Influence of Selenium on Bluegill in Mud River Reservoir, West Virginia

Selenium based criteria for aquatic ecosystems have been based on water quality measurements, but recently there has been a push to evaluate other aspects, such as whole body, dietary, and sediment levels.  Mud River Reservoir, located in Lincoln County West Virginia, receives selenium input from mountain top/valley fill mining.  The average selenium water levels for the reservoir is above the US EPA regulation of 5 µg/L and considered high hazard for fish dietary consumption based on macroinvertebrate collections, bluegill whole body and calculated egg selenium concentrations, and below hazardous levels for sediments.  Selenium levels of high hazard also have the propensity to reduce condition and reproductive success.   Other selenium based studies have shown that deformities can occur at high dietary, whole body, and water quality levels; this has not been recorded for Mud Reservoir fish, specifically bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus).   In order to evaluate the effects of selenium exposed tissues, dietary, and aqueous levels within the Mud River Reservoir, bluegill eggs were collected and monitored in the lab for deformities and survival. However, due to water quality issues, no deformities could be recorded for Mud Reservoir larvae and survivorship could not be determined.