Comparison of Hyporheic Organisms in Two Intermittent Streams to Assess a Local Disturbance

ABSTRACT

Hyporheic pot samplers were used to assess the effects of a uranium contaminated site and its cleanup on the aquatic biota of an intermittent stream. The potentially affected stream was compared with an unaffected stream in an adjacent watershed. All of the sampling locations were dry when samplers were deployed; all but one were dry at retrieval. The communities at the two streams showed a high degree of similarity (0.84 with the Morisita-Horn index). Collembola and Hydracarina were the predominant organisms. The hyporheic zone was not being used as a refugium.