Development of State-Specific Aquatic Life Criteria for Selenium in West Virginia

In response to a legislative mandate, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) has initiated a study to derive State-specific aquatic life criteria for selenium.  As such, lotic and lentic waters having elevated selenium exposures were targeted for assessment of potential population-level effects on resident fishes.  Of interest, the spawn of several lotic fish species common to the State (e.g., creek chub, Semotilus atromaculatus, and central stoneroller, Campostoma anomalum) were successfully field-collected, cultured, and examined for selenium-induced impacts to sensitive early life (larval) stages.  Speciation analyses of waterborne selenium at exposure locations were performed to quantify forms (valence states) that are more conducive to accrual in tissues.  Measurements of selenium concentrations in various fish tissue matrices, including whole body, egg/ovary, and gut contents, were performed to determine the extent of selenium uptake, and to derive tissue-based thresholds that correspond to toxicological endpoints among the larvae.   Severity-graduated deformity evaluations of larval fishes were performed to establish deformity rates for craniofacial, spinal, fin, and yolk-sac sorption anomalies. The findings, along with information from other relevant studies, will be used in development of the State-specific selenium criteria.