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, mclarsen@usgs.govDonna Myers, dnmyers@usgs.govPixie Hamilton, pahamilt@usgs.gov

Thank you