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Acid Waters in Wales PDF

333 Pages·1990·7.1 MB·English
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ACID WATERS IN WALES MONOGRAPHIAE BIOLOGICAE VOLUME 66 Series Editors H.J. Dumont and M.J.A. Werger Acid Waters in Wales Edited by R.W. EDWARDS, A.S. GEE and J.H. STONER KLUWER ACADEMIC PUBLISHERS DORDRECHT / BOSTON / LONDON Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Acid waters in Wales I edited by R.W. Edwards. A.S. Gee. J.H. Stoner. p. cm. -- (Monographiae biologicae : v. 66) ISBN-13:978-94-010-7345-5 e-ISBN-13:978-94-009-1894-8 001: 10.1007/978-94-009-1894-8 1. Acid rain--Environmental aspects--Wales. 2. Land use--Wales- -Management. 3. Water quality management--Wales. I. Edwards. R. W. II. Gee, A. S. (Alun S.) III. Stoner. J. H. (John H.) IV. Series. OP1. P37 vo 1. 66 [OH545.A17] 574 s--dc20 [574.5'222] 89-39548 CIP Published by Kluwer Academic Publishers, P.O. Box 17, 3300 AA Dordrecht, The Netherlands Kluwer Academic Publishers incorporates the publishing programmes of D. Reidel, Martinus Nijhoff, Dr W. Junk and MTP Press. Sold and distributed in the U.S.A. and Canada by Kluwer Academic Publishers, 101 Philip Drive, Norwell, MA 02061, U.S.A. In all other countries, sold and distributed by Kluwer Academic Publishers Group, P.O. Box 322, 3300 AH Dordrecht, The Netherlands. printed Oil acidtin' paper All rights reserved © 1990 by Kluwer Academic Publishers Softcover reprint of the hardcover I st edition No part of the material protected by this copyright notice may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the copyright owner. The river's hard at it, Tries and tries to wash and revive A bedraggle of dirty bones. Primitive, radical Engine of earth's renewal. A solution Of all dead ends - an all-out evacuation To the sea. Ted Hughes Poet Laureate This book is dedicated to Guardians of the Water Environment Preface This book brings together research into the process of stream acidification and its impact on Welsh surface waters, carried out over the past decade or so. It is perhaps surprising that not until the 1980's was clear evidence of stream acidification assembled. In Wales, concerns over pollution had focused water quality sampling principally on the areas of traditional heavy industry and large urban popula- tions served by inadequate sewerage systems and sewage disposal arrange- ments. Mistakenly, it had been assumed that, with its prevailing westerly winds, Wales would receive precipitation substantially unpolluted by the industrial and urban emissions from Britain and mainland Europe. Assurance of the high quality of Welsh upland streams, the traditional nursery ground of salmonids, was eroded particularly by studies in the vicinity of Llyn Brianne reservoir in the catchment of the River Tywi of Central Wales. These demonstrated a clear correspondence between the biological quality and fisheries of streams in the catchment and aspects of stream chemistry, par- ticularly pH, aluminium and calcium on the one hand, and catchment land- use on the other. It is salutary to record that the first signals were of an inexplicable failure of the runs of migratory salmonids into the upper catchment, occupied by the Llyn Brianne reservoir and its influent streams, and the failure to restore the fishery by re-stocking with eggs and fry. Only then did the significance of the recent decline in some other upland lake and reservoir fisheries in Wales become apparent. Subsequent studies have developed along the following paths: i) analytical and experimental investigations of inputs, pathways and effects of acid precipitation, particularly in Llyn Brianne catchment but also elsewhere (see Chap. 1), taking into account the potentially modifying effects of forms of land-use and management. These studies include the manipulation of land-management practices, particularly in the applica- tion of lime products. ii) a synoptic survey of stream chemistry at over 100 sites throughout Wales, relating water quality to upstream land-use and, wherever possible, x Preface establishing the biological status of these sites. iii) palaeoecological studies to establish the historical changes in lake ecosys- tems and explore relationships with land use and atmospheric pollution. iv) development and application of models which facilitate the prediction of changes in the biological and chemical quality of surface waters with changes in emission patterns of atmospheric pollutants and in land-use and management practices. All these components seem essential to establishing the extent and severity of damage, in understanding the elements essential for its causation, and in assessing the opportunities for ameliorating damage within an economic framework and within a realistic time-scale of recovery. These studies have together demonstrated that in a substantial area of upland Wales, particularly the Cambrian Mountains, streams and lakes have either acidified or are likely to acidify over the next century unless there are significant changes in emission and land-use policies. Effective amelioration within a reasonable timescale will only be achieved if proposed reductions in emissions are further renewed downwards, procedures to control land-use and management in sensitive areas are strengthened and liming is encouraged in suitable locations. Such a wide-ranging programme could not have been attempted without, firstly, the collaboration of many research organisations and individuals contributing complementary expertise (see Chap. 1) and, secondly, the injection of adequate funding for the provision of equipment, costs of land- treatments and the recruitment of contract staff. The major costs of the programme have been borne by the Welsh Water Authority, particularly in providing core staff and extensive analytical services (and from September 1989 by Welsh Region of the National Rivers Authority). We are also particularly grateful to the Department of the Environment and Welsh Office for much of this supplementary funding which will ensure that the programme of catchment studies is maintained at least until 1991. The Editors wish to thank the many people who helped with the individual studies described here but whose efforts are not always recognised by author- ship. The preparation of the book was greatly assisted by Alistair Donald, Bob Hemmings and Sue Price who respectively checked the draft, traced figures and organised references. Ron Edwards Alun Gee John Stoner Contents l. Introduction to Welsh Studies 1 A.S. Gee 2. Chemical and ecological evidence on the acidification of Welsh lakes and rivers 11 S.l. Ormerod and A.S. Gee 3. Recent acidification of upland lakes in North Wales: palaeolimnological evidence 27 S.C. Fritz, A.M. Kreiser, P.G. Appleby and R.W. Battarbee 4. Atmospheric Deposition 39 A.P. Donald, 1.H. Stoner, B. Reynolds, F. Oldfield, B. Rippey and 1. N atkanski 5. The role of geology and soils in controlling surface water acidity in Wales 55 M. Hornung, S. Le-Grice, N. Brown and D. Norris 6A. Recent land use change 67 R. Boon and D. Kay 6B. Acidified Welsh lakes: the significance of land use and management 81 S.T. Patrick and A.C. Stevenson 7. The role of acidity in the ecology of Welsh lakes and streams 93 S.l. Ormerod and K.R. Wade 8. Effects of acidification on fish and fisheries in Wales 121 N.l. Milner and P.V. Varallo 9. Acid deposition - Drinking Water Quality and Health 145 C.B. Buckley and L. Keil 10. Ecotoxicological studies of acidity in Welsh streams 159 N.S. Weatherley, C.P. McCahon, D. Pascoe and S.l. Ormerod xii II. Dissolved inorganic aluminium in acidic stream and soil waters in Wales 173 C. Neal, B. Reynolds, P.A. Stevens, M. Hornung and S.J. Brown 12. Determination of aluminium speciation in acid waters 189 X. Goenaga and D.J.A. Williams 13. Catchment characteristics and basin hydrology: their effects on streamwater acidity 203 S.C. Bird, R.P.D. Walsh and I.G. Littlewood 14. Water quality changes from input to stream 223 M. Hornung, B. Reynolds, P.A. Stevens and S. Hughes 15. The influence of land management on stream water chemistry 241 S.C. Bird, S.J. Brown and E. Vaughan 16. Hydrochemical modelling of acidification in Wales 255 P.G. Whitehead, T.J. Musgrove and B.J. Cosby 17. Modelling the ecological impact of changing acidity in Welsh streams 279 S.J. Ormerod, N.S. Weatherley and A.S. Gee 18. Llyn Brianne - Acid deposition modelling 299 S.E. Metcalfe and R.G. Derwent 19. Amelioration of surface water acidity by catchment management 311 M. Hornung, S.J. Brown and A. Ranson Conversion table (equivalents and weights) 329 List of authors' addresses 331 Index 333 1. Introduction to Welsh studies A.s. GEE It is now over a century since acid precipitation was first studied in Britainll but it is only in recent years that it has been recognised to have widespread impact. As a result of a doubling of the consumption of fossil fuels in Europe between 1940 and 1970, there has been a large increase in the emissions of oxides of sulphur and nitrogen. Together with changes in emmission strategy, this had led to an increase in the amount of acidity deposited in areas remote from major sources. Where soils and rocks offer little buffering capacity, this deposition has resulted in the acidification of surface waters and major ecological changes. 15 The majority of published information on surface waters acidity is of North American or Scandinavian origin.3 • 9 More recently however, the problem of acidification has been identified in several areas of upland Britain.2 , 4, 13, 15 These and other studies? have shown that the water quality of streams, rivers and lakes is determined by the quality and quantity of atmospheric deposi- tion, the ability of soils and rocks to neutralise acids deposited or generated within catchments and differences in land use. Acidification is thought to have resulted in ecological changes including elimination of many plant and inver- tebrate taxa, the loss of salmonid fisheries and a reduction in the density and distribution of higher animals such as certain amphibians, birds and mam- mals. There is also some concern about the direct effects on man through the impact on potable supplies. Large areas of Wales are particularly vulnerable to acidification as the rocks of the uplands are slow weathering and the soils have little or no acid neutral ising capacity; the soft water streams and lakes have been particularly severely affected. This process of acidification has been exacerbated by land use changes - especially conifer afforestation, which alters the hydrological regime and increases the loading of pollutants on the system. Studies of acid waters in Wales are now sufficiently advanced to permit a synthesis of ideas on mechanisms and to allow an assessment of the regional impact. This book is largely based on work undertaken by the Welsh Water Authority (WWA) , Institutes of Terrestrial Ecology (ITE) and Hydrology (I H) and the Universities of London and Wales and has been structured so as R.W. Edwards et al. (eds) Acid Waters in Wales. 1-9. © 1990, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht

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