Subfossil chironomid assemblages as indicators of remedial efficacy in the historically contaminated St. Lawrence River at Cornwall, Ontario

Abstract

Abstract Long-term data are required to quantify the impacts of historic industrial pollution and subsequent remedial action on the nearshore benthic community in the St. Lawrence River Area of Concern at Cornwall, Ontario. Specifically, high-quality temporal records are needed to understand changes in benthic invertebrate assemblages in response to multiple possible drivers including industrial pollution, environmental heterogeneity, and climate warming. We compare long-term records of subfossil chironomid assemblages and geochemical variables among sediment cores from two Cornwall sites with differing pollution histories and a minimally disturbed downstream reference site. Chironomids were functionally absent from the Cornwall sediment cores when mercury and zinc concentrations were elevated. As metal concentrations decreased in more recent sediment intervals, chironomid abundance and the relative abundance of pollution-sensitive taxa increased. Recently deposited sediment in all three sediment cores display increased relative abundance of warm-water, macrophyte-associated taxa. We conclude that these temporal changes in chironomid assemblages provide evidence for ecological recovery for both of the impacted sites, consistent with the objectives of the current management strategy. These findings advance our understanding of industrial impacts on fluvial chironomid ecology, directly inform local management strategies, and further develop the application of chironomids as bioindicators for contaminated sediments.