New River Project data bases and documentation joint research. Volume 2. Biological and associated water-quality data

The goal of the biology portion of the New River study has been to evaluate the effects of contour stripmining for coal in small watersheds upon aquatic biota. In the major portion of the study, efforts were concentrated on five streams in the New River basin, including one virgin control. The second concern of the study was to examine the resilience of such aquatic systems. In addition to studying the short term recovery in the Lowe Branch-Bill's Branch group, we examined water quality and biological communities in a series of streams which represent a cross-section of time elapsed since mining. It would seem that aquatic communities in stripmined areas of the New River and similar areas may recover healthy community structures within a period of 20 years providing there is no acid mine influence, no lack of organisms for recolonization, and no further disturbance of the watershed. The maintenance of refugia for recolonizing populations is an increasingly serious concern and should be a target for legislative action. The data included in this file concern only the insect collection and appropriate water quality determinations. Though the study included collections of fishes and diatoms, the insects were found to be the mostmore » useful indicators of stream condition. Only the insect data, because of tremendous volume, were computer filed. Surber samples were taken for benthic insects on a monthly basis, weather and roads permitting, from riffles in each stream. An individual sample formed of a composite of eight 0.2 sq. meter samples per site was shown to be adequate. Restricting sampling to random sites within one particular habitat (stratified random sampling) enabled better comparisons between disturbed and undisturbed streams to be made. Water quality was determined by standard methods at the time Surber samples were taken.« less