Public Comment. Volume III - Montana Legislature

Study Plan Page 5
potential for herbicide contamination of adjacent forage ponds, i.e., surface runoff, a review of
EPA publications on chemical effects to target aquatic organisms (which may include
surrogates), and bioassay tests (if necessary) that quantify acute toxicity, chronic toxicity,
sublethal effects, and bioaccumulation potential.
A review of the literature on herbicides may provide guidelines to protect fish, zooplankton, and
phytoplankton (Folmar and others 1979; Goldsborough and Brown 1988; Servizi and others
1987). Also, the effects of specific herbicides on hatchery species and life stages may be
obtained with consultation with the EPA's AQUatic Toxicity Information REtrieval database
(AQUIRE). This data base includes information on 6000 chemical substances in 140,000
records. Information to be retrieved may include:
LC-50's (concentration for 50% mortality),
LD50 (median lethal dose),
NR-LETH (concentration for 100% mortality),
LT50 (mean survival time), and
BCF (bioconcentiation factor).
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Species that are not listed in the AQUIRE database would either need to use a surrogate species
or bioassay experiments. The experimental design should be similar to that for the vibration
experiments, except that concentrations would vary instead of train traffic and additional blocks
may be needed to find lethal doses.
Literature review of herbicides used by TRR
AQUIRE database retrieval
Bioassays for unlisted species
Data analysis
Inciderttai Coai Dust
The increased trafficking of coal via the TRR rail link may result in significant additions of
incidental coal dust to MCFH and its water supply. Although coal is relatively inert in solution,
it may pose biological problems in mechanistic ways 'such as interfering with photosynthetic .
processes within forage-producing ponds or contributing to suspended sediments that smother
fish eggs. Information is needed to determine the cumulative effects of incidental coal dust to
hatchery fish.
Specific questions incidental coal dust studies should address include:
What is the potential for contamination of water supply or ponds fiom coal dust?
What concentrations of coal dust in water supply will pose a threat to egg and
development?
What is the effect of coal dust to the development of plankton communities in the forage
ponds, i.e., does coal dust interfere with photosynthesis?
What are the effects to MCFH fish at various life stages?
EQC Eminent Domain Study -239-