A form of aquatic plant or animal life that is found near the bottom of a stream, lake, or ocean. Benthic populations are often indicative of sediment quality. The bottom layer of a body of water. An evaluation using organisms to measure the effect of a substance, factor, or condition by comparing before and after data. Refers to the process whereby certain substances become more concentrated in tissues at each successive stage up the food web.
Algal biomass is often indicative of the trophic status of a water body.
Any substance that can cause or contribute to the production of cancer. Chlorophyll-a is used to measure the rate of photosynthesis in a body of water. The capacity of a substance to cause poisonous effects in an organism after long-term exposure. A sewer system that carries both sewage and stormwater runoff. When this happens, untreated mixtures of stormwater and sewage may flow into receiving waters.