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CHARACTERIZATION AND PREDICTION OF NUTRIENTS AND PESTICIDES IN BASE FLOW CONDITIONS OF FIRST ORDER STREAMS IN THE MID-ATLANTIC COASTAL PLAIN-A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT
Citation:
PITCHFORD, A. M., A. C. NEALE, J. DENVER, AND S. ATOR. CHARACTERIZATION AND PREDICTION OF NUTRIENTS AND PESTICIDES IN BASE FLOW CONDITIONS OF FIRST ORDER STREAMS IN THE MID-ATLANTIC COASTAL PLAIN-A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT. Presented at EPA 2005 Science Forum, Washington, DC, May 16 - 18, 2005.
Impact/Purpose:
The overarching objective is to develop and test landscape indicator statistical models for condition of streams and aquatic biota in relation to pesticides, nutrients, sediments and toxic substances, nationwide. The indicator models will serve as tools for managers who want consistent methods to compare potential impacts on streams within a biophysical region for differing landscape patterns. To accomplish this objective, several sub objectives will be important:
Develop landscape indicator statistical models of stream vulnerability for selected regions of the U.S., beginning with the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Streams; studies in the Midwest, California, and the Southeast will follow.
Demonstrate the application of the landscape indicator models for the ranking of watersheds, the identification of "hot spots," and the evaluation of management options using projected future scenarios of land use for the study areas selected above.
Develop statistical distributions for physical characteristics of small water bodies for use in OPP modeling.
Leverage resources for this research by incorporating existing data into the model development process, and by sharing field study costs with other projects in the same geographic areas.
This task represents a topic area within the Landscape Sciences research program which is described in A National Assessment of Landscape Change and Impacts to Aquatic Resources. A 10-Year Research Strategy for the Landscape Sciences Program, EPA/600/R-00/001. It also supports the Regional Vulnerability Assessment (ReVA) Program.
Besides being responsive to the Office of Pesticide Programs, this research directly supports long-term goals established in ORD's multi-year research plans related to GPRA Goal 2 (Water Quality) and GPRA Goal 8.1.1 (Sound Science/Ecological Research). Relative to the GPRA Goal 2 multi-year plan, this research will "provide tools to assess and diagnose impairment in aquatic systems and the sources of associated stressors" and "provide the tools to restore and protect aquatic ecosystems and to forecast the ecological, economic, and human health outcomes of alternative solutions" (Long Term Research Goals 2 and 3). Relative to the Goal 8 multi-year plan, this research will develop and demonstrate methods to provide states, tribes, and federal, state and local managers with abilities to: (1) assess the condition of waterbodies in a scientifically-defensible and representative way, while allowing for aggregation and assessment of trends at multiple scales; (2) diagnose cause and forecast future condition in a scientifically defensible fashion to more effectively protect and restore valued ecosystems; and (3) assess current and future ecological conditions, probable causes of impairments, and management alternatives.
Description:
The Landscape Indicators for Pesticides Study in Mid-Atlantic Coastal Streams (LIPS-MACS) is a collaborative research effort between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Research and Development and the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water Quality Assessment Program. This study, which capitalized on the strengths of the two agencies, was designed to identify the background levels of pesticides and nutrients contributed to streams from ground water (base flow), associated stream biota, and the relative importance of land use, geology and soil types, and landforms in explaining these conditions.
Two major research objectives were defined: I) estimate the distribution of pesticides and nutrients in the population of headwater streams in the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain during winter and spring base flow; and 2) develop empirical models using land use, geology, and other geographic variables to predict water quality and aquatic ecology in each Coastal Plain headwater stream during winter/spring base flow conditions. A base network of 174 small (typically first-order) streams was selected across a gradient of hydro geologic and land-use settings, from a population of 10,144 first-order streams in the region. Water samples were collected from all174 streams and analyzed for selected pesticides, pesticide metabolites, nutrients, and major ions. Benthic-community and habitat assessments were also conducted at each stream. A data base of landscape metrics, computed from soils, land use, and topographic data for each stream's watershed, was compiled and analyzed.
Although this work was reviewed by EPA and approved for publication, it may not necessarily reflect official Agency policy.