Field evaluation of seven sampling devices for purgeable organic compounds in ground water
No abstract available.
Conference Paper↗
Geology topics
Thomas V. Fusillo
Publications and source records attributed to Thomas V. Fusillo.
Manmade organic compounds in the surface waters of the United States: a review of current understanding
This report reviews the occurrence and distribution of manmade organic compounds in the surface waters of the United States. On the basis of their aqueous solubilities, nonionic organic compounds partition themselves between water, dissolved organic matter, particulate organic matter, and the lipid reservoirs of aquatic organisms. Ionized organic compounds can be absorbed to sediments, thereby reducing their aqueous concentrations. Transformation processes of photolysis, hydrolysis, biodegradation, and volatilization can attenuate organic compounds, and attenuation rate commonly follow a first-order kinetic process. Eight groups of manmade organic compounds are discussed: 1. Polychlorinated biphenyls and organochlorine insecticides, 2. Carbamate and organophosphorus insecticides, 3. Herbicides, 4. Phenols, 5. Halogenated aliphatic and monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, 6. Phthalate esters, 7. Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, and 8. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. For each compound group, data pertaining to use, production, and properties are presented and discussed. Processes that influence that the environmental fate of each group, as determined primarily through laboratory studies, are reviewed, and important fate processes are identified. Environmental concentrations of compounds from each group in water, biota, and sediment are given to demonstrate representative values for comparison to concentrations determined during ongoing research. Finally, where sufficient data exist, regional and temporal contamination trends in the United States are discussed.
Open-File Report↗
Water-quality data for the Potomac-Raritan-Magothy aquifer system, Trenton to Pennsville, New Jersey, 1980
Samples for chemical analysis were collected from June to December 1980 from 262 wells tapping the Potomac-Raritan-Magothy aquifer system. The samples were analyzed for common ions, dissolved metals, nutrients, dissolved organic carbon, volatile organic compounds, pH, temperature, and specific conductance. This report contains the results of the analyses, well construction data for the wells sampled, and simple statistical summaries for each parameter. Most parameters showed wide variations in concentration. Concentrations of dissolved organic carbon ranged from 0 to 108 mg/L (milligrams per liter), with a median of 1.7 mg/L. Chloride concentration ranged from 0.8 to 810 mg/L, with a median of 15 mg/L. Iron concentration ranged from 3 micrograms per liter to 79,000 micrograms per liter, with a median of 1,400 micrograms per liter. Detectable concentrations of volatile organic compounds were found in 46 wells, approximately 19 percent of the 246 wells sampled for such compounds. Trichloroethylene and benzene, the most common compounds, were detected in 24 and 18 wells, respectively. The maximum concentrations of several compounds detected include: benzene, 1,960 micrograms per liter; 1,1-dichloroethylene, 670 micrograms per liter; trichloroethylene, 472 micrograms per liter; and tetrachloroethylene, 335 micrograms per liter.
New Jersey↗
Impact of suburban residential development on water resources in the area of Winslow Township, Camden County, New Jersey
Surface-water and ground-water quality, streamflow, and data on ground-water levels in the upper Great Egg Harbor River basin in the vicinity of the Winslow Crossing residential development in Winslow Township are evaluated. The data include continuous streamflow at four sites, monthly stream water quality at seven sites, ground-water levels and periodic ground-water quality in four wells from 1972 through 1978. Pumpage from the Cohansey Sand in the study area was lower than anticipated because of a slowdown in construction. The average pumpage of 0.48 million gallons per day during 1978 had little effect on ground-water levels. Dissolved-solids concentrations were lower in a well upgradient from the urbanized area. Elevated levels of dissolved solids, specific conductance, chloride, nitrate, and phosphorus were found in the shallow ground water in the vicinity of the Winslow wastewater treatment plant because of effluent infiltration ponds. Nitrate was greatly reduced in October 1974 by a change in the treatment process, which increased denitrification. Phosphorus concentrations in the ground water remained elevated, however. Water from the most urbanized drainage basin was a magnesium bicarbonate type, while the less developed basins had sodium chloride sulfate type waters. Water from the two developed basins had higher median pH (7.1) compared with that of the other basins (5.6-6.3). Winslow Crossing’s development had only a slight effect on the quality of water in Great Egg Harbor River. The river receives point and non-point discharges upstream from Winslow Crossing, and the quality of the water generally improves as the river flows downstream. Streamflow and rainfall were slightly above normal. Unit hydrograph analysis of one basin showed an 80 percent increase in the peak discharge of a 60-minute unit hydrograph (from approximately 150 to 270 cubic feet per second) after the development of 14 percent of the basin. Installation of a stormwater detention basin reduced the peak discharge to 220 ft 3 /s. Sediment discharge from this basin averaged 0.24 tons/d/mi 2 during construction but decreased to the preconstruction level of 0.06 tons/d/mi 2 after the completion of construction and the installation of the detention basin.
New Jersey↗
Investigation of acidity and other water-quality characteristics of Upper Oyster Creek, Ocean County, New Jersey
Water-quality data collected in the upper Oyster Creek drainage basin, Ocean County, N.J., indicate that the stream has excellent water quality except for a persistently low pH. The mean concentrations of the major inorganic ions were all less than 6.0 milligrams per liter. Mean concentrations of total nitrogen and total phosphorus were 0.15 mg/L and 0.01 mg/L, respectively. Dissolved oxygen averaged 8.7 mg/L and 81% saturation. Low pH levels are typical of streams draining cedar swamps. In Oyster Creek, the pH tended to decrease downstream due to chemical and biological processes. The pH levels in swamps were one-half unit or more lower than the pH levels in the adjacent stream. Sharp declines in stream pH were noted during runoff periods as the result of the mixing of poorly-buffered stream water with more highly acidic water from surrounding swamp areas. The quality of ground water within the study area was similar to the quality of streamflow, except for higher iron and ammonia-nitrogen concentrations and a higher pH range of 4.9 to 6.5. Precipitation represented a major source of many chemical constituents in the ground- and surface-waters of the Oyster Creek basin. (USGS)
New Jersey↗