USGS Science⌕ Search
Home/Archive/USGS

USGS · 70033597

Chemical and toxicologic assessment of organic contaminants in surface water using passive samplers

D.A. Alvarez·W.L. Cranor·S.D. Perkins·R.C. Clark·S.B. Smith
View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

Passive sampling methodologies were used to conduct a chemical and toxicologic assessment of organic contaminants in the surface waters of three geographically distinct agricultural watersheds. A selection of current-use agrochemicals and persistent organic pollutants, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, and organochlorine pesticides, were targeted using the polar organic chemical integrative sampler (POCIS) and the semipermeable membrane device passive samplers. In addition to the chemical analysis, the Microtox assay for acute toxicity and the yeast estrogen screen (YES) were conducted as potential assessment tools in combination with the passive samplers. During the spring of 2004, the passive samplers were deployed for 29 to 65 d at Leary Weber Ditch, IN; Morgan Creek, MD; and DR2 Drain, WA. Chemical analysis of the sampler extracts identified the agrochemicals predominantly used in those areas, including atrazine, simazine, acetochlor, and metolachlor. Other chemicals identified included deethylatrazine and deisopropylatrazine, trifluralin, fluoranthene, pyrene, cis- and trans-nonachlor, and pentachloroanisole. Screening using Microtox resulted in no acutely toxic samples. POCIS samples screened by the YES assay failed to elicit a positive estrogenic response. Copyright ?? 2008 by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America. All rights reserved.

Explore related subjects

Journal of Environmental QualityArticle

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

D.A. Alvarez, W.L. Cranor, S.D. Perkins, R.C. Clark, S.B. Smith. 2008. Chemical and toxicologic assessment of organic contaminants in surface water using passive samplers. https://doi.org/10.2134/jeq2006.0463

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related USGS reports

USGS2026

Association of runoff risk with private well contamination in a fractured dolostone aquifer

In the United States, private well owners are responsible for monitoring and maintaining their drinking water but have little control over neighboring contamination sources and limited information about daily water quality. Potential for rapid contamination in karst settings exacerbates the challenge. The Runoff Risk Advisory Forecast (RRAF) is a real-time online tool available in five US states that helps nutrient applicators avoid times and locations of high runoff risk. We wanted to determine if RRAF could be repurposed in areas susceptible to groundwater contamination to inform well owners of conditions when contamination is likely. Private wells were repeatedly sampled on seven dates (32–36 wells per date) and analyzed for nitrate-nitrogen, total coliforms, and bovine manure markers. Three-day windows of RRAF risk prior to sampling were selected post hoc, ranging from 1 to 3 days prior for manure markers to 10–12 days prior for nitrate. Contaminants were associated with RRAF values of ≥75% within these windows based on observed weather. A hydrologic association between RRAF risk and groundwater depth was also apparent. Overall, results suggest the RRAF model anticipates conditions of elevated contamination risk for susceptible wells. For nitrate, between-well variation and delayed peak concentration suggested that well location and construction factors may be more informative than runoff events. Microbial contamination was rapid and distributed among wells, with one or more detections of coliforms in 31% of wells and bovine markers in 61% of wells. Thus, a warning system based on the RRAF model could help identify conditions of acute pathogen exposure.

Wisconsin↗
USGS2026

Quantitative microbial risk assessment with microbial source tracking for enteric pathogens in southwest Wisconsin private wells

Private wells supply drinking water for many households, and their contamination by fecal microbes presents a risk of acute gastrointestinal illness (AGI). Risk is thought to vary by contaminating fecal source, but specific associations with fecal source are unknown for most private wells in the United States. This study characterizes AGI risk in Grant, Iowa, and Lafayette counties in southwestern Wisconsin. AGI risk was assessed for 10 viral, bacterial, and protozoan pathogens detected in private wells using quantitative microbial risk assessment. Exposure assessment was based on sampling 138 private wells in the study area, and risk was associated with fecal source by microbial source tracking (MST). Median Monte Carlo estimates indicated 4450 AGI cases/year in the study area associated with drinking water from contaminated private wells (95% confidence interval: 90–37,990). Most annual cases were associated with detection of human MST markers, including median estimates of 2550 associated with only human markers and 880 with human and livestock MST markers detected together. Note that 50 AGI cases/year were associated with detection of only livestock markers, and nearly 1000 cases were estimated to occur in the absence of detectable MST markers. This study characterizes AGI risk for households served by private wells in southwestern Wisconsin. It illustrates that human fecal sources can predominate risk associated with drinking water from private wells, even in a rural region characterized by substantial agricultural activity. MST can characterize the relationship between risk and fecal source; contributions of fecal sources to risk cannot be assumed from land use.

Wisconsin↗