Distribution of Priority Pollutants In Western Lake Erie and Detroit

River Food Webs

Ken G. DrouillardGreat Lakes Institute for Environmental Research,

University of Windsor

Critical Contaminants in Lake Erie

PCBs and Mercury As Defined by LaMP

Related to Beneficial Use Impairments:1) Fish & Wildlife Consumption Advisories2) Animal Deformities/Reproductive Problems3) Degraded Benthos4) Restrictions on Dredging

Fish Advisory Objective• Great Lakes Fisheries Commission’s Lake Erie

Committee Objective– Reduce contaminants in all fish species to levels that

require no advisory for human consumption

• Increases in # advisories with time:– Decreases in threshold criteria used to establish sport fish

consumption advisories • Ontario in 2005 changed PCB trigger from 500 ng/g to 153 ng/g

– Introduction of special advisories for Sensitive Populations– Increased in # of analytes (monitoring programs/triggers)

• Ontario – Introduced dioxin TEQ-advisories in 2005

– Addition of more fish samples, and greater diversity of species in monitoring program databases

NO CONSUMPTION Lake Erie/Detroit River

Carp > 40 cmChannel Catfish > 40 cm Smallmouth Bass >45 cmWhitefish > 45 cm White bass > 30 cm

Carp > 15 cmCatfish >15 cm

Lake Whitefish >55 cm

Ontario Michigan

Restricted Consumption General PopulationOntario MichiganCarp >25 cmChannel catfish >20 cmCoho Salmon > 25 cmFreshwater Drum >20cmLake Whitefish (>55 cm; PCBs)Northern Pike > 40 cmRainbow Smelt > all sizesRock Bass (All sizes)Smallmouth Bass > 20 cmWalleye > 25 cmWhite Bass (All sizes)White Perch (All sizes)White Sucker > 25 cmWhitefish > 35 cmYellow Perch (All sizes)

Crappie > 22 cmFreshwater drum >35 cmLargemouth Bass – All sizesNorthern Pike – All sizesPerch > 22 cmMuskellunge – Any SizesRainbow trout >20 cmRedhorse sucker >35 cmRockbass > 22 cmSmallmouth Bass – All sizesWalleye – All Sizes

Ontario Michigan

Carp > 40 cmChannel Catfish > 20 cm

Coho Salmon > 30 cmFreshwater Drum > 20 cm

Lake Whitefish > 35 cmNorthern Pike > 40 cmRainbow Smelt – All Sizes

Rock Bass – All sizesSmallmouth Bass >20 cmWalleye >25 cmWhite Bass > All sizesWhite Perch –All sizesWhite Sucker > 20 cmYellow Perch - All sizes

All Fish SpeciesCarp >15 cmCatfish >15 cmChinook Salmon > 22 cmCoho Salmon >22 cmFreshwater drum >15 cmLake Trout >22 cmLake Whitefish > 15 cmNorthern Pike >55 cm

Rainbow Trout >22 cmRedhorse Sucker >15 cm

Smallmouth Bass >35 cmWalleye > 30 cmWhite Bass >15 cmWhite Perch >15 cm

Yellow Perch >15 cm

Restricted Consumption Sensitive Populations

Sport Fish Advisories(L. Erie/Detroit R.)

100 1000 100000.01

0.1

1

Bowfin

Peche Isl. Turkey Crk. Turkey Isl. Celeron Isl. MSI, L. Erie

Animal Size

100 1000 100000.001

0.01

0.1

1

10

Carp

Carp

L. St. Clair Peche Isl. Turkey Creek Turkey Isl. Celeron Isl. MSI, L.Erie

Animal Size

MI

MI

ON

ON

Total PCBs (ug/g wet wt)

Species: Bluegill, Yellow Perch, White Perch, White Bass, Black Crappie, Bowfin, LongnoseGar, Northern Pike, Walleye, Muskellunge, Rockbass, White Sucker, Brown Bullhead, Freshwater Drum, Carp

PCBs and Hg in Detroit River Fish 2000/2001GLIER Surveys

Total Hg (ug/g wet wt)

ON

Total PCBs Total Hg

(N=121) (n=77)

MI (0.05 ug/g) 59.5% (72) MI (0.5 ug/g) 15.6% (12)

MI (2.0 ug/g) 1.7% (2) MI (1.5 ug/g) 1.3% (1)

ON (0.153 ug/g) 24.8% (30) ON (0.26 ug/g) 36.4% (28)

ON (4.0 ug/g) 1.7% (2) ON (0.52 ug/g) 13% (10)

PCBs and Hg in Detroit River Fish During 2000/2001(GLIER Surveys)

% of samples that exceed fish advisory criteria

•Prioritizing Pollutants of Concern:•MI – prioritize PCBs as largest contributor of advisories•ON – Prioritize Hg as largest contributor of advisories

- Minimum triggers based on sensitive population criteria

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100

1000

10000Benthic FishPiscivore

Mixed FeedersForage FishBenthos

Koslowski Data 1991 Morrison Data 1993/94 Gewurtz Data 1997/98 Drouillard Survey 2000/01

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Benthic FishPiscivore Mixed FeedersForage FishBenthos

Russell et al - 1991 Data Leadley et al - 1993 Data Drouillard 2000/01 Survey

PCB

153

Conc

entra

tion

(ng/

g lip

id)

Peche Isl., Detroit River Middle Sister Isl., Lake Erie

Temporal Trends in PCB Trophodynamics1991 - 2001

•No major changes in PCB biomagnification during past 10 years.

Lake Erie Walleye - Age 4+ - 6+

FIGURE 1

Source: Whittle et al. 2003. In. Heidtke TM, Hartig J and Yu, B (Eds.), Great Lakes National Program Office, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Chicago, IL, EPA-905-R-03-001, pp 108-114.

-Overall Decline in Lake Erie Walleye PCBs < 3 fold (1970’s – Present)-We will need at least a 2 to 3 further fold decline to remove PCB advisories

DFO’s Great Lakes Contaminant Surveillance Program Data

Recent Trends in PCBs from Lake Erie Food Web Component

Trends between 1980 and 2001 are Unclear

Potentially Related to:1) Variation in loads2) Species Invasions & Changes in Diet Composition

(Morrison et al 1998, 2000)3) Changes in growth rates of fish (Tim Johnson)4) Changes in sediment re-suspension frequency

Morrison - # Storm Events May Be More Important thandiet matrix effects of Spp. Invasions

5) Variation in Fish Migration Movements

Loading Estimates for Total PCBs

00.20.40.60.8

historica

l1992199319941995199619971998

Year

Mea

n Lo

adin

g(k

g/da

y)

?

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 20040

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

GM – Detroit River Downstream Site

Cm

us(s

s)su

m P

CB

con

cent

ratio

ns

* * * * *

Source: Dolan. 2003. In. Heidtke TM, Hartig J and Yu, B (Eds.), Great Lakes National Program Office, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Chicago, IL, EPA-905-R-03-001, pp 108-114.

Dolan - Detroit River Loads-Computation of PCB loads to the Detroit River (Dolan, 2003) indicate no little or no changes over past decade

City of Windsor Biomonitoring-Significant within season variation in PCB concentrations in water, but no annual changes between 1996-2004

-Changing loads not likely contributor to variation

Effects of Invading Species?• Morrison et al. 1998. ES&T 32:3862-3867• Used PCB food web model to simulate impact of

zebra mussels on contaminant accumulation in walleye

• Model Predicted 5.8% increase in PCB bioaccumulation of walleye after zebra mussels

• Power Analysis of Walleye Data– Sample size of 990 5-yr old walleye would be needed

to detect the predicted 5.8% change in PCB residues at a significant level of p<0.05

0 2

Kilometers

4

#

7

Zone Area Depth PCB mass % PCB % Area(m2) (m) (kg) mass

1 5.4x106 0.10 1.1 0.25 4.802 3.4x106 0.10 0.4 0.09 3.023 3.7x106 0.10 2.4 0.52 3.294 7.0x106 0.10 5.9 1.31 6.235 7.1x106 0.10 7.2 1.60 6.326 8.5x106 0.10 20.5 4.55 7.567 14.3x106 0.10 27.4 6.09 12.728 7.6x106 0.10 10.8 2.40 6.76 9 4.8x106 0.10 39.8 8.84 4.2710 31.9x106 0.10 55.8 12.41 28.3811 18.7x106 0.10 278.7 61.95 16.64

112.4x106 0.10 449.9

Effect of Storm Events?

Total:

**70% Surficial sediment PCBs in TT & downstream TT

sand, gravelconsolidated soilcoarse siltfine silt

Grosse Ile Grosse Ile

(a) (b)

Normal Flow Wind Build-up

2002 Hydraulic Model Simulations•Storms generate wind build-ups that can cause water levels in the lower Detroit River to drop by 1.85 m (20-year event)

•Hydraulic model demonstrated increased flow and loss of sediment deposits in the river during these events.

Sediment Deposition Zones

Sediments most susceptible to resuspension are also the most contaminated!

Org

anis

m P

CB

Con

cent

ratio

n (n

g/g

lipid

)

0.1 1 100.1

1

10

100

BSAF = 10

BSAF = 3

BSAF = 1

Benthos: 1.68±0.28·log(Csed) - 4.55±0.82; R2=0.85; p<0.01 Forage Fish 0.57±0.10·log(Csed) - 0.46±0.05; R2=0.42; p<0.01

Sediment sPCB concentration (µg/g OC wt.)0.1 1 10

BSAF = 1

BSAF = 10

BSAF = 100

Pelagic Fish 0.47±0.11·log Csed + 0.93±0.05; R2=0.30; p<0.001Piscivores 0.26±0.12·log Csed + 1.05±0.04; R2=0.13; p<0.05Benthic Feeding Fish 0.29±0.19·log Csed + 1.00± 0.08; R2 =0.06; p>0.1

Sediment sum PCB Concentration (µg/g OC wt)

Animal Movements?

•Sediments Primary Source of PCBs Benthos & Forage Fish•Larger Spatial Integration of PCB Exposures in Fish > 100g

Next Steps: Incorporation of Walleye Movements…

•High Variability in sport fish contaminant concentrations are result of fish movements and spatially integrated exposures

•Fish movements exceed spatial boundaries of survey (Detroit River); but are consistent with scale of Corridor-Wide Study

St. Clair River

Lake St. Clair

Detroit River

1

3

457

89

1011

12131415

1617 18

21,22,23,24

*

**

2

6

19 20

*

* *

Acknowledgements• Detroit River Canadian Cleanup Committee• City of Windsor• Environment Canada’s GLSF• Ontario-Contributed COA-Funds• Mike Whittle, DFO – Contaminant Surveillance Plan• Doug Haffner, Stan Reitsma, Maciej Tomczak,

Heather Morrison, Ewa Szalinska, Todd Leadley, Rodica Lazar, Sarah Gewurtz, Harold Hagen, Sarah O’Rourke, Ashley Raeside