This data release contains chemistry and toxicity data from sediment toxicity tests conducted by the USGS Columbia Environmental Research Center (CERC) with 66 sediment samples collected from in and around the Upper Columbia River in the fall of 2013. Toxicity testing was conducted from fall 2013 through summer 2014 with the amphipod, Hyalella azteca, the midge Chironomus dilutus, and the mussel Lampsilis siliquoidea. Short-term toxicity endpoints (10-28 d) included survival, weight, and biomass of all test organisms. Long-term tests with amphipods (42 d) and midges (about 50 d) included reproduction endpoint. Sediments were analyzed for physical and chemical characteristics, including particle size distribution, total organic carbon, acid volatile sulfide, slag content, and concentrations of metals in total-recoverable and simultaneously-extracted fractions. Porewaters were separated by centrifugation and by peepers (diffusion samplers) and were analyzed for filterable metals, dissolved organic carbon, and major ions. These data are intended to be used to characterize concentration-response relationships between metals concentrations and toxicity endpoints and to estimate site-specific toxicity thresholds for select metals or metal mixtures. These thresholds will be used to evaluate risks or injuries to the benthic invertebrate community associated with exposure to contaminated sediments and to develop goals for remediation of sediments of the Upper Columbia River.

This data release contains bioassay data from sediment toxicity tests conducted by the USGS Columbia Environmental Research Center (CERC) with 66 sediment samples collected from in and around the Upper Columbia River in the fall of 2013. Toxicity testing was conducted from fall 2013 through summer 2014 with the amphipod, Hyalella azteca, the midge Chironomus dilutus, and the mussel Lampsilis siliquoidea. Short-term toxicity endpoints (10-28 d) included survival, weight, and biomass of all test organisms. Long-term tests with amphipods (42 d) and midges (about 50 d) included reproduction endpoint. Sediments were analyzed for physical and chemical characteristics, including particle size distribution, total organic carbon, acid volatile sulfide, slag content, and concentrations of metals in total-recoverable and simultaneously-extracted fractions. Porewaters were separated by centrifugation and by peepers (diffusion samplers) and were analyzed for filterable metals, dissolved organic carbon, and major ions. These data are intended to be used to characterize concentration-response relationships between metals concentrations and toxicity endpoints and to estimate site-specific toxicity thresholds for select metals or metal mixtures. These thresholds will be used to evaluate risks or injuries to the benthic invertebrate community associated with exposure to contaminated sediments and to develop goals for remediation of sediments of the Upper Columbia River.

This data release contains bioassay data from sediment toxicity tests conducted by the USGS Columbia Environmental Research Center (CERC) with 66 sediment samples collected from in and around the Upper Columbia River in the fall of 2013. Toxicity testing was conducted from fall 2013 through summer 2014 with the amphipod, Hyalella azteca, the midge Chironomus dilutus, and the mussel Lampsilis siliquoidea. Short-term toxicity endpoints (10-28 d) included survival, weight, and biomass of all test organisms. Long-term tests with amphipods (42 d) and midges (about 50 d) included reproduction endpoint. Sediments were analyzed for physical and chemical characteristics, including particle size distribution, total organic carbon, acid volatile sulfide, slag content, and concentrations of metals in total-recoverable and simultaneously-extracted fractions. Porewaters were separated by centrifugation and by peepers (diffusion samplers) and were analyzed for filterable metals, dissolved organic carbon, and major ions. These data are intended to be used to characterize concentration-response relationships between metals concentrations and toxicity endpoints and to estimate site-specific toxicity thresholds for select metals or metal mixtures. These thresholds will be used to evaluate risks or injuries to the benthic invertebrate community associated with exposure to contaminated sediments and to develop goals for remediation of sediments of the Upper Columbia River.

Data from 10-day sediment toxicity tests of bed sediments from the Eighteenmile Creek Area of Concern and Oak Orchard Creek (nearby reference stream), Niagara and Orleans County, New York, respectively. Specifically, the data was used to compare the survival and growth of two macroinvertebrate species in sediments from study sites and laboratory controls. Results are from 10-day sediment exposures of two test species, Chironomus dilutus and Hyalella azteca. Sediment samples were collected from five sites on each stream. Bed-sediments were collected from depositional areas using a petite Ponar (0.03 square meter) dredge. At each site, approximately five grabs were composited into a bucket, mixed, and a 4-liter (L) subsample was stored in a polyethylene container. Sediment toxicity testing were then conducted by a contract laboratory to quantify toxicity with the dipteran, Chironomus dilutus, and the amphipod, Hyalella azteca, during 10-day survival and growth bioassays following USEPA test methods 100.2 and 100.1, respectively. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2000, Methods for measuring the toxicity and bioaccumulation of sediment associated contaminants with freshwater invertebrates. Second edition: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development EPA 600/R-99/064. This spreadsheet contains 13 columns. The first 7 columns describe the sample collection information, the remaining 6 columns provide the survival and growth results of two test species used in sediment toxicity tests. The data include the stream name, site ID, latitude and longitude, replicate number, and site type. Six columns of results from 10-day sediment exposures of two test species, Chironomus dilutus and Hyalella azteca. The following endpoints were measured for each species following the 10-day exposure: number of surviving organisms, percentage of organisms surviving (hereafter survival), and average ash-free dry weight of the surviving organisms (hereafter growth).

Data from 10-day sediment toxicity tests of bed sediments from the Eighteenmile Creek Area of Concern and Oak Orchard Creek (nearby reference stream), Niagara and Orleans County, New York, respectively. Specifically, the data was used to compare the survival and growth of two macroinvertebrate species in sediments from study sites and laboratory controls. Results are from 10-day sediment exposures of two test species, Chironomus dilutus and Hyalella azteca. Sediment samples were collected from five sites on each stream. Bed-sediments were collected from depositional areas using a petite Ponar (0.03 square meter) dredge. At each site, approximately five grabs were composited into a bucket, mixed, and a 4-liter (L) subsample was stored in a polyethylene container. Sediment toxicity testing were then conducted by a contract laboratory to quantify toxicity with the dipteran, Chironomus dilutus, and the amphipod, Hyalella azteca, during 10-day survival and growth bioassays following USEPA test methods 100.2 and 100.1, respectively. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2000, Methods for measuring the toxicity and bioaccumulation of sediment associated contaminants with freshwater invertebrates. Second edition: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development EPA 600/R-99/064. This spreadsheet contains 13 columns. The first 7 columns describe the sample collection information, the remaining 6 columns provide the survival and growth results of two test species used in sediment toxicity tests. The data include the stream name, site ID, latitude and longitude, replicate number, and site type. Six columns of results from 10-day sediment exposures of two test species, Chironomus dilutus and Hyalella azteca. The following endpoints were measured for each species following the 10-day exposure: number of surviving organisms, percentage of organisms surviving (hereafter survival), and average ash-free dry weight of the surviving organisms (hereafter growth).

Historical lead mining in Madison County, Missouri, USA has left a legacy of metals contamination. Laboratory studies were conducted to examine the effect of water hardness and age of crayfish on the toxicity of environment-based metals mixture. Additionally, the effects of chronic exposure to a metals mixture to egg development in adult crayfish were assessed. These data are comprised of measurements of elements (i.e., cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, cadmium, lead), major anions (e.g., chloride, sulfate), dissolved organic carbon, and major cations (e.g, sodium, calcium, magnesium) in water samples collected during laboratory-based diluter exposure studies. Measurements of elements (i.e., cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, cadmium, lead) in tissue samples (crayfish whole bodies, ovaries, leaves, feed) collected during laboratory-based diluter exposure studies are also provided.

Historical lead mining in Madison County, Missouri, USA has left a legacy of metals contamination. Laboratory studies were conducted to examine the effect of water hardness and age of crayfish on the toxicity of environment-based metals mixture. Additionally, the effects of chronic exposure to a metals mixture to egg development in adult crayfish were assessed. These data are comprised of measurements of elements (i.e., cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, cadmium, lead), major anions (e.g., chloride, sulfate), dissolved organic carbon, and major cations (e.g, sodium, calcium, magnesium) in water samples collected during laboratory-based diluter exposure studies. Measurements of elements (i.e., cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, cadmium, lead) in tissue samples (crayfish whole bodies, ovaries, leaves, feed) collected during laboratory-based diluter exposure studies are also provided.

Historical lead mining in Madison County, Missouri, USA has left a legacy of metals contamination. Laboratory studies were conducted to examine the effect of water hardness and age of crayfish on the toxicity of environment-based metals mixture. Additionally, the effects of chronic exposure to a metals mixture to egg development in adult crayfish were assessed. These data are comprised of measurements of elements (i.e., cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, cadmium, lead), major anions (e.g., chloride, sulfate), dissolved organic carbon, and major cations (e.g, sodium, calcium, magnesium) in water samples collected during laboratory-based diluter exposure studies.

Historical lead mining in Madison County, Missouri, USA has left a legacy of metals contamination. Laboratory studies were conducted to examine the effect of water hardness and age of crayfish on the toxicity of environment-based metals mixture. Additionally, the effects of chronic exposure to a metals mixture to egg development in adult crayfish were assessed. These data are comprised of measurements of elements (i.e., cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, cadmium, lead), major anions (e.g., chloride, sulfate), dissolved organic carbon, and major cations (e.g, sodium, calcium, magnesium) in water samples collected during laboratory-based diluter exposure studies.

Smelter slag containing copper and other trace elements is widespread in riverbed sediment of the upper Columbia River (UCR) of the United States. To evaluate potential risk to aquatic life concentrations of copper and other trace elements were measured in shallow pore-water and in river water samples collected near the sediment-water interface. Samples were collected using an in-situ pore-water profiler to collect a suite of four water samples from above, at, and below the sediment-water interface at each of 29 sampling locations; pore-water collected with a drive-point sampler at 10 additional locations; and Stabilized Liquid Membrane Device samplers (SLMDs) to allow determination of trace-element concentrations directly at the sediment-water interface at 8 locations. Samples were collected between April 26 and August 5, 2015 from a total of 47 locations in the UCR between river-mile 715 and 745. The analysis of water samples included specific conductance, pH, alkalinity, fluoride, chloride, bromide, nitrate, sulfate, phosphate, dissolved organic carbon, silver, aluminum, arsenic, barium, beryllium, bismuth, calcium, cadmium, cerium, cobalt, chromium, cesium, copper, dysprosium, erbium, europium, iron, gallium, gadolinium, germanium, holmium, potassium, lanthanum, lithium, lutetium, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, sodium, niobium, neodymium, nickel, phosphorus, lead, praseodymium, rubidium, antimony, scandium, selenium, silica, samarium, strontium, tantalum, terbium, thorium, titanium, thallium, thulium, uranium, vanadium, tungsten, yttrium, ytterbium, and zinc. The analysis of SLMD samples included cadmium, copper, nickel, phosphorous, and zinc.