TPWD 1969 F-18-R-4 #1284: Region I-D Fisheries Studies: Job No. 2 Pollution Studies, Federal Aid Project No. F-18-R-4

I. I .II'I- 1 I ufaiifirLJ IdiHULJS_f2J/ JDB PRDGRESS REPDRT As required by FEDERAL AID IN FISHERIES RESTORATIDN ACT TEXAS Federal Aid Prujeet Nu. F-lS-R-h REGIUN I-D FISHERIES STUDIES Jab He. 2 Pullutiun Studies Prujeet Leader: Geurge G. Sanderson, Jr. Assistant Prujeet Leader: Runald R. Andersen J. R. Singleten Executive Direetur Parks and Wildlife Department Austin, Texas Marian Teule Eugene A. Walker D-J Cuerdinater Direetur, Wildliie Services April 1?, 1969 SUMMARY Six gravel washing cperaticns are cperating in Regicn I-D. Pclluticn bv siltaticn cccurred en the Peccs River near Grandfalls and is cccurring near Del Ric. Beth cperaticns are new being mcnitured by the Texas Water Quality Beard and ccrrective acticn is being taken. Dew Chemical Ccrpcraticu has established a flucrspar mine and mill en the Ric Grande River at LaLinda. Prcject perscnnel visited the mill and tack water samples in the Ric Grande. Analysis is iuccmplete. A fish-kill occurred in July at the Balmcrhea State Park swimming peel and at Lake Balmcrhea. The suspected causes are insecticides, heavy rain and asscc— icated runcff, and drastic cxvgen level fluctuaticns due tc a heavy algae blccm. An extensive fish—kill began in mid4chember 1968 en the Peccs River near Sheffield and ccntinued intc December. Apprcximately ?0 miles cf river and all species cf fish were affected. Suspected causes are salinitv, agricultural chemicals and wastes, cil field pclluticn, and pussiblv unkncwn chemical acticn. Draught and retenticn cf water by Red Bluff Lake have reduced water quantity in the river and intensified the effect cf anv pcllutant. A die—eff in Lake Imperial cccurred just befcre Christmas. We definite date cr cause is kncwn. Pclluticu frcm cil field activities was cbserved in the field in February. Geld weather cccurred just befcre the die-eff. JflE PRUGRESS REPURT State: Texas Prcject Nc.: F-lS-R—A Same: Regicn 1—D Fisheries Studies Jcb Nc.: 2 Title: Pclluticn Studies Pericd Ccvered: March 1, 1968 thrcugh February 28, 1969 Objectives: General: Tc investigate instances cf pclluticn affecting specific fish pcpulaticns and tc repcrt findings tn the State Water Quality Beard when remedial acticn is needed. Specific: 1, Tc determine extent cf damage tc fish pcpulaticns. 2. Tc trace the scurce cf pclluticn. 3. Tc determine the nature cf the pclluticn. A. Tc delimit saline pclluticn and its effects en fish pcpulaticns in the Peccs River belcw Red Bluff Lake and abcve the Ric Grande. 5. Tc repcrt instances cf viclaticn and negligence tc the State Water Quality Ecard. Prccedures: General: Pclluticn disccvered by prcject perscnnel cr repcrted tc prcject perscnnel was investigated thrcugh cbservaticns, water analysis, fish pcpulaticn sampling, and bicassay. The nature and scurce cf the pclluticn determined if remedial measures were pcssible and needed. Saline pclluticn in the Peccs River was extensively investigated by fishery survey, bicassay, and chemical analysis. Specific: 1. Curscry cbservaticns cf sick cr dead fish were made tc establish the length cf a stream cr area cf a lake affected. Pcpulaticn sampling with nets andfcr seines were made tc establish number and species cf fish surviving and were ccmpared with Fast samples cr ”abcve and belcw” samples tc establish cverall changes in the pcpulaticn ccmpcsiticn. 2. Frem the dcwnstream peint where dead fish were feund, a search was made upstream fer evidence as te the seurce ef the pellutant. The nature ef the pellutant (if knewn) might pinpeint the seurce. Netted er seined fish were identified in the field where pessible. Names ef fish used in this repert are these accepted by the American Fisheries Seciety as published in their Special Publicatien He. 2, 1960, A List ef Cemmen and Scientific Names ef Fishes Frem the United States and Canada, Secend Editien. Standard survey gill nets are 150 feet leng when censtructed. The meshes begin at 1-inch square and pregress te 3.5 inches square in 25—feet sectiens. Large mesh nets are 150 feet leng when built and all mesh is 3.5 inches square. The webbing cf all nets is 3 feet deep tied dewn te 6 feet. Sets are censtructed as that they sink when set. The lead line fellews bettem centeurs and the fleats suppert the webbing like a fence. Sets are usually made perpendicular re the shereline in lakes and at an angle dcwnstream and acress in rivers. Disselved exygen centent was checked in the field using a Kemmerer sampler te extract samples and a Each kit te make the determinatiens. Salinity was alse determined by bcth prcject persennel and the regienal chemist. Findings: Gravel Washing Cperatiens There are A gravel washing eperatiens near Del Rie. Dne eperatien, en Cienagas Creek, has allewed waste water te carry silt intc the creek and the creek is cheked with silt fer censiderable distance belcw the eperatien. Anether eperatien en Sycamere Creek is discharging waste water back intc the creek. All these eperatiens are being menitered by Texas Water Quality Beard field persennel. Preject persennel examined a gravel washing eperatien en the Feces River near Grandfalls, Texas, en May 22, 1968. Areas belcw, at, and abcve the epera- tien were ebserved. Evidence cf pclluticn by siltatien was shcwn by increased turbidity (6 inches secche) near the eperatien. Turbidity was 5 feet Secchi abeut 300 yards upstream and abeut 1.5 miles dcwnstream frcm the eperatien. The river was clegged with mud and silt fer apprcximately 150 yards at and belcw the entrance cf the waste water (Figure l). The cenditiens were repcrted te the Regienal Cffice and the eperatien is presently being menitered by the Texas Water Quality Eeard field persennel. A large retentien pit has been dug te retain wastes and new ne materials enter the river frem the eperatien. There is a gravel washing eperatien just nerth ef U. S. 290 abeut 2 miles east ef Sheffield in Peccs Ccunty. Waste water was being released inte an arreye which jeined the Feces River. Texas Water Quality Beard field persennel have visited the eperatien and cerrective actiens are underway. GRA‘IEL WASHING WASTE WATER Mining Uperatiens The Dew Chemical Cempany has built a fluerspar mill at LaLinda, dewnriver frem Bequillas Canyen en the Rie Grande River in Brewster Ceunty. The ere is mined appreximately 15 miles seuth ef the mill in Mexice. Fluerspar extractien frcm the ere is dene by crushing, pewdering, and:fletaticn. The dried preduct, calcium flueride, is a gray talcum-like pewder. This pcwder is trucked acress a bridge built by Dew te a railread terminal in the United States fer further dispesal. Water, eleic acid, quebrache, and sedium silicate are used in the fletatien precess. A large dispesal pit permits settling cf mest ef the suspended selids. During warm weather, evaperatien prevents waste water frcm entering the river. During ceel weather, seme cf the excess water flews frem the pit inte the Ric Grande. Water samples are periedically run by Dew chemists te meniter the effluent. Preject persennel ebtained water samples abcve, at, and belcw the mill te determine water quality. Analysis is incemplete. The element beryllium was discevered in seme ef the fluerspar ere. Dew persennel stated that all waste water frcm beryllium-centaining strata is being placed in ether retaining structures until chemical tests indicate that the material will net be bielegically harmful if it enters the Ric Crande. Balmerhea Fish-Kill A fish-kill at Lake Ealmerhea and in the springs at Salmerhea State Park was repcrted en July 22, 1968 (Figure 2). The regienal chemist, the park super- intendent, and prcject persennel met at the State Park and cenducted a study. Suspected causes were: (A) Insecticide frcm an aerial applicatien te cetten fields just west cf the State Park. The pilet was executing 1ew level passes and turns. After ene typical lew pass, ene sprayer was still releasing chemical during the turn and insecticide drifted inte the peel. The insecticide mixture was 3 parts methyl parathien, 3 parts DDT, and 1 part texaphene. (b) Heavy rains, tetaling 15 inches, eccurred in July. They intreduced temperature changes and the springs were murky during the rains. This murky cenditien is interpreted as caused by surface runeff inte the aquifer supplying the spring. Crganic and chemical pellutants are theught te have entered the springs by this means. The lake receives water frcm the springs and frcm surface runeff. (c) The sunfish pcpulaticn was spawning when the die—eff eccurred. During spawning, fish are under stress and eften in a weakened cenditien. Sepyelegnie infectiens eccur en weakened fish when scars are ebtained by fighting ever, er pretecting, nesting sites and nests. (d) Detritus carried by runeff entered the lake and caused exygen depletien. The lewer strata in Lake Salmerhea were deveid ef exygen en July 23 and 24, 1968. Asseciated cenditiens must have been present. Figure 2 BALHORHEA FISHrKILL (E) A heavy grewth ef algae was present in the springs en July 22. Super- satured exygen cenditiens eccurred in seme areas ef the springs as a result ef the algae grewth. The algae ceuld have been remeving practically all ef the dissclved exygen frcm the water at night and en cleudy, calm days. Discussien The tests fer pesticides indicated DDT present in very small ameunts - 0.000A5 ppm maximum - in the water. Chrenic presence ef insecticides weuld add a ccntinued stress facter which has net been demenstrated. Ne methyl parathien er texaphene was present in the samples tested. Methyl parathien detexifies very rapidly (Califernia Water Quality Criteria, publicatien Re. 3-A, states that the half-life en cetten leaves is less than ene beer). The DDT present ceuld be standard fer the springs as nc prier calibratiens have been made. DDT was present in very small ameunts — 0.053 ppm maximum — in the fish flesh. This ameunt is censidered tee small tc acceunt fer the kill by itself. He methyl parathien er texaphene was present in the fish flesh tested. Methyl parathien disseciates very rapidly and its acticn in fish flesh is unknewn. Cenclusiens The abeve stress facters were acting en the fish pcpulaticn prier te the die-eff. Weakened and fungus-infected fish might have begun dying regardless ef the presence er absence ef insecticides. The timing ef deaths indicated that pesticides were pessibly the everbalancing agent which accelerated the deaths cf many fish. Fish began dying seen after winddrift depesited pesticides in the spring in additien te that pessibly present in percelated water. Tests sheuld be made te determine whether er net DDT is chrenically present in the spring waters. Any change frem determined values weuld be apparent in the event ef a future die-eff. The springs have a large velume ef flew. Much ef the chemical intreduced by the spray plane weuld have been remeved by the time tests were run. DDT is mentiened frequently and ceuld be used as an indicater. DDT detexifies slewly and remains indefinitely in the water. If DDT is net chrenically present in the spring water, the eccurrence ef DDT in the chemical analysis is significant. Its presence weuld indicate that texaphene and methyl parathien were alse present in ameunts cemparable te the spray mixture, watershed use, percelated residues, and detexificatien time. Synergistic acticn eften eccurs between chemicals which increases their efficiency as insecticides (Califernia Water Quality Criteria, Ne. 3A, page 26}. The effect ef mixed DDT, texaphene, and methyl parathien en fish is unknewn. Synergistic actien, if present, ef methyl parathien, texaphene, and DDT in very small ameunts ceuld have been the everbalancing facter in many deaths. Feces River Fish-Kill An extensive fish—kill began in mid—Nevember 1968, en the Feces River near Sheffield and ccntinued inte December. Apparently all species present were affected (Figure 3}. The kill extended frem abeut 5 miles belcw U. S. 6? te belcw lndependence Creek {Figure A). Figure 3 PECOS RISER FISHFKTLL EAST OF SHEFFIELD E5 mterstsfe Highway '“' H s H‘ 1 Iii . . ”WHEY EB State Highway FEET-“arm er Ranch Fear] It: Avri c'Il feral Area 4!" Area Dead Fish Fever? and Fish Tiffanied if" Area Practically He'reid ef Fish 3"? Extent. ef' Invesljgatlen P Pig Pen Pew-F Hen-1:15 Figure A