Accumulation of organic contaminants in sentinel mallards utilizing confined disposal facilities at Hamilton Harbour, Lake Ontario, Canada

1993 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
MartinB. Gebauer ◽  
D.Vaughn Weseloh
Keyword(s):  
Organic Contaminants ◽  
Lake Ontario ◽  
Hamilton Harbour ◽  
Confined Disposal Facilities

Loadings of PCBs and PAHs from Hamilton Harbour to Lake Ontario

1996 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 593-608 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.E. Fox ◽  
R.M. Khan ◽  
P.A. Thiessen
Keyword(s):  
Water Samples ◽  
Organic Contaminants ◽  
Water Movement ◽  
Lake Ontario ◽  
Sampling Period ◽  
Niagara River ◽  
Hamilton Harbour ◽  
Movement Data ◽  
Uniform Channel

Abstract Large-volume water samples were collected from the ship canal connecting Hamilton Harbour and Lake Ontario while detailed simultaneous measurements of water speed and direction were made. The 10-day sampling period in July 1989 and a 14-day sampling period in March 1991 were considered representative of typical stratified summer and unstratified winter flow regimes. The water samples were analysed for PCBs and PAHs, which are known major organic contaminants in Hamilton Harbour. Supporting physicochemical measurements were also made. The water movement data were combined with the contaminant concentrations and the uniform channel dimensions to calculate annual loadings of 2.8 kg/ year PCBs and 37.5 kg/ year PAHs from Hamilton Harbour to Lake Ontario. These estimates were compared to other published estimates of loadings of these compounds from Hamilton Harbour and also from the atmosphere and the Niagara River. It was concluded that Hamilton Harbour is not a significant source of these compounds in comparison to the atmosphere and the Niagara River. The PAH export estimate was found to be small when compared to in situ sediment burdens of PAHs and also present day discharges to the harbour.

Impact of Proposed Burlington and Hamilton Sewage Discharges in Western Lake Ontario

2003 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 627-645 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yerubandi R. Rao ◽  
Raj C. Murthy ◽  
Fausto Chiocchio ◽  
Michael G. Skafel ◽  
Murray N. Charlton
Keyword(s):  
Action Plan ◽  
Near Field ◽  
Lake Ontario ◽  
Zone Model ◽  
Hamilton Harbour ◽  
Western Lake ◽  
Treated Sewage ◽  
Treated Effluents ◽  
Typical Summer ◽  
The City

Abstract The alternate strategy of open-lake discharge may alleviate the need for unusually stringent treatment needed to meet water quality goals of the Hamilton Harbour Remedial Action Plan (RAP). The latest update of the RAP recommended a study of the possibility of offshore discharges. A study conducted for the City of Burlington has proposed a location for outfall in Lake Ontario. This paper utilizes a combination of physical limnological data and mathematical models to predict the waste plume characteristics for the proposed outfall in the lake. Near-field dilutions obtained from a mixing zone model show that, for treated effluents with a discharge condition of 2 m3/s at the proposed outfall site at Burlington, the dilution ratios are in the range of 13:1 to 28:1 for weak to moderate currents during summer stratification. Winter dilution ratios increased to 21:1 to 96:1 for moderate currents. The recommended site for open-lake outfall provides acceptable near-field dilutions for treated effluents under typical lake currents and density structure. The extension of outfall to a location farther offshore is only marginally beneficial. With the proposed Burlington outfall location and discharge conditions, no far-field contamination is observed near the beaches or nearby water intakes for typical summer and winter conditions. Thus, this study indicates that by discharging the treated sewage from an outfall in Lake Ontario it is possible to achieve the Hamilton Harbour RAP goals.

Zebra Mussels as Biomonitors for Organic Contaminants in the Lower Great Lakes

1996 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 411-432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael E. Comba ◽  
Janice L. Metcalfe-Smith ◽  
Klaus L.E. Kaiser
Keyword(s):  
Great Lakes ◽  
Organic Contaminants ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Soft Tissues ◽  
Lake Ontario ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Zebra Mussels ◽  
Organic Contamination ◽  
Contamination Levels ◽  
St Lawrence River

Abstract Zebra mussels were collected from 24 sites in Lake Erie, Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River between 1990 and 1992. Composite samples of whole mussels (15 sites) or soft tissues (9 sites) were analyzed for residues of organochlo-rine pesticides and PCBs to evaluate zebra mussels as biomonitors for organic contaminants. Mussels from most sites contained measurable quantities of most of the analytes. Mean concentrations were (in ng/g, whole mussel dry weight basis) 154 ΣPCB, 8.4 ΣDDT, 3.5 Σchlordane, 3.4 Σaldrin, 1.4 ΣBHC, 1.0 Σendosulfan, 0.80 mirex and 0.40 Σchlorobenzene. Concentrations varied greatly between sites, i.e., from 22 to 497 ng/g for ΣPCB and from 0.08 to 11.6 ng/g for ΣBHC, an indication that mussels are sensitive to different levels of contamination. Levels of ΣPCB and Σendosulfan were highest in mussels from the St. Lawrence River, whereas mirex was highest in those from Lake Ontario. Overall, mussels from Lake Erie were the least contaminated. These observations agree well with the spatial contaminant trends shown by other biomoni-toring programs. PCB congener class profiles in zebra mussels are also typical for nearby industrial sources, e.g., mussels below an aluminum casting plant contained 55% di-, tri- and tetrachlorobiphenyls versus 31% in those upstream. We propose the use of zebra mussels as biomonitors of organic contamination in the Great Lakes.

The influence of viruses on phytoplankton and bacterial productivity in Hamilton Harbour, an impaired embayment of Lake Ontario

2017 ◽  
Vol 43 (6) ◽  
pp. 1055-1066 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael A. Staniewski ◽  
Mark Fitzpatrick ◽  
Iftekhar F. Munawar ◽  
Mohiuddin Munawar ◽  
Steven M. Short
Keyword(s):  
Lake Ontario ◽  
Bacterial Productivity ◽  
Hamilton Harbour

Biological and Toxicologtcal Effects of Environmental Contaminants in Fish and Their Eggs

1983 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 306-312 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. Niimi
Keyword(s):  
Rainbow Trout ◽  
Organic Contaminants ◽  
Yellow Perch ◽  
Survival Rates ◽  
Lake Ontario ◽  
Smallmouth Bass ◽  
Salmo Gairdneri ◽  
White Bass ◽  
Morone Chrysops ◽  
Contaminant Transfer

Rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri), white sucker (Catostomus commersoni), white bass (Morone chrysops), smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieui), and yellow perch (Perca flavescens) were collected from Lakes Ontario and Erie to examine the relationship between contaminant levels in females and their eggs. Factors such as the percent lipid in the fish and percent of total lipid deposited in the eggs significantly influenced (P < 0.01) contaminant transfer. The percentages of the 9–11 organic contaminants transferred generally showed less variation within a species than the percentages for a substance transferred among the five species examined. This relationship was consistent even though there was over a 10-fold range in contaminant concentrations within a given species. Mercury did not demonstrate this response because the percentage in eggs was low for all species. The levels of PCB monitored in eggs of rainbow trout collected from Lake Ontario suggest that egg and fry survival rates could be affected based on the toxicological evidence from other studies. An examination of the possible effects of spawning on the kinetics of contaminants among these species suggests that relative body concentrations of organic contaminants may be decreased by 5% or be increased by 10%, and mercury levels may be increased by 6–22% following the deposition of eggs. The amount of change varies with species and is influenced by the percent egg weight of body weight, and the rate of contaminant transfer from females to eggs.Key words: toxicology, contaminants, reproduction, Lake Ontario, Lake Erie

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