A recent Dump study was completed to identify the extent to which the Rio Grande dump site is impacting the Rio Grande River and the species within. Chantelle Halvorson from University of Victoria in Canada, supervised by TIDE science director James Foley used three methods to investigate. Firstly, she analyzed contaminants in sediment, algae and bivalves at multiple sites upstream and downstream of the dump site, showing increasing contamination up the food chain. Secondly, she conducted carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis, which determined nutrient pathways through the food web. Finally, Chantelle created an aquatic invertebrate catalogue, observing a difference in species composition above and below the dumpsite. She found the site most likely contaminated had distinct isotopic signatures similar to samples from the dump site.
