A step-wise discriminant analysis of the effects of long term coal mine drainage and coal dredging on phytoplankton of the Guyandotte River

Phytoplankton was sampled from the lower 60 miles portion of the Guyandotte River where three active coal dredging operations presently exist and five more permits are pending. Comparisons were made with phytoplankton from a similar stretch of the Mud River, a stream of minimal mine drainage and no coal dredges along its entire course.Diatoms were the predominant planktonic algae on both streams. The number of all phytoplankton species was 24% higher for the Mud River than for the Guyandotte River. Equitability and species diversity indices plus the distribution of mine water indicator algae show that the Guyandotte River is heavily polluted with domestic wastes and mine drainage. No correlation could be established for turbidity, specific conductance, or pH and locations of dredging operations, when the data were analyzed for differences among sampling stations.Step-wise discriminant analysis was used to compare the two streams and the biological, physical, and chemical variables. Based on coefficients for canonical variables, conductivity and pH are the two most influential variables in separating the two streams. Analysis of variance indicates that the canonical means of the stations on the Guyandotte River are significantly different from the Mud River stations.