Thumbnail Image
Item

Preliminary evaluation of water quality in tidal creeks of Virginia's Eastern Shore in relation to vegetable cultivation

Luckenbach, Mark W.
; 
Roberts, Morris H.
; 
Boyd, Keith
Abstract
In response to concerns raised about the impacts of vegetable cultivation using plastic ground covers on water quality, we have initiated a broad-scale, systematic study of water quality in seaside tidal creeks of Virginia' s Eastern Shore. Our objective was to determine if acute toxicity associated with heavy metals or pesticides was more prevalent in tidal creeks with drainage areas which include this agricultural practice than in those which do not. Though such correlations do not confirm cause and effect, they may serve as the basis for future, more targeted investigations and for some immediate changes in land management practices which, regardless of the specific cause, are likely to produce some remediation. Eleven study sites, located in six different watersheds, were selected to evaluate acute toxicity (from heavy metals and organic pesticides. Land use patterns and acreage within each watershed was determined from aerial photographs. The amount of vegetable plasti-culture in the watersheds of the study sites ranged from 0-13% of total acreage. An assay for heavy metals, based upon enzyme inhibition in a bacterial strain, was used to determine if up to seven metals (including copper) were present at acutely toxic levels. Both water samples and aqueous extracts of sediment samples were tested. A continuous series of 96 hr in situ bioassays using the grass shrimp, Palaemonetes pugio, were conducted from Aug. I, 1996 - Sept. 22, 1996 at each station to assay for toxicity from organic pesticides. Grass shrimp are known to be quite sensitive to insecticides and the in situ bioassay approach provides a continuous means of monitoring for toxic events.
Description
Date
1996
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Collections
Eastern Shore Laboratory (ESL)
Show all metadata
Download Dataset
Files
Thumbnail Image
ssr133.pdf
Adobe PDF, 6.66 MB
Rights Holder
Usage License
Embargo
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Keywords
ESL Publications Special Scientific Reports (SSR), Water quality -- Eastern Shore (Md. and Va.); Agricultural pollution -- Eastern Shore (Md. and Va.); Environmental quality; Pollution
Citation
Advisor
Department
Virginia Institute of Marine Science
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21220/V52F27
URI
https://scholarworks.wm.edu/handle/internal/16771
Embedded videos