Swimmers Itch Control - Effect on Water Quality
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Authors
Novy, James R.
Pecor, Charles H.
Cline, Jeffery T.
Issue Date
2014-05-29
Type
Technical Report
Language
en_US
Subject
Swimmer's Itch , Effect on Water Quality Control , Inland Lake Water Quality Management Project Report , Department of Natural Resources , Technical Bulletin No. 73-4 , Michigan Water Resources Commission , Bureau of Water Management Water Quality Appraisal , Upper Great Lakes Regional Commission , 1973 , Houghton Lake, Michigan 1971-1973 , Swimmer's Itch Control - Effect on water quality
Alternative Title
Abstract
Copper sulfate (CuSO4) has been applied annually since 1944 to as much
as 3% of the surface area of Houghton L§ke to control the snail vectors
of "swimmers' itch" (schistosome dermatitis). To investigate the effects
and fate of the approximately one million pounds of copper which have been
applied to Houghton Lake, water, sediments, aquatic macroinvertebrates and
fish were analyzed for copper.
Dissolved copper in lake water was below detectable limits (<0.01 mg/1),
while total coppper associated with particulate matter in lake water ranged
from 0.02 to 0.75 mg/1. Copper content of lake sediments ranged from 1.4
to 254.9 nig/kg dry weight. Higher concentrations were generally found
associated with sediment which had large organic fractions. The highest
concentration found in sediments from areas which were treated annually with
copper sulfate was 35.3 mg/kg copper (dry weight). Copper content of
macroinvertebrates (Ephemera simulans, El 1iptio dilatatus and Orconectes s p .)
ranged from 3.0 to 48.0 mg/kg wet weight. Ephemera simulans was the only
macroinvertebrate which showed a significant relationship between its body
copper content and the copper content of associated sediments. Average copper
concentrations of bottom feeding fish, panfish and predatory fish were 1.7,
0.6, and 0.4 mg/kg wet weight, respectively. Copper concentrations in warmwater
fishes from Michigan background water quality stations ranged from
0.2 to 0.7 mg/kg.
Copper was not found to be accumulating in the sandy sediments of treatment
areas, but was being transported by suspended organic particulates to
the organic sediments in deeper areas of the lake. Wave action appears to be
the major cause of copper mobilization within Houghton Lake.
Laboratory tests showed that the organic sediments of Houghton Lake
had the capability of adsorbing up to 8,700 mg/kg copper (dry weight) before
an amount toxic to aquatic life appeared in overlying water
Description
Partial OCR done. 40 pages total.