Development of a Salinity/Toxicity Relationship to Predict Acute Toxicity of Saline Waters to Freshwater Organisms. Interim Final Report, June 1990-March 1992.

摘要

Discharge of produced water to surface waters is generally regulated as part of the NPDES permit problem and, therefore, may be subject to discharge limits for aquatic toxicity. Most produced waters contain elevated (relative to fresh water) concentrations of major ions (e.g., sodium, chloride) that can be toxic to fresh water organisms regardless of other organic and inorganic constituents. The objective of the research was to develop a Salinity/Toxicity Relationship (STR) that predicts the acute toxicity of saline waters to freshwater organisms based on the concentrations of major ions in solution. Laboratory toxicity tests were conducted to measure the acute toxicity of major ions to three freshwater species (Ceriodaphnia dubia, Daphnia magna, and fathead minnows). These laboratory toxicity data were then incorporated into multi-variate logistic regression equations that predict the acute toxicity of any combination of major ions. Logistic regression equations represented the toxicity data quite well, generally explaining in excess of 80 percent of the overall variance in survival. Application of the Ceriodaphnia STR to field data collected from surface waters receiving produced water discharges showed very strong correlation of STR predictions with the results of toxicity tests conducted on field-collected samples.