Description:
To improve the quality of aquatic ecosystems, states and regions not only need to know what rivers and streams are impaired, but they also need to know what caused the impairment. Hence, EERD is undertaking research to provide the means to identify the pollutants that are causing impairments to our Nation's water bodies. Specifically, ECCB provides both research into chemical method development plus organic and inorganic chemical analyses of streams, fish and sediment in support of this effort. The chemical data, combined with biological data, are used by EERD personnel to provide guidance for determining the causes of impairment to rivers and streams, develop measurements and indicators that can be used as evidence and provide a framework for clearly presenting the direct and inferential evidence used to determine the causes of ecological impairment. Emphasis is on rivers and streams and those pollutants that have been implicated for 303d listed waters, particularly nutrients and trace metals.
Landscape assessment can be used to evaluate ecological resources at a range of scales across entire regions. These assessments can be used to target those areas where water resources are most vulnerable to decline due to landscape conditions, and to recommend areas needing environmental protection and restoration. The primary aim of Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) is to develop the technology to evaluate status and trends in aquatic resources nationally, and to work with others to demonstrate and implement monitoring. ECCB has provided the chemical data (trace metals, pesticides and PCB's) in fish tissue for approximately 500 EMAP samples collected over a two year period. ECCB is in process of developing a more sensitive method for the detection of pesticides and PCB's and will use this new methodology to analyze approximately 500 fish tissue samples for the Western EMAP Project.
The Landcape Indicators for Pesticide Studies - Mid-Atlantic Coastal Streams (LIPS-MACS) will combine evaluation of existing data with collection of additional data to develop landscape indicator models that characterize status and vulnerability of streams. ECCB has developed the methodology for determination of 70 pesticides and PCB's in sediments and now is in the process of analyzing 200 samples.
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE's) are used in the United States as flame-retardants in a wide range of products. In contrast to other persistent organic pollutants such as PCB's and chlorinated pesticides, PBDE's concentrations in the environment have increased exponentially over the past years. Since PBDE's are highly lipophlic, resistant to degradation and may bioaccumulate, they are of environmental interest. ECCB has begun research into the analyses of PBDE's in fish tissue. If our research in chemical methodology is successful, future analyses of fish tissue for EMAP and LIPS-MACS will include PBDE's along with pesticides and PCB's.
Recent research in this Branch has shown that nutrient loadings in streams are influenced by several landscape features including both natural (e.g., geophysical) and human influenced (e.g., land use). These landscape features operate at multiple spatial and temporal scales. The riparian corridor (streamside vegetation), an example of a local scale landscape feature, has a significant influence on the biological integrity of a stream, acting both to provide protection (e.g., shade) and services (energy) and via the modulation of influences from larger scale landscape elements. A research project entitled " Ecological Based Nutrient and Sediment Criteria for Derivations of Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) in Freshwater Streams" is being performed by ECCB and is discussed in more detail as a subtask within this task.on a larger scale. This project examines the role of the riparian corridor in the regulation diurnal changes of in-stream dissolved oxygen through its modulation of nutrient loads (emanating from land usage in the catchment) and simultaneously through its control of light intensity, the two key factors which regulate in-stream levels of both suspended and attached algal biomass. The dissolved oxygen changes (DO swings) have profound impact on the overall biotic integrity of the stream. The ECCB chemistry staff supports this project via assessments of nutrient and trace metals from water collected at the project's study in the Little Miami River.
Keywords:
CHEMICAL ANALYSES, ORGANIC, INORGANIC,
Project Information:
Progress
:In support of EERD task 6600 - Methods to Diagnose Causes of Biological Impairment, ECCB has analyzed 25 water sites along the Ohio River for a suite of compounds including ammonia, nitrite/nitrate, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, total phosphorus, acid neutralizing capacity, sulfate and chloride. An additional 52 water sites from West Virginia were analyzed for the same suite of compounds above plus eight trace metals (Fe, Al, Mn, Pb, Se, Cd, Cr and Cu). Sixty two water samples were analyzed from the Miami River in regard to a remote sensing (hyprspectra) study for nutrients. A separate study involving analyses of waters for ammonia and phosphhate from forest streams with different logging practices, has resulted in over 1000 analyses to date.
The installation of a large volume injector system into an existing micro-electron capture detector/gas chromatograph has been completed. We are in process of determining the optimum conditions (flow rates, venting times, temperature, etc) in order to inject larger volumes (more sensitivity) of pesticides and PCB extracts. We will determine the optimum GC temperature program so that the compounds of interest have satisfactory peak shape, reproducible retention times, and separation. This effort supports the western EMAP project.
Development of a method for analyses of sediment samples from the Landscape Indicators for Pesticides Study for Mid-Atlantic Coastal Streams (LIPS-MACS) is complete. An extensive clean-up procedure to remove matrix interferences has been verified. The method consists of an extraction using an accelerated solvent extraction system (ASE), followed by a series of Florisil clean-up solvents, concentration, and final injection into a "fast" GC with a new series micro ECD for approximately 50 chlorinated pesticides and PCB's and 19 phosphorus containing pesticides with a N/P detector. Trace metals analyses for As, Pb, Cd, Cr and Se by ICP for all 195 sediment samples are complete along with moisture contents.
On a quarterly basis, for over two years, 35 samples per quarter from the Little Miami River had been analyzed for the complete nutrient suite of compounds. This data has been given to the PI for the Riparian Zone project to compare with other biological data.
Work to determine the retention times of various PBDE's has been completed. Existing extracts from earlier EMAP - mid-Atlantic samples were reinjected. The resulting data were to be compared to the PCB and pesticide data to determine relationships among the compounds, degree of occurence and relationship to sites (geological location, fish species, etc). Unfortunately, the comparison of PCB data indicated that the sample extracts were not stable and the determination of relationships could not be performed.
Relevance
:Each year states are required to report the condition of the biological resources of streams and these findings are summarized in the form of 305b reports. Waters that are identified as impaired are then 303d listed. It is then necessary to determine the cause of the impairment. Once the pollutant is identified, then states are required to determine total maximum daily loads for that pollutant or pollutants. As a part of the overall process, this research will provide guidance for determining the causes of biological impairment to streams and rivers, develop measurements that can be used in the determination of causes, and a framework for clearly presenting the direct and inferential evidence of the cause of impairment. ECCB's nutrient and tracemetals work supports EERD's FY02 ARM's 69, 70 and 71; FY03 APM 16 and FY04 APM 198,199 and 254.
The Western EMAP will help EPA Regions 8, 9 and 10, and State agencies prioritize areas that are in need of protection and environmental restoration. It will also provide EPA Regions and States with a valuable and objective tool for priortizing water bodies relative to TMDL loadings and Clean Water Act 303 (d) designations. Since the methods and analyseis will be applied in a consistent manner, it will be possible to assess cross-regional issues. ECCB's contribution is the development of a method of analyses to increase senstivity for PCB's and the resulting analyses of 500 fish tissue samples for pesticides and PCB's.
The results of the LIPS-MACS research will be landscape indicator models and monitoring design tools which are relevant to performing drinking water quality risk assessment for pesticides under the Food Quality Protection Act; performing ecological assessments; and determing TMDL allocatioons for nutrients and pesticides under the Clean Water Act. The landscape indicator model will be applied to perform regional prioritization of stream conditions, prepare area-wide assessments; identify "hot spots", and evaluate "what if" scenarios. ECCB's contribution is the development of methodology for analyses of 70 pesticides and PCB's plus the analyses of 200 sediment samples.
Riparian zones, the vegetated areas along the stream corridors, serve as the interface between the water body and the surrounding terrestrial ecosystem and operate on a proximal spatial scale to enhance stream integrity/water quality. The scale is a factor in selecting the most appropriate option for watershed restoration. Critically important tools for rationalizing this issue of scale, for both the instigation and the mitigation, of watershed stressors are lacking and are being worked on by EERD personnel. ECCB also provides the chemical data aspect of the water quality portion of this research.
The research to develop a method of analyses for flame retardants will have positive influenced on the Western EMAP and LIPS-MACS projects by providing informatioon on addtional stressors that have be present in the environment.
Project IDs:
ID Code
:5043
Project type
:OMIS