water quality status and trends
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Water Quality Status and Trends. Matthew C. Larsen, PhD United States Geological Survey Associate Director for Climate and Land Use Change a nd Chair, U.S. Committee for UNESCO International Hydrological Programme. Changing Perspectives in Water Quality - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Water Quality Status and Trends
Matthew C. Larsen, PhDUnited States Geological Survey
Associate Director for Climate and Land Use Change
andChair, U.S. Committee for UNESCO International Hydrological Programme
Changing Perspectives in Water Quality
Point sources Nonpoint sourcesEnd-of-pipe approach Watershed approach
(landscape, human activities)
One-time, periodic Seasonal, events, continuous
reporting real timeNutrients, DO, bacteria Organic compounds
Single pollutants Mixtures
Surface water Total resourceChemistry Chemistry, biology, habitat, hydrology, landscapeShort-term monitoring Long-termMonitoring Monitoring and prediction
Changing Perspectives in Water Quality
Point sources Nonpoint sourcesEnd-of-pipe approach Watershed approach
(landscape, human activities)
One-time, periodic Seasonal, hydrologic events,reporting continuous, real timeNutrients, DO, bacteria Organic compounds
Single pollutants Mixtures
Surface water Total resourceChemistry Chemistry, biology, habitat, hydrology, landscapeShort-term monitoring Long-termMonitoring Monitoring and prediction
Changing Perspectives in Water Quality
Point sources Nonpoint sourcesEnd-of-pipe approach Watershed approach
(landscape, human activities)
One-time, periodic Seasonal, hydrologic events, reporting continuous, real timeNutrients, DO, bacteria Organic compounds
Single pollutants Mixtures
Surface water Total resourceChemistry Chemistry, biology, habitat, hydrology, landscapeShort-term monitoring Long-termMonitoring Monitoring and prediction
Changing Perspectives in Water Quality
Point sources Nonpoint sourcesEnd-of-pipe approach Watershed approach
(landscape, human activities)
One-time, periodic Seasonal, hydrologic events, reporting continuous, real timeNutrients, DO, bacteria Organic compounds
Single pollutants Mixtures
Surface water Total resourceChemistry Chemistry, biology, habitat, hydrology, landscapeShort-term monitoring Long-termMonitoring Monitoring and prediction
Changing Perspectives in Water Quality
Point sources Nonpoint sourcesEnd-of-pipe approach Watershed approach
(landscape, human activities)
One-time, periodic Seasonal, hydrologic events, reporting continuous, real timeNutrients, DO, bacteria Organic compounds
Single pollutants Mixtures
Surface water Total resourceChemistry Chemistry, biology, habitat, hydrology, landscapeShort-term monitoring Long-termMonitoring Monitoring and prediction
Changing Perspectives in Water Quality
Point sources Nonpoint sourcesEnd-of-pipe approach Watershed approach
(landscape, human activities)
One-time, periodic Seasonal, hydrologic events, reporting continuous, real timeNutrients, DO, bacteria Organic compounds
Single pollutants Mixtures
Surface water Total resourceChemistry Chemistry, biology, habitat, hydrology, landscapeShort-term monitoring Long-term monitoringMonitoring Monitoring and prediction
Changing Perspectives in Water Quality
Point sources Nonpoint sourcesEnd-of-pipe approach Watershed approach
(landscape, human activities)
One-time, periodic Seasonal, hydrologic events, reporting continuous, real timeNutrients, DO, bacteria Organic compounds
Single pollutants Mixtures
Surface water Total resourceChemistry Chemistry, biology, habitat, hydrology, landscapeShort-term monitoring Long-term monitoringMonitoring Monitoring and prediction
USGS Water Quality Programs
Ambient water-resource evaluation over long time scales with a regional and national perspective Interactions among surface water, groundwater, and the atmosphere Interconnections between water quality and biological systems Water quality in a hydrologic context Uniform methods of sampling and analysis Low-levels of chemical detection
Emerging Contaminantswastewater organic compounds
• Drugs • Antibiotics• Hormones• Steroids• Detergents • Plastics• PAHs
• Antioxidants• Fire retardants• Disinfectants• Fumigants• Fragrances• Insecticides/
Repellants
• Measured concentrations generally low; only ~5% > 1 part per billion.
• Detections of multiple compounds were common - As many as 38 in a sample; 34% > 10 compounds. - Total concentration as high as 80 ppb; 25% > 6 ppb.
Examples from USGS work
data from Kolpin & Buxton, 2002, Pharmaceuticals, hormones, and other organic wastewater contaminants in U.S. streams, Environmental Science & Technology.
• 1 or more compounds found in 80% of streams sampled.
• 82 of 95 compounds detected at least once (8 antibiotics & 5 other drugs not detected).
Pesticides widespread in streamsand shallow ground water
0 50 100% Samples with One or More Pesticides
Agricultural Areas
Urban Areas
Streams
Streams
85%
49%99%100%
59%92%
Shallow Ground Water
Shallow Ground Water
FishWater
FishWater
data from Gilliom et al., 2006, Pesticides in the Nation’s Streams and Ground Water, 1992-2001, USGS Circular 1291.
Common pesticides found in streams, by land use
Agriculture
• atrazine • [deethylatrazine] • metolachlor • cyanazine • alachlor
Urban• diazinon• carbaryl• malathion • chlorpyrifos
• atrazine • simazine • prometon • 2,4-D • diuron
data from Gilliom et al., 2006, Pesticides in the Nation’s Streams and Ground Water, 1992-2001, USGS Circular 1291.
Significance to Aquatic Life
0 10050
WaterBed Sediment
Bed Sediment
Bed Sediment
Water
Water
Water
Percentage of Stream Sites Exceeding Benchmarks
Land use
Bed Sediment
data from Gilliom et al., 2006, Pesticides in the Nation’s Streams and Ground Water, 1992-2001, USGS Circular 1291.
Importance of trackingseasonal variation
data from Domolagski et al., 2000, Water quality in the Sacramento River basin, California, 1994-1998, USGS Circular 1215.
Diazinon
Exceeds higherproposed drinking water standard (4.4%)
Exceeds lowerproposed drinking water standard (65%)
Radon
DeSimone, Hamilton, and Gilliom, 2009, Quality of Water from Domestic Wells in Principal Aquifers of the United States, 1991-2004—Overview of Major Findings, USGS Circular 1332.
data from Scudder, Chasar, Wentz, Bauch, Brigham, Moran, and Krabbenhoft, 2009, Mercury in fish, bed sediment, and water from streams across the United States, 1998–2005, USGS SIR 2009-5109.
Lead Trends 1975 to Present
Callender and Van Metre, 1997, Reservoir Sediment Cores Show U.S. Lead Declines, Environmental Science & Technology, v. 31, 424A-428A.
DDT Trends 1965 to Present
Vanmetre, Callender, and Fuller, 1997, Organochlorine Compounds in River Basins Identified Using Sediment Cores from Reservoirs, Environ. Sci. Technol., 31, 2339-2344.
PAH Trends 1975 to Present
Van Metre, Mahler, and Furlong, 2000, Urban Sprawl Leaves Its PAH Signature, Environ. Sci. Technol. 34, 4064-4070.
Diazinon downtrendC
once
ntra
tion,
ug/
L
Phas
e-O
ut
Accotink Creek, VA
Gilliom et al., 2006, “Pesticides in the Nation’s Streams and Ground Water, 1992-2001, USGS Circular 1291.
DIFFUSE SOURCE W/CHANGE IN MANAGEMENT; CONSERVATIVE SOLUTE
0
5
10
15
20
25
1945 1965 1985 2005YEAR
Nitr
ate
conc
entr
atio
n, in
mg/
L as
nitr
ogen
0
5
10
15
20
25
Nitrate responsein deeper supply wellNi
trate
as N
, mg/
L
Year
25 year lag
Year1965 1985 20051945
Shallow groundwater
Central Valley Sand & Gravel Public-Supply Well
Jagucki, Landon, Clark, and Eberts, 2008, Assessing the Vulnerability of Public-Supply Wells to Contamination: High Plains Aquifer Near York, Nebraska, USGS Fact Sheet 2008-3025.
Measured Atrazine in Streams
Gilliom et al., 2006, “Pesticides in the Nation’s Streams and Ground Water, 1992-2001, USGS Circular 1291.
Prediction of Atrazine in Streams
Gilliom et al., 2006, “Pesticides in the Nation’s Streams and Ground Water, 1992-2001, USGS Circular 1291.
Delivery of phosphorus to the Gulf of Mexico
Alexander et al., 2008, Differences in Phosphorus and Nitrogen Delivery to The Gulf of Mexico from the Mississippi River Basin, Environ. Sci. Technol., 42 , 822–830.
Groundwater Vulnerability Assessment Model
Nolan and Hitt, 2006, Vulnerability of Shallow Groundwater and Drinking-Water Wells to Nitrate in the United States, Environ. Sci. Technol., 40, 7834–7840.
Changing Perspectives in Water Quality
Point sources Nonpoint sourcesEnd-of-pipe approach Watershed approach
(landscape, human activities)
One-time, periodic Seasonal, hydrologic events, reporting continuous, real timeNutrients, DO, bacteria Organic compounds
Single pollutants Mixtures
Surface water Total resourceChemistry Chemistry, biology, habitat, hydrology, landscapeShort-term monitoring Long-term monitoringMonitoring Monitoring and prediction
Contact:Matt Larsen, [email protected] Myers, [email protected] Hamilton, [email protected]
Thank you