DOI: 10.5061/dryad.67n20
title: Data from: Recovery of a mining-damaged stream ecosystem

description: This paper presents a 30+ year record of changes in benthic
 macroinvertebrate communities and fish populations associated with
 improving water quality in mining-influenced streams. Panther Creek, a
 tributary to the Salmon River in central Idaho, USA suffered intensive
 damage from mining and milling operations at the Blackbird Mine that
 released copper (Cu), arsenic (As), and cobalt (Co) into tributaries. From
 the 1960s through the 1980s, no fish and few aquatic invertebrates could
 be found in 40 km of mine-affected reaches of Panther Creek downstream of
 the metals contaminated tributaries, Blackbird and Big Deer Creeks.
 Efforts to restore water quality began in 1995, and by 2002 Cu levels had
 been reduced by about 90%, with incremental declines since. Rainbow Trout
 (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were early colonizers, quickly expanding their range
 as areas became habitable when Cu concentrations dropped below about 3X
 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s biotic ligand model (BLM) based
 chronic aquatic life criterion. Anadromous Chinook Salmon (O. tshawytscha)
 and steelhead (O. mykiss) have also reoccupied Panther Creek. Full
 recovery of salmonid populations occurred within about 12-years after the
 onset of restoration efforts and about 4-years after the Cu chronic
 criteria had mostly been met, with recovery interpreted as similarity in
 densities, biomass, year class strength, and condition factors between
 reference sites and mining-influenced sites. Shorthead Sculpin (Cottus
 confusus) were slower than salmonids to disperse and colonize. While
 benthic macroinvertebrate biomass has increased, species richness has
 plateaued at about 70 to 90% of reference despite the Cu criterion having
 been met for several years. Different invertebrate taxa had distinctly
 different recovery trajectories. Among the slowest taxa to recover were
 Ephemerella, Cinygmula and Rhithrogena mayflies, Enchytraeidae
 oligochaetes, and Heterlimnius aquatic beetles. Potential reasons for the
 failure of some invertebrate taxa to recover include competition, and high
 sensitivity to Co and Cu.
description: Data appendix
 1-Physicochemical data (native Microsoft Excel format)Physicochemical data:
 Water, sediment, and tissue chemical analyses, stream temperature, and
 stream flow data, plus multivariate matrices of annual average values used
 as inputs for statistical analyses Workbook (spreadsheet) consists of 10
 spreadsheets (tabs), beginning with a ReadMe page describing the data
 organization and sources.Data appendix
 1-Physicochemical.R1.xlsxData appendix
 1-Physicochemical data (converted to OpenOffice format)Physicochemical data:
 Water, sediment, and tissue chemical analyses, stream temperature, and
 stream flow data, plus multivariate matrices of annual average values used
 as inputs for statistical analyses Workbook (spreadsheet) consists of 10
 spreadsheets (tabs), beginning with a ReadMe page describing the data
 organization and sources.Data appendix
 1-Physicochemical.R1.odsData appendix 2. Fish
 and benthic macroinvertebrate taxonomic data (native Microsoft Excel
 format)Includes coordinates of
 sampling sites, fish densities (2002-2013), benthic macroinvertebrate
 biomass and taxonomic lists (1993, 2003-2013), and abbreviated older
 community metrics. Workbook (spreadsheet) begins with a ReadMe page,
 followed by 16 spreadsheets (tabs) with data organized by year collected
 or data type.Data appendix 2. Fish and
 benthic macroinvertebrate
 data.xlsxData appendix 2. Fish
 and benthic macroinvertebrate taxonomic data (converted to OpenOffice
 format)Includes coordinates of
 sampling sites, fish densities (2002-2013), benthic macroinvertebrate
 biomass and taxonomic lists (1993, 2003-2013), and abbreviated older
 community metrics. Workbook (spreadsheet) begins with a ReadMe page,
 followed by 16 spreadsheets (tabs) with data organized by year collected
 or data type.Data appendix 2. Fish and
 benthic macroinvertebrate data.ods