An Le

Urbanization and anthropogenic factors influence the chemical, physical, and biological properties of aquatic ecosystems. In Northern states that experience high snowfall, road salt runoff is a growing concern as chloride concentrations increase in freshwater systems. Aquatic insects are one of the major inhabitants that are vulnerable to these pollutants, and are used as biological indicators in bio-monitoring analysis. Specifically insect species within the orders Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera (EPT taxa) are major bio-indicators for good water quality and health. For this study, nine streams within the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area were sampled for both aquatic insects and water samples to evaluate chloride levels in each stream. For this study, the average of historical records of chloride were used for a linear regression analysis. The results suggest that there is a correlation between the concentrations of chloride in streams and aquatic insect diversity. Streams with high chloride levels exhibit lower diversity in aquatic insects, while streams with lower concentrations exhibit higher abundance of overall aquatic insect and EPT taxa diversity. These findings highlight the significance of supporting further management and regulations in order to conserve freshwater systems that are susceptible to increasing environmental threats.