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Water Quality and Macroinvertebrate Community Structure Associated with a Sportfish Hatchery Outfall
Author(s) -
Fries Loraine T.,
Bowles David E.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
north american journal of aquaculture
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.432
H-Index - 41
eISSN - 1548-8454
pISSN - 1522-2055
DOI - 10.1577/1548-8454(2002)064<0257:wqamcs>2.0.co;2
Subject(s) - outfall , benthic zone , water quality , effluent , species richness , environmental science , estuary , fishery , invertebrate , ecology , habitat , hatchery , biology , upstream and downstream (dna) , hydrology (agriculture) , upstream (networking) , fish <actinopterygii> , environmental engineering , computer network , geotechnical engineering , computer science , engineering
Water quality and benthic macroinvertebrate communities near the A. E. Wood Fish Hatchery effluent outfall in the San Marcos River, Texas, were studied from October 1996 to July 1998. The upper San Marcos River is a hydrologically stable, spring‐fed system that provides habitat for several endemic and endangered species. The hatchery effluent generally had little discernable effect on water quality at downstream locations, although total suspended solids and chlorophyll‐ a levels were elevated compared with levels in upstream areas. Benthic macroinvertebrates likewise showed no appreciable differences between upstream and downstream sampling locations, and upstream and downstream communities overlapped considerably in terms of species composition, species richness, and functional feeding group composition. We conclude that hatchery effluent did not substantially affect water quality or benthic macroinvertebrate community structure during the course of this study.