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CAMPS
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MILLS
General Technical Report PNW-113 August 1980
PROCESSING MILLS
AND CAMPS
DONALD C. SCHMIEGE
U.Si Department of Agriculture Forest Service .
Pacific Northwest Forest and Range Experiment Station
This file was created by
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Influence of Forest and
Rangeland Management on
Anadromous Fish Habitat in
Western North America
For nearly 50 years, effluents from pulp and paper mills have
been known to be toxic to fish and other aquatic animals. Lethal
concentrations have been determined for several species of fish
and other organisms. Many factors--such as water temperature,
age of fish, and additional stresses--affect the ability of fish
to withstand pollution. Kraft mill wastes are generally more
toxic than sulfite wastes. The high biological oxygen demand of
sulfite wastes is often more serious than the chemical toxicity
of the effluents. Studies on the effect of kraft effluents on
invertebrates show that none of them are more sensitive than
juvenile salmonids and some species are more resistant. Fish
habitat may also be affected by mill stack emissions. High
concentrations of sulfur dioxide may damage or kill trees and
other vegetation. The effect of logging camps on fish habitat
is largely unknown.
KEYWORDS: Pulp/paper industry, toxic effects (biocide), wood
wastes, fish habitat, water quality.
USDA FOREST SERVICE
General Technical Report PNW-113
INFLUENCE OF FOREST AND
RANGELAND MANAGEMENT ON
ANADROMOUS FISH HABITAT IN
WESTERN NORTH AMERICA
William R. Meehan, Technical Editor
11. Processing Mills and Camps
DONALD C. SCHMIEGE
Forestry Sciences Laboratory
Pacific Northwest Forest and Range Experiment Stat ism Juneau, Alaska
1980
PACIFIC NORTHWEST FOREST AND RANGE EXPERIMENT STATION Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Portland, Oregon
This is one of a series of publications summarizing knowledge
about the influences of forest and rangeland management on anadromous
fish habitat in the Western United States. This paper addresses the
effects of processing mills and camps on anadromous fish habitat.
Our intent is to provide managers and users of the forests and
rangelands of the Western United States with the most complete
information available for estimating the consequences of various
management alternatives.
In this series of papers, we summarize published and unpublished
reports and data as well as observations of resource scientists and
managers. These compilations should be valuable to resource managers
in planning uses of forest and rangeland resources, and to scientists
as a bibliography on forest and rangeland resources and their uses. in planning future research. The extensive lists of references serve
Previous publications in this series include:
1. "Habitat requirements of anadromous salmonids,"
by D. W. Reiser and T. C. Bjornn.
2. "Impacts of natural events," by Douglas N. Swanston.
4. "Planning forest roads to protect salmonid habitat,"
by Carlton S. Yee and Terry D. Roelofs.
TABLE OF CONTENTS Page
PROCESSINGMILLS ......................... 2
OxygenDemand ........................ 5
Suspended Settleable Materials ............... 6
AirPollution ........................ 8
Toxicity of Effluents .................... 2
CAMPS .............................. 9
GravelRemoval ....................... 10
Fishing by Residents .................... 11
Other Effects of Camps ................... 12
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS ..................... 13
LITERATURE CITED .......................... 14
COMMON AND SCIENTIFIC NAMES OF TROUTS, FAMLY SALMONIDAEL'
~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~
Common name Scientific name
Pink salmon
Chum salmon
Coho salmon
Sockeye salmon (kokanee)
Chinook salmon
Cutthroat trout
Rainbow (steelhead) trout
Atlantic salmon
Brown trout
Arctic char
Brook trout
Dolly Varden
Lake trout
Oncorhynchus
Oncorhynchus
Oncorhynchus
Oncorhynchus
Oncorhynchus
SaZmo cZmki
gorbuscha (Walbaum)
keta (Walbaum)
kisutch (Walbaum)
nerka (Walbaum)
tskmytscha (Walbaum)
Richard son
Sazmo gairdneri Richardson
SaZmo salar Linnaeus
Sa Zmo trutta Linnaeus
SaZveZinus aZpinus (Linnaeus)
Salve Zinus fontinalis (Mitchill)
SaZveZinus matma (Walbaum)
SaZvezinus nwnaycush (Walbaum)
- '' From "A List of Common and Scientific Names of Fishes from the
United States and Canada," American Fisheries Society Special
Publication No. 6, Third Edition, 1970, 150 p.
INTRODUCTION
Many pulp and paper mills
in North America are either on
or near tidal estuaries or on
rivers adjacent to estuaries.
The anadromous fish that migrate
through these estuaries and
rivers are valuable for commer-
cial and sport fishing. In-
evitably some of these fish
contact mill effluents at some
concentration .
For nearly 50 years, we
have known that effluents from
pulp and paper mills may be
toxic to fish and other aquatic
animals. Effluents from both
kraft and sulfite mills are
complex mixtures that differ
greatly in toxicity, depending
on many factors. The toxicity
of mill effluents results from
the combined activity of a
number of chemicals, some of
which have not been completely
identified. In addition to
acute toxicity, pulp and paper
mill effluents may be harmful
to fish and other aquatic
animals because of their bio-
logical oxygen demand. High
concentrations of wood sugars
in mil 1 ’ wastes require oxygen
during decomposition; hence, as
the sugars are stabilized,
dissolved oxygen in the re-
ceiving water is rapidly de-
pleted. Dissolved oxygen is
required by all aquatic animals
except anaerobic bacteria.
The difficulty of sepa-
rating effects of chemical
toxicity from effects of bio-
logical oxygen demand, and the
inability to identify the
chemical constituents of ef-
f luents, have complicated
pollution evaluation studies in
the past. The recent develop-
ment and testing of reproducible
bioassay procedures has dramat-
ically changed this situation.
Simple, accurate, and sensitive
biological assessments are now
possible (Walden 1976).
The acute toxicity of
various pulp and paper mill
effluents is often quite low,
Despite their low toxicity,
pulp and paper discharges may
have a high impact on receiving
waters because of the tremen-
dous volumes discharged.
Considerable technological
progress in the past decade has
reduced harmful effluents.
Modern mills that meet Federal
and State requirements for
pol lution abatement differ
substantially from the mills
that operated 20 or 30 years
ago .
Many of the logging camps
in Alaska and British Columbia
are closely associated with
pulp and paper mills because
much of the harvested timber
goes to the mills. Because of
this close association, a
discussion of camps and their
potential effects on anadromous
fish habitat is included in
this paper.
1
PROCESSING MILLS
TOXICITY OF EFFLUENTS
The toxicity of effluents
from pulp and paper mills has
been studied for many years.
Some of this work was on the
effects of pulp effluents on
salmonid fishes (Dimick and
Haydu 1952, Lasater 1953,
Williams et al. 1953, Alderdice
and Brett 1957, Van Horn 1958,
Waldichuk 1960, Howard and
Walden 1965, Servizi et ale
1968).
A general review of the
environmental effects of pulp
and paper wastes has been
prepared by Marier (1973). Van
Horn (1961, 1971) reviewed the
pulp and paper industry as it
affects aquatic biology. Walden
(1976) published an excellent
review on the toxicity of ef-
fluents from pulp and paper
mills.
Effluents from both kraft
and sulfite mills are complex
mixtures that differ greatly in
toxicity depending on many fac-
tors. Because all chemical
constituents have not been iden-
tified, the effects must be
assessed biologically. Several
species of fish and many other
aquatic organisms have been used
for test purposes (Dimick and
Haydu 1952, Lasater 1953).
Laboratory bioassays have been
used to predict toxicity under
conditions in natural ecosystems.
The definition of reproducible
bioassay procedures has been an
important step in making bio-
assays useful (Walden 1976) .
Simple, accurate, and sensitive
bioassays are now possible. Data
are converted into toxic units,
which may be compared directly,
even though bioassay procedures
may vary. Maximum accuracy is
achieved with 50 percent fish
survival. Most toxicity tests
require at least 24 hours' ex-
posure time (Walden 1976).
For pulpmill effluents,
chemical assays are not feasible.
Some toxicants have not yet been
identified; consequently, they
cannot be assayed chemically.
Chemical assays would only be
useful if they could be corre-
lated with biological responses.
Because of the low con-
centration of toxicants in
effluents from pulp and paper
mills, large amounts of effluent
must be used in solutions to be
bioassayed . The high biological
oxygen demand of these solutions
requires oxygenation to maintain
fish respiration during the tests
(Walden 1976) .
2
EFFLUENTS OF KRAFT MILLS
Reported toxicity of kraft
wastes to fish dates back to the
work of Ebeling (1931) in Sweden.
Many workers since then have
confirmed that concentrations of
kraft mill effluents needed to
kill fish ranged from 10 to 100
percent .
The first studies with
salmonids (Dimick and Haydu 1952)
demonstrated that sodium hy-
droxide, methyl mercaptan,
sodium sulfide, and hydrogen
sulfide were toxic (table 1).
Seven pulpmills were mon-
itored daily for 40 days to
determine the amount and dur-
ation of effluent toxicity. All
sewers in the kraft mills
contained toxic chemicals, and
substantial daily variation in
toxicity was common. Toxicity
levels of effluents seldom
remained constant more than 12
hours and often varied more
frequently (Howard and Walden
1971) .
Howard and Walden (1965)
studied the toxicity of streams
with kraft-process effluents to
guppies, Poecilia reticulata
(Peters), and sockeye salmon in
fresh water at neutral pH. As
much as 75 percent of the
mortality reported by previous
authors was caused by an im-
balance in pH. Fish acclimated
to increasing concentrations of
effluents in a few days. Test
fish exposed to gradually in-
creasing effluent could survive
concentrations considerably
higher than the values demon-
strated as lethal in the bio-
assays. Thus, concentration
values related to various rates
of mortality, such as LC50
(50 percent of the test animals
are killed), can be misleading.
Length of exposure, other stresses
on the fish, pH and temperature
of the water, age of the fish,
and many other factors can
significantly affect pollution
concentrations necessary to
cause fish mortality.
Effects of kraft effluents
on invertebrates indicate that
none are more sensitive than
juvenile salmonids and some
species are much more resistant
(Walden 1976) .
SULFITE WASTES
Williams et al. (1953)
first demonstrated that sulfite
waste liquids were acutely toxic
to fish. Previous workers had
difficulty demonstrating tox-
icity, other than the effects of
heavy oxygen demand. Kondo et
al. (1973), working with neutral
sulfite semichemical wastes,
showed that they were about one-
third as toxic as kraft wastes.
Toxicity did not diminish in
storage as it did with kraft
Table 1--Threshold concentrations (mg/l) of toxicants in kraft mill
wastes lethal to salmonid fishes (after Dimick and Haydu 1952)
Chemical Chinook salmon Coho salmon Cutthroat trout
Hydrogen sulfide
Methyl mercaptan
Sodium sulfide
Sodium hydroxide
Sodium carbonate
Sodium sulfate
0.3 0.7 0.5
-5 .7 b9
1.8 1.3 1.0
27 11 10
58 44 33 -- 10,000 2,500
3
wastes. Holland et al. (1960)
found no significant difference
in toxicity in ammonia-base and
calcium-base pulping liquors.
The toxicity to fish of
sulfite pulping wastes is well
documented, a1 though the dif f i-
culty in segregating toxic
effects from those of oxygen
demand indicates the limited role
toxicity alone plays in natural
ecosystems (Walden 1976).
Literature on the effects
of sulfite wastes on organisms
other than fish is scarce. The
available evidence shows that
bivalves are especially suscept-
ible. Odlaug (1949) showed that
concentrations as low as 100 parts
per million of spent sulfite liquor
reduced the pumping rate of Olympia
oysters (Ostrea lurida Carpenter)
by 8 percent after immediate
exposure. Complete cessation of
pumping occurred after 15 days.
Stein et al. (1959) showed that
concentrations of ammonia-base,
spent sulfite liquor greater
than 55 parts per million af-
fected spawning of oysters, but
lower concentrations stimulated
activity. Oysters appear to be
more sensitive to spent sulfite
wastes than any other species
tested (Woelke 1967).
P
SUBLETHAL EFFECTS OF PULPMILL
EFFLUENTS
Biologists have long recog-
nized that concentrations ap-
proaching lethal amounts of
pollutants, as determined in
bioassays, are not safe for
survival and maintenance of fish
stocks. (Fry 1971). The results
of bioassays are valueless and
misleading unless they can be
related -to concentrations pro-
ducing no harmful effects to the
ecosystem. Stresses are cumu-
lative, and any stress on an
organism reduces its ability to
withstand other stresses.
The known sublethal effects
of pulp and paper effluents are
attributable to coniferous
fibers, hydrogen sulfide, and
nonvolatile soluble toxic sub-
stances (Walden 1976). The last
group is of major environmental
concern .
Walden and Howard (1968)
described effects displayed by
fish after exposure to lethal
concentrations of kraft ef-
fluent: loss of schooling,
respiratory distress, abnormal
gill movements, reluctance to
eat, loss of equilibrium, con-
vulsive coughing, excessive
mucous production, and finally
death.
Jones et a1 . (1956) showed
that some species of salmon
avoided regions containing
pulpmill waste. Chinook salmon
were best able to avoid the
waste, coho salmon were less
able, and steelhead trout showed
no noticeable reaction. In-
consistent results were demon-
strated in some other studies,
such as those of Dimick et al.
4
( 1957 ) ; salmon sometimes avoided
concentrations that attracted
other test fish.
The ability of fish to swim
is affected by pulpmill wastes
(Howard 1973, 1975). Howard and
Walden (1974) developed tech-
niques to measure swimming;
speed and stamina decreased
after effluents reached a thresh-
old concentration.
Fish growth may be adversely
affected 'by moderate to high
concentrations of kraft mill
effluents, but low concentra-
tions stimulated growth (Webb
and Brett 1972).
Schaumburg et al. (1967)
studied the effects of sublethal
concentrations of kraft effluent
on fish respiration. They found
that stressed fish reversed the
flow of water past their gills;
this was designated as "coughing. 'I
Coughing increased with increas-
ing concentrations of effluents.
Evidence of effects of
sublethal concentrations of
wastes from pulp and paper mills
on organisms other than fish is
not extensive. Available data
indicate that the threshold at
which sublethal concentrations
affect invertebrates corresponds
roughly to that affecting fish
(Walden 1976).
OXYGEN DEMAND
High concentrations of wood
sugars in sulfite wastes require
oxygen during decomposition .
The oxygen requirements for
stabilization of the sugars
result in a high biological
oxygen demand which.can result
in rapid depletion of dissolved
oxygen in the receiving water
(Waldichuk 1960).
Kraft mill wastes also
contain high concentrations of
organic material, but not nearly
as much as in sulfite liquor.
5
Walden (1976) stated that
difficulties in segregating
toxic effects from those caused
by oxygen demand emphasize the
limited role toxicity plays in
natural situations, compared to
problems arising from potential
oxygen depletion. Thus, the
primary effect of sulfite wastes
is apparently to increase bio-
logical oxygen demand.
The dissolved oxygen level
required to sustain fish varies
considerably, because it depends
on other factors such as water
temperature, salinity, pH, fish
species, and other stresses on
the fish. Despite efforts to
decrease the biological oxygen
demand of wastes from pulp and
paper mills, the effect of these
wastes on dissolved oxygen
remains a problem in some
receiving waters .
SUSPENDED SETTLEABLE
MATERIALS
Bark, chips, and pulp
fibers concern fishery biolo-
gists and others because they
have long-term effects on the
aquatic environment. As these
materials begin to cover the
bottom, the rich fauna of ten
found there is either destroyed
or forced to move. Fish that
normally feed on or near the
bottom also find the area un-
attractive and move elsewhere.
As the organic materials start
to decompose and dissolved
oxygen in the water is used up,
hydrogen sulfide is released.
The bottom layer of water, with
low dissolved-oxygen levels, may
become very thick and, thus,
unsuitable for many species of
food fish. This is especially
true in inlets and other re-
stricted locations where strong
tidal flushing does not occur.
Particles of bark, chips,
and fibers come mainly from drum
and hydraulic barkers, paper
machines, and from transferring
chips from scows to the mill.
Bark also sloughs off logs
during raft transport and
during storage in holding ponds.
Log-transfer sites often contain
heavy accumulations of bark and
other wood debris (Schaumburg
1973) .
Row and Cook (1971) found
that most of the toxicity from
mechanical pulping effluents was
caused by resin acid soaps.
Wilson (1975) studied the tox-
icity of effluents from news-
print operations. Biotreated
effluent had no adverse reaction
on any of the zooplankton and
invertebrates tested.
Raw wood is about half
cellulose fibers. Modern mills
use settling tanks, filters, and
other devices to keep fibers out
of receiving waters .
Bark accumulations may
contaminate salmon spawning
grounds (Servizi et al. 1968).
Servizi and his coworkers found
that the oxygen demand of bark
is great enough and of long
enough duration that eggs can be
killed. Fine bark particles can
also clog the gravel, causing
egg mortality. These authors
estimated that bark concen-
trations of 4 percent and more
were likely to increase egg-to-
fry mortality because of oxygen
depletion at incubation velo-
cities of 5 cm/h. Even bark
concentrations of 1 percent and
greater could. retard emergence .
Egg mortality increased as bark
accumulations increased and
water flow decreased.
Even though bark leachates
are toxic, studies by Schaumburg
(1973) showed that leachates
from logs in natural waters had
little toxic effect. In a study
of woodroom effluents, Howard
and Leach (1973) found that
softwood species tended t’o be
more toxic than hardwood species.
Leachates from logs also
contain wood sugar and other
biodegradable materials that
exert a large biochemical oxygen
demand (Schaumburg 1973). Extracts
of spruce (Picea sp.) and hemlock
(Tsuga sp.) bark are also toxic to
fish,shrimp (Pandalus sp.) and
dungeness crab (Cancer magister
Dana) (Buchanan et al. 1976) .
Toxic effects on salmon fry were
observed as soon as 3 hours
after exposure to hemlock bark
extracts. After a 96-hour
exposure at a concentration of
56 milligrams per liter, 50
percent of the salmon fry were
kil led . Spruce bark extracts
were consistently toxic to a1 1
invertebrates tested.
Concentrations of leachates
great enough to be toxic are
unlikely except in certain
locations with little or no
tidal flushing, such as log-
handling and storage areas.
7
AIR POLLUTION
Stack emissions from pulp
and paper mills contain many
chemicals. Some, such as sulfur
dioxide (SO2), can damage plants
if concentrated sufficiently and
if exposure continues long enough
(Faller 1971, Linzon et al. 1972,
Carlson 1974).
Sulfur dioxide is a soluble
gas readily absorbed by foliage
through the stomata. Absorption
can also occur through wet leaf
surfaces (Thomas et al. 1950).
If SO2 is not removed from the
air, it oxidizes to SO3 and
becomes a sulfuric acid mist.
This mist is corrosive and can
cause lesions on plant tissue.
Confirmation of damage to
needles by SO2 requires that
foliage samples be analyzed for
sulfur. Histological examination
of needles shows a distinctive
syndrome unlike that caused by
pathogens, drought, or freezing.
Several investigators have
established that high sulfur
dioxide concentrations can injure
or kill plants (Thomas et al,
1950, Faller 1971, Linzon et al.
1972, Ratsch 1974).
When mills are located near
rivers used by salmon and other
anadromous fish, they can affect
fish habitat through air pol-
lution that kills riparian
vegetation. Several studies
have shown the importance of
streamside vegetation in re-
ducing stream temperatures,
producing logs in the stream
for cover, and forming pools
(Meehan et al. 1977). Trees
along streambanks also harbor
insects that drop into streams
and are eaten by fish and other
aquatic organisms.
The extent and severity of
injury to riparian vegetation
resulting from pulpmills depend
on wind patterns and surrounding
terrain as well as the amount of
pollutants emitted from the
mill. The presence of a pulp-
mill does not guarantee that
nearby trees will die. If
emissions are not great and air
currents provide mixing, SO2
concentrations may not be high
enough to cause damage to trees
or other plants (Ratsch 1974).
8
CAMPS
Except in Alaska and Brit-
ish Columbia, logging camps are
nearly nonexistent in North
America. A few camps occur in
other places, but they are
I usually not permanent.
About 60 logging companies
operate in southeast Alaska
(Pease 1974). Some have float-
ing camps that are towed from
one anchorage to another but
most are land based. They range
in size from a one-family
operation to a community of 500
people or more. Camps are
usually located in protected
harbors that serve as log-
storage and transfer sites.
In the past, few regu-
lations control led logging
camps. Some activities could
have affected anadromous fish,
but we have no record of it.
Logging camps are now regulated
by the Environmental Protection
Agency, the USDA Forest Service,
and the States. In Alaska, the
State Department of Environ-
mental Conservation also has
authority. Logging camp sewage
or solid wastes are unlikely to
affect fish habitat adversely if
regulations of these agencies
are complied with. The Environ-
mental Protection Agency
requires secondary sewage treat-
ment. Chlorinated wastewater
could be toxic to fish if con-
centrations of chlorine were
high.
Logging camps used to leave
rusting cables, junked machinery,
bands from log bundles, spilled
fuel, and other debris on or
near their sites when a camp was
abandoned. No studies document
the effects of these materials
on fish habitat, however.
Present regulations require that
the sites be cleaned before the
camp is moved.
9
I 1
4-
I 0 I
GRAVEL REMOVAL
Large amounts of gravel are
needed for building logging
roads and developing campsites.
Some locations have no source of
gravel nearby, other than stream-
beds. Although gravel has been
taken from streams in the past,
this practice was probably never
common and it will no doubt
become less common.
Two examples of gravel
removal from streambeds have
been documented in Alaska.
Sheridan reported on the removal
of gravel from a stream on
Baranof Island near Sitka,
Alaska .\g/ Road construction and
logging were started in the
Rodman Creek watershed in 1960
and completed in 1965. Surveys
showed that the stream and
alluvial flood plain contained
the only gravel nearby; 64,000
cubic yards of gravel were taken
from 16 borrow pits located on
the tideflats, flood plain, and
in the stream. Pink and chum
salmon spawned in the intertidal
area and up to 5 miles upstream.
The Alaska Department of Fish
and Game had records of escape-
ment before gravel removal and
continued these surveys during
and after the gravel was removed.
The borrow pits filled with
gravel in 4 years, no signifi-
cant changes were observed in
streambed gradient, and the pits
accelerated bank cutting in
their vicinity, causing several
trees to fall into the stream
and a high intermittent sediment
load. The pit-f illing probably
increased bedload movement and
likely increased the instability
of spawning beds upstream.
Salmon escapement showed no
Unpublished paper, "Effects of
gravel removal on a salmon spawning
stream," by W. L. Sheridan. USDA For.
Serv., 26 p. On file, Forestry Sciences
Laboratory, Juneau, Alaska, 1967.
10
decrease, even though a short-
term decrease in survival of
salmon embryos could have
occurred because of increased
sedimentation. Sheridan cau-
tioned that gravel should be
removed from streams only if no
other source of gravel is
available and the,value of
timber far exceeds the potential
damage to salmon habitat.
During World War 11, large
amounts of gravel were removed
from four salmon streams near
the Kodiak Naval Station (McVey
1959). Sections of the stream-
bed were removed to depths of
20 feet., The fish-producing
potential was reduced in two
streams because the tailings
from washing and screening
reduced the average size of
stream gravel, resulting in
instability. In the other two
streams, bottom materials broke
up and were washed downstream.
As a result, streamflow was
limited to subterranean seepage
1 during low water flows, and
several miles of excellent
spawning grounds became in-
accessible to spawning fish. By
1958, the gravel of only one of
the two streams showed signs of
stabilizing.
Logging camps congregate
people in remote areas of south-
east Alaska and British Colum-
bia. The camps are often near
highly productive stream and
estuarine fisheries. This
combination of people and re-
sources results in heavy use.
Some biologists believe
that logging camps are respon-
sible for unusually heavy fish-
ing pressure in some streams.
Depletion of runs has been
mentioned, but quantitative data
are lacking. Species such as
steelhead trout would be es-
pecial ly vulnerable, because the
runs are small in some streams.
The Alaska Department of Fish
and Game has estimated that
sport harvest in Rodman Creek,
Baranof Island, took over 60
percent of the mature Dolly
Varden char in 1963, based on
tag returns. This pressure was
mainly from nearby logging camps.- 3/
J/ - Data on file, Forestry Sciences
Laboratory, Juneau, Alaska.
11
The Alaska Department of
Fish and Game is now conducting
a statewide sport fishing
survey. Information will be
received from high-quality
watersheds, including those near
logging camps, so sport fishing
harvests from logging camps can
be estimated.
If anglers all carry proper
licenses and observe bag limits,
the logging camps only serve to
distribute and congregate people,
so it may be misleading to view
camps as detrimental to the
fisheries resource.
OTHER EFFECTS OF CAMPS
Some logging camps probably
have affected the local fish-
eries by sewage pollution, water
diversion, oil and lubricant
spills, and gravel removal,
although the effects of these
activities have not been docu-
mented.
In light of the detailed
State and Federal water and air-
quality standards, logging camps
are unlikely to have any appre-
ciable effect on fish habitat
now or in the future. Logging
camps may be viewed as small
communities, subject to the same
regulations as any other com-
munity. If environmental degra-
dation occurs it is because
State and Federal regulations
are being violated.
12
SUMMARY AND
CONCLUSIONS
Pulp and paper mills re-
lease enormous amounts of ef-
fluents daily into receiving
waters. The toxicity of these
wastes varies widely and is
dependent on factors such as
chemical processes used, waste
recovery, and biological oxygen
demand caused by decomposition
of sugars in the effluents.
Until recently, assessing
the harmful effects of mill
wastes was difficult because the
chemical constituents are com-
plex, and some remain unident-
ified. The relation between the
concentration of many toxic
constituents and biological
activity has not been estab-
lished. In addition, separating
chemical toxicity from bio-
logical oxygen demand is often
difficult. As a result chemical
assays cannot be used.
Laboratory and field studies
have accumulated the data needed
to design accurate and sensitive
acute lethal bioassays for
effluents from pulp and paper
mil 1s . These bioassays have
been used to identify thresh-
holds of effluent toxicity for
several aquatic animals, in-
cluding salmonid fishes. This
work has demonstrated that the
previous history of test animals
is very important. Fish and
other aquatic animals can be
conditioned to withstand in-
creasing levels of pollutants to
a point. Stresses tend to be
cumulative, however, and such
factors as water temperature and
pH can compound the effects of
other stresses. Despite some
shortcomings, recent research on
biological assessment has re-
sulted in the development of
tables showing concentrations of
effluents associated with effects
on various organisms. Threshold
concentrations of effluents from
paper mills have been based on
extensive technical data; this
work has been reviewed by Walden
(1976).
The acute lethal bioassay
is now well established for
measuring toxicity of industrial
pollution. Using such bioassays
to determine safe levels of
effluent in the environment is
risky, however. Each biological
system is unique; plants and
animals in the system are sub-
jected to various stresses. The
amount and duration of these
stresses determine the animal's
ability to withstand the added
stress of mill pollution. What
is needed is a sublethal bio-
assay, sensitive enough to
detect changes in the natural
environment as they relate to
biological requirements of the
animal s .
Little information is
available on the effects of
logging camps on anadromous fish
habitat. Because camps are
often near productive fish
habitat, however, they are
potentially hazardous. Present
regulations pertaining to camps
and associated activities appear
adequate to prevent appreciable
damage.
13
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GPO 991-022
17
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