Inorganic constituents of conductivity in five central Appalachian watersheds with mixed source-driven pollutants

Abstract Resource extraction activities (e.g., coal mining) are both a dominant economic driver and major ecological concern in the resource-rich region of Central Appalachia in the United States. Additionally, communities near watershed headwaters often lack effective wastewater treatment options and discharge untreated household wastes (UHW) directly into adjacent streams. The present study analyzes data collected from clustered watersheds on the Virginia–Kentucky border, which include sites influenced by discharges from active surface mines, a legacy underground mine, UHW, and minimally impacted (reference) sites. Over two years, in-situ measurements of conductivity were recorded, and grab samples were lab-analyzed for inorganic ion concentrations via ICP-MS. Patterns of detected ions were related to pollution types using a suite of multivariate statistical methods. Concentrations of inorganic ions identified the different pollution types, while permutational MANOVA testing (p = .001) to control for pseudoreplication (i.e., multiple sites along the same stream) confirmed that the groups were significantly different from each other. Notable associations were elevated P and UHW, Mn/Si/HCO3− and underground mining, and Ni, Ca, K, SO42−, and Se with surface mining. Given that mechanisms driving ecological impairments are likely related to specific contributors to conductivity, further efforts to examine relationships between particular ionic concentrations and macroinvertebrates will be useful in watershed remediation efforts in the Appalachian region.