Impact of Trinitrotoluene Wastewaters on Aquatic Biota in Lake Chickamauga, Tennessee

Field surveys were conducted in Lake Chickamauga, Tenn., to determine the effects from wastewater discharge from the Volunteer Army Ammunition Plan. Trinitrotoluene (TNT) is the principal munitions component manufactured at this facility, and process wastes contain a complex mixture of compounds associated with the production of this explosive. Effects from the waste stream via selected components were established in periphyton and the macroinvertebrate communities, utilizing the Pinkham-Pearson Biotic Similarity Analysis. Less success was achieved in assessing impact by employing the Shannon-Weaver diversity theory. The utility of standard artificial substrates in periphyton studies was realized by comparing effects between community structures on natural substrates and glass slides. The results of the investigation show that effects on fixed biological communities from wastewater components of TNT manufacture can be detected at concentrations in the microgram per litre range.