Selenium in the Kendrick recalamation project, Wyoming

Elevated concentrations of selenium in water, bottom sediment, and biota were noted during a reconnaissance investigation of the Kendrick Reclamation Project in central Wyoming. Dissolved-selenium concentrations in 11 of 24 samples of surface or ground water exceeded the national drinking-water standard of 10 micrograms per liter. Bottom-sediment samples contained concentrations of several elements, including selenium, that were greater than baseline concentrations in soils of western states. Samples of biota from several trophic levels at four wetlands contained selenium at concentrations associated with physiological problems and abnormalities as reported in laboratory studies and previously published literature.