helena, Montana 59601 STATE DOCUMENTS COLLECT; AUG 2 3 2004 MONTANA STATE LIBRARY 1515 E. 6th AVE. HELENA, MONTANA 59620 July 21, 2004 Primed on paper mmle from 100% recycled post-consumer fiber Summary In September 2003, periphyton samples were collected from three sites on lower Careless Creek above and below the Deadman's Basin irrigation return to assess whether this segment is water-quality hmited and in need of TMDLs. The samples were collected following MDEQ standard operating procedures, processed and analyzed using standard methods for periphyton, and evaluated following modified USEPA rapid bioassessment protocols for wadeable streams. Because Careless Creek begins in a mountain ecoregion and ends in a prairie ecoregion, and because water delivered to Careless Creek originates in a mountain ecoregion, diatom metrics generated from the three samples were compared to criteria for both mountain and plains streams. This segment of Careless Creek is classified as a prairie (C-3) stream. Compared to criteria for mountain streams, diatom metrics suggest moderate impairment from sedimentation at the site above the Deadman's Basin return, and moderate impairment from organic loading at this site and the site near the mouth of Careless Creek. Minor impairment from sedimentation was noted at both sites below the return and minor impairment from organic loading was registered at the site immediately below the return. Based on criteria for prairie streams, there was no impairment from sedimentation and only minor impairment from organic loading at the three sites. Composition of the periphyton community indicates a substantial change in ecological conditions from above to below the discharge from Deadman's Basin Reservoir. Upstream of the discharge the algae indicate a warm, slowly flowing stream with a muddy bottom and brackish waters. Downstream of the discharge, the algae indicate cooler, fresher waters and faster current velocities. Taxonomic composition at the two downstream sites was very similar. The major algal taxa here suggest moderate loads of organic compounds, fresh to brackish-fresh water, somewhat depressed levels of dissolved oxygen, and elevated concentrations of inorganic nutrients. Introduction This report evaluates the biological integrity', support of aquatic life uses, and probable causes of stress or impairment to aquatic communities in Careless Creek in the Musselshell River TMDL planning area of central Montana. The purpose of this report is to provide information that will help the State of Montana determine whether lower Careless Creek is water-quality limited and in need of TMDLs. An earlier report on Careless Creek was prepared on a sample collected by MDEQ staff in 1999 (Bahls 2000). The federal Clean Water Act directs states to develop water pollution control plans (Total Maximum Daily Loads or TMDLs) that set limits on pollution loading to water-quality limited waters. Water-quality limited waters are lakes and stream segments that do not meet water- quality standards, that is, that do not fully support their beneficial uses. The Clean Water Act and USEPA regulations require each state to (1) identify waters that are water-quality limited, (2) prioritize and target waters for TMDLs, and (3) develop TMDL plans to attain and maintain water-quality standards for all water-quality limited waters. Evaluation of aquatic life use support in this report is based on the species composition and structure of periphyton (benthic algae, phytobenthos) communities at three sites that were sampled in September 2003. Periphyton is a diverse assortment of simple photosynthetic organisms called algae that live attached to or in close proximity of the stream bottom. Some algae form long filaments or large colonies and are conspicuous to the unaided eye. But most, including the ubiquitous diatoms, can be seen and identified only with the aid of a microscope. The periphyton community is a basic biological component of all aquatic ecosystems. Periphyton accounts for much of the primary production and biological diversity in Montana streams (Bahls et al. 1992). Plafkin et al. (1989) and Barbour et al. (1999) hst several advantages of using periphyton in biological assessments. Biological integrity is defined as "the ability of an aquatic ecosystem to support and maintain a balanced, integrated, adaptive community of organisms havmg a species composition, diversity-, and functional organization comparable to that of natural habitats within a region" (Karr and Dudley 1981). Project Area and Sampling Sites The project area is located in central Montana in Golden Valley County. Careless Creek is a tributary of the Musselshell River. It heads in the Big Snowy Mountains south of Lewistown and flows southeasterly for about 30 miles to its mouth east of Ryegate. Careless Creek begins in the Middle Rockies Ecoregion but flows for most of its length through the Northwestern Great Plains Ecoregion (USEPA 2000). Near its lower end, Careless Creek receives water from Deadman's Basin Reservoir, an off-stream storage reservoir. This water is used to supplement flows in the Musselshell River during the summer irrigation season. Although all three sampling sites are located in the Northwestern Great Plains, water delivered from Deadman's Basin originates in the Little Belt and Crazy Mountains (Middle Rockies Ecoregion). Periphyton samples were collected at three sites on Careless Creek (Table 1, Map 1). Elevations at the sampling sites range from about 3730 feet above mean sea level at the site above the Deadman's Basin return to about 3585 feet at the the mouth of Careless Creek. The surface geology of the Careless Creek watershed consists primarily of marine shales, sandstones, and siltstones of the Montana Group (Renfro and Feray 1972). Vegetation along lower Careless Creek is mixed grassland (USDA 1976). All three sites are classified C-3 in the Montana Surface Water Quality Standards, although Deadman's Basin Reservoir and Careless Creek above Swimming Woman Creek are classified B-1 . Both of these segments are located immediately upstream of the reach containing the Careless Creek sampling sites. Methods Periphyton samples were collected following standard operating procedures of the MDEQ Plarming, Prevention, and Assistance Division. Using appropriate tools, microalgae were scraped, brushed, or sucked from natural substrates in proportion to the importance of those substrates at each study site. Macroalgae were picked by hand in proportion to their abundance at the site. All collections of microalgae and macroalgae were pooled into a common container and preserved with Lugol's (IKI) solution. The samples were examined to estimate the relative abundance and rank by biovolume of diatoms and genera of soft (non-diatom) algae according to the method described in Bahls (1993). Soft algae were identified using Smith (1950), Prescott (1962, 1978), John et al. (2002), and Wehr and Sheath (2003). These books also served as references on the ecology of the soft algae, along with Palmer (1969, 1977). After the identification of soft algae, the raw periphyton samples were cleaned of organic matter using sulfuric acid, postassium dichromate, and 3% hydrogen peroxide. Then, permanent diatom slides were prepared using Naphrax, a high refractive index mounting medium, following Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater (APHA 1998). At least 400 diatom cells (800 valves) were counted at random and identified to species. The following were the main taxonomic references for the diatoms: Krammer and Lange-Bertalot 1986, 1988, 1991a, 1991b; Lange-Bertalot 2001; Krammer 2002. Diatom naming conventions followed those adopted by the Academy of Natural Sciences for USGS NAWQA samples (Morales and Potapova 2000). Van Dam et al. (1994) was the main ecological reference for the diatoms. The diatom proportional counts were used to generate an array of diatom association metrics. A metric is a characteristic of the biota that changes in some predictable way with increased human influence (Barbour et al. 1999). Diatoms are particularly useful in generating metrics because there is a wealth of information available in the literature regarding the pollution tolerances and water quality preferences of common diatom species (e.g., Lowe 1974, Beaver 1981, Lange-Bertalot 1996, Van Dam et al. 1994). Values for selected metrics were compared to biocriteria (numeric thresholds) developed for streams in the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains ecoregions of Montana (Tables 2 and 3). These criteria are based on the distribution of metric values measured in least-impaired reference streams (Bahls et al. 1992) and metric values measured in streams that are known to be impaired by various sources and causes of pollution (Bahls 1993). The biocriteria in Tables 2 and 3 are valid only for samples collected during the summer field season (June 21 -September 21). The criteria in Tables 2 and 3 distinguish among four levels of stress or impairment and three levels of aquatic life use support: (1) no impairment or only minor impairment (full support); (2) moderate impairment (partial support); and (3) severe impairment (nonsupport). These impairment levels correspond to excellent, good, fair, and poor biological integrity, respectively. Quality Assurance Several steps were taken to assure that the study results are accurate and reproducible. Upon receipt of the samples, station and sample attribute data were recorded in the Montana Diatom Database and the samples were assigned a unique number, e.g., 3066-01. The first part of this number (3066) designates the sampling site (Careless Creek above Deadman's Basin return) and the second part (01) designates the number of periphyton samples that that have been collected at this site for which data have been entered into the Montana Diatom Database. One sample was collected near the same location (Careless Creek near mouth) as a sample collected in 1999 (Bahls 2000). Sample observations and analyses of soft (non-diatom) algae were recorded in a lab notebook along with information on the sample label. A portion of the raw sample was used to make duplicate diatom slides. The slide used for the diatom proportional count will be deposited in the Montana Diatom Collection at the University of Montana Herbarium in Missoula. The duplicate slide will be retained by Hannaea in Helena. Diatom proportional counts have been entered into the Montana Diatom Database. Results and Discussion Results are presented in Tables 4, 5 and 6, which are located near the end of this report following the references section. Appendix A consists of a series of diatom reports, one for each sample. Each diatom report contains an alphabetical list of diatom species and their percent abundances, and values for 65 different diatom metrics and ecological attributes. Sample Notes Careless Creek above Deadman's Basin Return. This sample was very silty and contained 2 or 3 species of Spirogyra, which dominated the sample. The Oscillatoria in this sample had very wide trichomes. Careless Creek below Deadman's Basin Return. This sample contained abundant fine particulate organic matter and was very silty. Cladophora, which was dominant in this sample, was senescent and covered with organic matter and diatoms. Careless Creek near mouth. This sample was extremely silty. Cladophora was also dominant in this sample and was covered with diatom epiphytes, mainly Rhoicosphenia abbreviata. Non-Diatom Algae (Table 4) All three sites were dominated by filamentous green algae. Spirogyra (a.k.a. "pond scum") ranked first in biovolume at the upstream site above the Deadman's Basin return. Spirogyra is unattached and grows best in quiet or slowly moving waters. Cladophora, which is attached and prefers cooler water in motion, dominated at the lower two sites. Both genera are capable of becoming a nuisance under the right conditions. Other genera of filamentous green algae were also present above and below the Deadman's Basin return. Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) were found in samples collected above the return and near the mouth, but not below the return. Diatoms were abundant and ranked second in biovolume at all three sites. The number of non-diatom genera declined from a high of 6 above- the return to a low of 4 near the mouth. Diatoms (Table 5) Three of the major diatom species in Careless Creek are sensitive to organic pollution. One {Achnanthidium minutissimum) was abundant only below the return and near the mouth, while the other two (Fragilaria atomus and Staurosira construens) were abundant only at the upper site (Table 5). A. minutissimum is an attached species and prefers fresher waters such as those released from Deadman's Basin. F. atomus and S. construens are free-living, non-motile species that grow best in quiet or slow-moving waters. F. atomus is also adapted to living in waters of higher conductivity. Five of the major species are somewhat tolerant of organic pollution and these were present at all three sites. Nitzschia reversa, a somewhat tolerant species that lives in the plankton of prairie stream pools, was abundant only at the upper site, suggesting that this site had slower current velocities than the lower sites. One of the major diatom species in the 2003 samples from Careless Creek — Navicula duerrenbergiana — is most tolerant of organic pollution (pollution tolerance class 1). This motile species is adapted to living on unstable substrates of fine sediment and was found only at the lower site near the mouth, where it was abundant. When compared to criteria for mountain streams in Table 2, diatom metrics suggest that the upper and lower sites are moderately impaired by organic loading and the middle site was slightly impaired (Table 5). Elevated percentages of motile diatoms also indicate moderate impairment from sedimentation at the upper site and minor impairment at the lower two sites. However, if these same metric values are compared to criteria for prairie streams in Table 3, there is no impairment from sedimentation and only minor impairment from organic loading. This is because higher levels of sedimentation and organic loading are naturally present in prairie streams. All three sites are classified as prairie (C-3) sites. Diatom species richness and diversity values were good to excellent at all three sites for both mountain and prairie streams. The sites above and below the Deadman's Basin return shared only about 30% of their diatom assemblages, which suggests that there was a moderate change in environmental conditions between them. The middle and lower sites, however, shared almost 60% of their diatom floras, which suggests little or no change between them. Ecological Attributes (Table 6) Several ecological attributes were selected from the diatom reports in the appendix and modal categories of these attributes were extracted to characterize water quality tendencies at the three sites (Table 6). All sites were dominated by alkaliphilous (high pH) diatoms, but this is the only attribute that was common to all three sites. For four categories of ecological attributes, most diatoms at the upper site were unclassified with regard to their ecological affinities. The site above the return from Deadman's Basin was different from the two sites below the return in that it was dominated by highly motile, brackish-water diatoms. Most diatoms below the return were non-motile and preferred fresher water. Modal categories were identical for the lower two sites for all attributes except salinity. Most diatoms at the middle site prefer fresh waters whereas most diatoms at the lower site prefer somewhat saltier (brackish-fresh) water. The majority of diatoms at the two sites below the return were non-motile nitrogen autotrophs that tolerate high levels of organics and exert a moderate demand for dissolved oxygen. Nitrogen autotrophs require inorganic nitrogen (nitrates and ammonia) as nutrients. The majority of diatoms at the two lower sites indicate elevated concentrations of inorganic nutrients and a moderate amount of BOD loading. References APHA. 1998. Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater. 20* Edition. American Public Health Association. Washington, D.C. Bahls, L.L. 1979. Benthic diatom diversity as a measure of water quality. Proceedings of the Montana Academy of Sciences 38:1-6. Bahls, L.L. 1993. Penph^-ton Bioassessment Methods for Montana Streams (revised). Montana Department of Health and Environmental Sciences, Helena. Bahls, L.L. February 2000. Support of Aquatic Life Uses in Careless Creek, Lodgepole Creek, and the South Fork of Lodgepole Creek Based on the Composition and Structure of the Benthic Algae Community. Prepared for the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, Helena. Bahls, L.L., Bob Bukantis. and Steve Tralles. 1992. Benchmark Biology of Montana Reference Streams. Montana Department of Health and Environmental Sciences, Helena. Barbour. M.T., J. Gemtsen. B.D. Snyder, and J.B. Stribling. 1999. Rapid Bioassessment Protocols for Use In Streams and Wadeable Rivers: Penphyton, Benthic Macroinvertebrates and Fish. Second Edition. EPA/84 l-B-99-002. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water, Washington, D.C. Beaver, Janet. 1981. Apparent Ecological Characteristics of Some Common Freshwater Diatoms. Ontario Ministry of The Environment, Technical Support Section, Don Mills, Ontario. Johansen, J.R. 1999. Diatoms of Aerial Habitats. Chapter 12 m Stoermer, E.F., and J.P. Smol (eds.). The Diatoms: Applications For the Environmental and Earth Sciences, Cambridge University Press, New York. John, D.M., B.A. Whmon, and A.J. Brook (eds.). 2002. The Freshwater Algal Flora of the Bntish Isles: An Identification Guide to Freshwater and Terrestrial Algae. Cambridge University Karr, J.R., and D.R. Dudley. 1981. Ecological perspectives on water quality goals. Environmental Management 5:55-69. Krammer, Kurt. 2002. Cymbella. Volume 3 in Diatoms of Europe, Horst Lange-Bertalot, ed. A.R.G. Gantner Verlag K.G., Germany. Krammer, K., and H. Lange-Bertalot. 1986. Bacillariophyceae, Part 2, Volume 1 : Naviculaceae. InEttl, H., J Gerloff, H. Heynig, and D. Mollenhauer (eds.), Freshwater Flora of Middle Europe. Gustav Fischer Publisher, New York. Krammer, K., and H. Lange-Bertalot. 1988. Bacillariophyceae, Part 2, Volume 2: Bacillariaceae, Epithemiaceae, Sunrellaceae. In Ettl, H., J. Gerloff, H. Heynig, and D. Mollenhauer (eds.), Freshwater Flora of Middle Europe. Gustav Fischer Publisher, New York. Krammer, K., and H. Lange-Bertalot. 1991a. Bacillariophyceae, Part 2, Volume 3: Centrales, Fragilariaceae, Eunotiaceae. In Ettl, H., J. Gerloff, H. Heynig, and D. Mollenhauer (eds.). Freshwater Flora of Middle Europe. Gustav Fischer Publisher, Stuttgart. Krammer, K., and H. Lange-Bertalot. 1991b. Bacillariophyceae, Part 2, Volume 4: Achnanthaceae, Critical Supplement to Navicula (Lineolatae) and Gomphonema, Complete List of Literature for Volumes 1-4. In Ettl, H., G. Gartner, J. Gerloff, H. Heynig, and D. Mollenhauer (eds.). Freshwater Flora of Middle Europe. Gustav Fischer Publisher, Stuttgart. Lange-Bertalot, Horst. 1979. Pollution tolerance of diatoms as a criterion for water quality estimation. Nova Hedwigia 64:285-304. Lange-Bertalot, Horst. 1996. Rote Liste der limnischen Kieselalgen (Bacillariophyceae) Deutschlands. Schr.-R. f Vegetationskde., H. 28, pp. 633-677. BfN, Bonn-Bad Godesberg. Lange-Bertalot, Horst. 2001 . Navicula sensu stricto: 10 Genera Separated from Navicula sensu lato; Frustulia. Volume 2 in Diatoms of Europe, Horst Lange-Bertalot, ed. A.R.G. Gantner Verlag K.G., Germany. Lowe, R.L. 1974. Environmental Requirements and Pollution Tolerance of Freshwater Diatoms. EPA-670/4-74-005. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Environmental Research Center, Office of Research and Development, Cincinnati, Ohio. McFarland, B.H., B.H. Hill, and W.T. Willingham. 1997. Abnormal Fragilaria spp. (Bacillariophyceae) In streams impacted by mine drainage. Journal of Freshwater Ecology 12(1): 14 1-149. Morales, E.A., and Marina Potapova. 2000. Third NAWQA Workshop on Harmonization of Algal Taxonomy, May 2000. Patrick Center for Environmental Research, The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia. Palmer, CM. 1969. A composite rating of algae tolerating organic pollution. Journal of Phycology 5:78-82. Palmer, CM. 1977. Algae and Water Pollution: An Illustrated Manual on the Identification, Significance, and Control of Algae in Water Supplies and in Polluted Water. EPA-600/9-77-036. Plafkin, J.L., M.T. Barbour, K.D. Porter, S.K. Gross, and R.M. Hughes. 1989. Rapid Bioassessment Protocols for Use in Rivers and Streams: Benthic Macroinvertebrates and Fish. EPA 440-4-89-001 . Prescott, G.W. 1962. Algae of the Western Great Lakes Area. Wm. C. Brown Company, Dubuque, Iowa. Prescott, G.W. 1978. How to Know the Freshwater Algae. Third Edition. Wm. C Brown Company Publishers, Dubuque, Iowa. Renfro, H.B., and D.E. Feray. 1972. Geological Highway Map of the Northern Rocky Mountain Region. American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Smith, G.M. 1950. The Fresh- Water Algae of The United States. McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York. Stevenson, R.J., and Y. Pan. 1999. Assessing Environmental Conditions in Rivers and Streams with Diatoms. Chapter 2 in Stoermer, E.F., and J. P. Smol (eds.). The Diatoms: Applications For the Environmental and Earth Sciences, Cambridge University Press, New York. Stewart, W.D.P., P. Rowell, and A.N. Rai. 1980. Symbiotic Nitrogen-Fixing Cyanobacteria. Pp. 239-277 in Stewart, W.D.P., and J. Gallo (eds.). Nitrogen Fixation, Academic Press, New York. USDA. 1976. Climax Vegetation of Montana (map). U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service, Cartographic Unit, Portland. USEPA. 2000. Level III Ecoregions of the Continental United States (map). U.S. Enviroimiental Protection Agency, Corvallis, Oregon. Van Dam, Herman, Adrienne Mertens, and Jos Sinkeldam. 1994. A coded checklist and ecological Indicator values of freshwater diatoms from The Netherlands. Netherlands Journal of Aquatic Ecology 28(1): 1 17-133. Weber, CI. (ed.). 1973. Biological Field and Laboratory Methods for Measuring the Quality of Surface Waters and Effluents. EPA-670/4-73-001. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. National Environmental Research Center, Office of Research and Development, Cincinnati, Ohio. Wehr, J.D., and R.G. Sheath. 2003. Freshwater Algae of North America: Ecology and Classification. Academic Press, New York. Whittaker, R.H. 1952. A study of summer foliage insect communities in the Great Smoky Mountains. Ecological Monographs 22:1-44. Woods, A. 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T"! ^ — ^ o CJ c TO TO F U5 < U E CO >> i| E -2 o o' O E CU CL Table 6. Modal categories for selected ecological attributes of diatom species in Careless Creek. Ecological Attribute CRLSC03 CRLSC02 CRLSC01 Motility^ Salinity^ Nitrogen Uptake Oxygen Demand Saprobity Trophic State Highly Motile Not Motile Not Motile Alkaliphilous Alkaliphilous Alkaliphilous Brackish Fresh Brackish-Fresh Not Classified Autotrophs (tolerate high organics) Autotrophs (tolerate high organics) Not Classified Moderate Moderate Not Classified alpha-Mesosaprobous alpha-Mesosaprob Not Classified Eutraphentic Eutraphentic 'Dr. R. Jan Stevenson, Michigan State University, digital communication. ^Van Dam et al. 1994