Recovery of Fish Populations in Belews Lake Following Selenium Contamination

Discharge of selenium (Se)-contaminated water into Belews Lake, North Carolina, resulted in a significant decline in fish diversity and biomass. However, fish populations in this cooling reservoir slowly recovered during a 10-year period from this contamination once Se inputs into the lake ceased. During this period, Se concentrations in skeletal muscle of fish declined, number of taxa increased from 7 to 22, and estimated fish biomass increased from 5.67 to 79.66 kg/ha.