Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

This site is currently in beta, and your feedback is helping shape its ongoing development.

Sediment bioassay toxicity data from the Upper Columbia River, Washington, 2013-2014

Published by U.S. Geological Survey | Department of the Interior | Metadata Last Checked: January 27, 2026 | Last Modified: 2020-08-17T00:00:00Z
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.gov

An official website of the GSA's Technology Transformation Services

Looking for U.S. government information and services?
Visit USA.gov