Rachel Smith

Toxicity Assessment of Gross Pollutant Traps


Rachel Smith A fluroescence algal bioassay was investigated to examine its applicability in testing the ecotoxicological parameters of stormwater. Time-dependent fluorescence curves were generated using the Toxy-PAM fluorometer, for herbicide, heavy metal, nutrient and conductivity solutions. These results indicated that a unique curve was generated for different compounds and different concentrations of those compounds. The utility of this bioassay technique was applied to stormwater samples, resulting again in unique photoinhibiting responses. The application of this method is discussed in relation to its utility for identifying toxic compounds in complex environmental mixtures, such as stormwater. The physical and chemical conditions formed within a GPT were examined to investigate their influence on the potential leaching of toxic compounds from the intercepted pollutant load of a GPT. Fluorescence algal bioassays were used to identify the toxicity of the leachates produced from the pollutant load of a GPT. The results indicated that under certain conditions, toxic compounds were leached from the pollutant load into overlying and interstitial waters. It was also found that external parameters, such as rainfall patterns and the GPT maintenance frequency, may influence the degree of leaching.