| |
Presented at the NABS Annual meeting, Vancouver, British Columbia, 2004
in Ecotoxicology
The mixing of bourbon and branch water, what we have learned.
S.M. Call1, W.L. Davis2, E.P. Akers1, J.F. Brumley1, E.C. Eisiminger1, and M.J. Vogal1. 1Kentucky Division of Water, Frankfort, Kentucky, USA 40601, 2Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, Frankfort, Kentucky, USA 40601
In May 2000 and August 2003 distillery warehouse fires resulted in the loss of 900,000 and 800,000 gallons of bourbon (ethanol), respectively. Because of these fires, an unknown volume of ethanol was discharged into two river systems in central Kentucky. Ethanol readily disperses throughout the water column; impacting communities either by direct toxicity, or indirectly by lowering dissolved oxygen concentrations by encouraging increased microbial activity. Major fish kills developed within 24 to 48 hours after the spills occurred. Low dissolved oxygen levels, resulting principally from the activity of an Acinetobacter sp. and a Pseudomonas sp., caused the fish kills. In wadable streams, dense growths of the filamentous bacteria Sphaerotilus sp., developed within a week of the spill, rendering benthic habitats anoxic, and thus unsuitable for colonization by many species of aquatic biota. Impacts to both the algal and aquatic invertebrate communities were documented. Understanding the response of aquatic biota to ethanol spills will prepare agencies for dealing with future accidents.
|
|
