Sa. Welsh et Sa. Perry, ACIDIFICATION AND FISH OCCURRENCE IN THE UPPER CHEAT RIVER DRAINAGE, WEST-VIRGINIA, Journal of the american water resources association, 33(2), 1997, pp. 423-429
The decline of many fish populations within the mid-Appalachian region
has been attributed to stream acidification as a result of acid preci
pitation. Many previous attempts to examine relationships between fish
occurrence and acidification have been hindered by a lack of data on
water quality and fish distributions. To assess relationships between
water quality and bedrock type in the upper Cheat River drainage, we u
sed EPA STORET water quality data (1969-1993) and calculated mean pH a
nd mean alkalinity of streams associated with four bedrock types (Hamp
shire, Chemung, Mauch Chunk, and Pottsville). We examined the relation
ship between fish occurrence and bedrock type for 53 headwater streams
. We found that acidity in headwater streams associated with Pottsvill
e and Mauch Chunk groups often exceeded biological thresholds for acid
-sensitive fish species (pH < 5.5). Streams associated with the Pottsv
ille group typically had fewer cyprinid species and fewer total specie
s than those associated with Mauch Chunk, Chemung, and Hampshire bedro
ck types. The congruent occurrence of streams with low buffering capac
ity, streams with pH < 5.5, and streams with low fish species richness
indicate that acidification has influenced fish distributions in the
upper Cheat River drainage.