Mercury Exposure in Piscivorous Birds at the Carson River (NV) Superfund Site, 1997-2006

The persistence and degree of mercury contamination of the lower Carson River system (LCRS) have led to placement of a portion of the Carson River Basin (including Lahontan Reservoir) on the US. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) National Priorities List ("Superfund") for research and cleanup. The potential toxicity of mercury concentrations within the LCRS to piscivorous birds (snowy egrets, black-crowned night-herons, and double-crested cormorants) was examined from 1997-2006. This data set supports the following publications: Henny, C.J., Hill, E.F., Grove, R.A., Kaiser, J.L., 2007, Mercury and drought along the lower Carson River, Nevada- I. Snowy egret and black-crowned night-heron annual exposure to mercury, 1997-2006: Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, v. 53, p. 269-280. Hill, E.F., Henny, C.J., Grove, R.A., 2008, Mercury and drought along the lower Carson River, Nevada- II. Snowy egret and black-crowned night-heron reproduction on Lahontan Reservoir, 1997-2006: Ecotoxicology, v. 17, p. 117-131. Hoffman, D.J., Henny, C.J., Hill, E.F., Grove, R.A., Kaiser, J.L., Stebbins, K.R., 2009, Mercury and drought along the lower Carson River, Nevada- III. Effects on blood and organ biochemistry and histopathology of snowy egrets and black-crowned night-herons on Lahontan Reservoir, 2002-2006: Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A, v. 72, p. 1223-1241.