Thomas More College, Biology, Crestview Hills, KY 41017
The primary objective of this ongoing research study was to determine the potential impacts of the Zimmer Coal-burning Power Plant upon the Ohio River ecosystem. For five weeks during the summer, physiochemical data and zebra mussels were collected, and bioassessments of the fish populations at four sites, both upstream and downstream of the power plant were performed. During the study, a total of 33 fish species, comprising over 2,000 individuals from eleven families, were collected through electrofishing, gill net, and hoop net techniques. The newly-developed Ohio River Fish Index (ORFIN) was also calculated for the community of fish collected above and below the power plant. Overall, the upstream and downstream fish communities were found to be comparable in terms of abundance, biomass and the ORFIN, with the downstream sample containing a slightly higher diversity of species. The quantity of adult zebra mussels collected upstream of the power plant moderately exceeded the quantity collected downstream. According to the physiochemical data, the Ohio River levels (ft) fluctuated only minimally over the summer months, and the air and water temperatures followed the expected seasonal and daily patterns. The pH (s.u.), water temperature (°C), and dissolved oxygen (mg/L) levels also remained within the expected levels for a big river ecosystem, showing little variation among all four study sites. Turbidity levels, as measured by a Secchi disk (cm) were the lowest they have been in several years, with the clarity of the water reaching over five meters in depth. These results were consistent with the data from previous years, and overall, they suggested that the Zimmer Power Plant was not significantly impacting the ecosystem of the Ohio River.
[Abstract (DOC)]