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Toxic effiuents from mining and mineral processing may pose a serious threat to aquatic ecosystems (HEs-TER & HARRISON 1994). The Kostomuksha Mining Plant (KMP) or Karelsky Okatysh JSC in Russian Karelia produces iron pellets (about 10 million t year 1) for steel plants. The main environmental effects ofthe production are ai r pollution (S02 70000 t yeac1) and waste water emissions. Mining waste waters are usually characterized by low p H an d high meta! concentrations, but in this case alkaline, not acid, waste waters are col! ected in a waste-basin and then al-! owed to flow to a natural lake-river system. Consequently, the impacted lakes have water with high m inera! content, high pH value, and high concentrations of potassium,! ithium and nitrogen. but with total phosphorus slightly lower than in the reference lake (HOLOPAINEN et al. 2003). In this study we describe the macroinvertebrate fauna in two …