The Occurrence of
Fungi in Acid Mine-Drainage
WILLIAM BRIDGE COOKE
In Charge, Fungus Studies
Microbiological Activities
c and Applied Sciences Prog
Cincinnati water Research Laboratory
~ ift Sanitary F
Cincinnati,
Basic and Applied Sciences Program
' water R<
Robert A. Taft Sanitary Engineering Center
ti, Ohio
INTRODUCTION
In the study of problems arising from the pollution of streams by acid mine-
drainage, little attention has been paid to the fungi and the possible relation of
such organisms to various factors involved in this type of pollution. The extensive
annotated review of the literature by McFadden in Moulton (1) indicates that, although problems dealing with acid mine-drainage were recognized as early as
1902, at least in the United States, with few exceptions no one had reported on
the occurrence and activity or even the presence of fungi in such situations.
Lackey (2,3) reported on the flora and fauna of waters associated with coal mines,
especially in streams and pools receiving drainage from such mines, but only in
the second paper, in which he mentioned the observation of two unidentified
species of fungi, did he recognize that fungi occurred in such habitats.
Ruchhoft, Ettinger, and Walker (4), in studying self-purification of polluted
natural waters in the Ohio River, concluded that "the biological self-purification
reaction that occurs in acid sewage at pH values of 2.0 to 3.0 is largely the result of biochemical oxidation which is heing carried on by a limited number of
biological species." The authors identified these species only as "not bacterial."
Two types of bacterial activity have been studied intensively in connection
with the interpretation of the acid mine-drainage problem. The first type, and
most important, is centered around the species of bacteria associated with the formation of ferrous sulphate, sulphuric acid, and ferric hydroxide from iron sulphides
in the naturally occurring minerals associated with coals of all types from lignite
to anthracite. Moulton (1), Fjerdingstad (5), Brant and Moulton (5), and the
House Committee Report.(7), among others, summarize theresults of these studies.
The second is centered around the fate of bacterial indicators of pollution in highly
acid waters.  Some of this work has been referred to by McFadden in his annotated
7
(8).
bibliography (1), and by Wilson, Hipke, and Rogers (8)
In a preliminary study reported to this Conference two years ago, Wilson,
Hipke and Rogers (8), found at pH levels 5.5 and above, sewage stabilization
will be the result primarily of bacterial activity. Below pH 5.0 and particularly
pH 4.5 and lower, the predominating micro-flora, probably yeasts, will determine
the degree of stabilization." Dr. Wilson and his students were working with raw
sewage and polluted water from the Monongahela River containing both acid mine-
drainage, municipal sewage, and other wastes.
Because fungi had been shown to be associated with natural streams as well as
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