Density of individuals was higher at the WLIS-A station 

 than at the Reference station (mean/sample 1421 vs. 584, Table 3- 

 5) . Most of the individuals at the WLIS-A station were 

 polychaetes with a mean density per sample of 1264 (89% of the 

 individuals) . There were nearly equal numbers of polychaetes and 

 molluscs in the Reference samples. Crustaceans were found at low 

 densities at both stations (2.2 and 2.3% of individuals). 



The dominant species at the WLIS Reference station are 

 characteristic of the deep silty bottoms of Long Island Sound. 

 The polychaetes Nephtys , Mediomastus , Sigambra , and Cossura ; the 

 bivalves Nucula and Yoldia; and the anemone Ceriantheopsis all 

 also appear in samples collected at the reference station at the 

 Central Long Island Sound (CLIS) disposal site. Excluding 

 Mediomastus , these species were absent or found in lower numbers 

 in the WLIS -A station samples. The densities of dominant 

 species at the WLIS Reference station were less than are usually 

 found at CLIS and included few mature individuals. 



The WLIS-A station had over 2 species which were 

 notably more abundant than at the Reference station. These 

 included species requiring solid surfaces for attachment (e.g., 

 the polychaete Sabellaria , the gastropod Crepidula ) and many tube 

 dwellers or burrowers requiring silty sand or sandy substrate 

 (e.g., the polychaetes Pherusa, Pectinaria , Euclymene , Ampharete ; 

 the amphipod Leptocheirus ; the bivalves Ensis, Tellina ) . In 

 addition, some species present are characteristic of shallower, 

 less saline, more variable environments (e.g., the polychaetes 

 Polydora liana and Nereis succinea) . 



3 . 5 Body Burden Analysis 



Triplicate samples of Nephtys incisa from both the 

 WLIS-A and Reference stations were analyzed for eight inorganic 

 elements and several PCB formulations. Concentrations were 

 calculated on both a dry weight and wet weight basis for 

 comparisons with literature values and FDA action levels. 

 Statistical analyses (Kruksal-Wallis test) were conducted on the 

 results to test the difference between concentrations found in 

 organisms collected at the two stations, with the exception of 

 PCB's which were below the analytical detection limits. Results 

 of the inorganic analyses are presented in Tables 3-6 and 3-7 

 and the PCB results are shown in Table 3-8. 



The results from the statistical analyses of the 

 inorganic data showed that the concentration of lead in the 

 Nephtys collected from the WLIS-A station were significantly 

 higher (p<0.05) than in those collected from the Reference 

 station. Zinc and cadmium concentrations were significantly 

 higher in the Reference Nephtys compared to the levels in the 

 polychaete collected at the WLIS-A station. 



10 



