Ecotoxicological studies of the impact of construction materials for shore protection on Lake Baikal
Keywords:
Toxicity, Rock material, Hydrochemical regime, Icthyofauna, AssessmentAbstract
Shore slopes of the majority of reservoirs are subjected to wave abrasion. Mainly ferro-concrete structures for shore protection against destruction were built on Lake Baikal. A plan to use new structures, such as wave extinguishing berms and artificial beaches of non-sorting rock material, is in effect at present. For the practical evaluation of this plan, it was necessary to perform an ecotoxicological assessment.
The investigations started in 1988 and were carried out annually. At the first stage of the investigations, toxic potential of construction material was examined. Model experiments conducted on various biota did not reveal any toxicity.
In the second stage, in the region of soil embankment, the influence of the construction material on hydrochemical composition of coastal waters and on ichthyofauna was studied. The analyses of water samples revealed that there was no negative influence of embankment on chemical composition of water of the littoral zone. The berm construction did not cause any changes in fish community composition. The construction did not influence the number of benthic littoral sculpins (Family Cottidae) or the reproduction of littoral spawning fish.
The data reveal no negative influence of the soil embankment on shallow littoral areas.
References
Kudelin, V.M. and Zubarenkova, G.G. 1991. “Ecological toxicological screening of construction materials used for shore protection of the coast of Lake Baikal”. In Monitoring and Estimation of Baikal and Pribaikalye, 189–194. Leningrad: Hydrometeoizdat. In:
UNESCO/WHO/UNEP. 1992. Water Quality Assessments. A Guide to the Use of Biota, Sediments and Water in Environmental Monitoring, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Zhukinsky, V.N., Oksiuk, O.P., Oleinic, G.N. and Kosheleva, S.I. 1981. Principles and experience of compilation of ecological classification of quality of inner surface waters. Hydrobiol. J., 17(2): 38–49.
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