Toxicity and chemistry data from an evaluation of metal-contaminated sediments from the Upper Columbia River, Washington, 2013-2014

This resource contains chemistry and toxicity data from sediment toxicity tests conducted by the USGS Columbia Environmental Research Center with 66 sediment samples collected from in and around the Upper Columbia River in the fall of 2013. Toxicity testing was conducted from fall 2013 through summer 2014 with the amphipod, Hyalella azteca, the midge Chironomus dilutus, and the mussel Lampsilis siliquoidea. Short-term toxicity endpoints (10-28 d) included survival, weight, and biomass of all test organisms. Long-term tests with amphipods (42 d) and midges (about 50 d) included reproduction endpoint. Sediments were analyzed for physical and chemical characteristics, including particle size distribution, total organic carbon, acid volatile sulfide, slag content, and concentrations of metals in total-recoverable and simultaneously-extracted fractions. Porewaters were separated by centrifugation and by peepers (diffusion samplers) and were analyzed for filterable metals, dissolved organic carbon, and major ions. These data are intended to be used to characterize concentration-response relationships between metals concentrations and toxicity endpoints and to estimate site-specific toxicity thresholds for select metals or metal mixtures. These hresholds will be used to evaluate risks or injuries to the benthic invertebrate community associated with exposure to contaminated sediments and to develop goals for remediation of sediments of the Upper Columbia River.

本数据集包含美国地质调查局（USGS）哥伦比亚环境研究中心开展的沉积物毒性测试相关化学与毒性数据，所用样本为2013年秋季从哥伦比亚河上游流域及其周边采集的66份沉积物样品。毒性测试周期为2013年秋季至2014年夏季，受试生物包括钩虾（Hyalella azteca）、摇蚊（Chironomus dilutus）以及蚌类（Lampsilis siliquoidea）。短期毒性测试时长为10至28天，观测终点涵盖所有受试生物的存活率、体重与生物量；钩虾（42天）与摇蚊（约50天）的长期毒性测试则以繁殖能力作为观测终点。研究人员对沉积物的理化特征进行了分析，检测指标包括粒径分布、总有机碳、酸挥发性硫化物、炉渣含量，以及总可回收态与同步提取态金属的浓度。间隙水通过离心法与peepers（diffusion samplers，扩散采样器）两种方式分离，并针对可过滤态金属、溶解性有机碳及主要离子开展检测。本数据集旨在刻画金属浓度与毒性终点之间的浓度-响应关系，并估算特定金属或金属混合物的场地特异性毒性阈值。这些阈值将用于评估受污染沉积物暴露对底栖无脊椎动物群落造成的风险与损害，并为哥伦比亚河上游流域沉积物的修复制定目标。