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Correlation of Trace Contaminants to Wastewater Management Practices in Small Watersheds
Citation:
Schenck, K., L. Rosenblum, B. Ramakrishnanb, J. Carson, Jr., D. Macke, AND C. Nietch. Correlation of Trace Contaminants to Wastewater Management Practices in Small Watersheds. Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts. RSC Publishing, Cambridge, Uk, 17(5):956-964, (2015).
Impact/Purpose:
The occurrence data may support possible regulatory actions by the Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water (OGWDW). The estrogens being evaluated in this study are on the current Chemical Contaminant List (CCL3).
Description:
Ten low-order streams draining headwatersheds were evaluated over one year for the presence of ten organic contaminants including steroidal hormones, the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole, the antimicrobials triclosan and triclocarban, and the artificial sweetener sucralose. The wastewater management practices in the catchments included septic systems, sanitary sewers, a combination of both, and a parkland with no treatment systems. The concentrations and detection frequencies of sucralose were significantly correlated with the septic density in each catchment. A similar relationship was found for the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole. Both sucralose and sulfamethoxazole are hydrophilic and unlikely to be removed effectively by sorption during septic treatment. The concentrations and detection frequencies of the antimicrobials, triclosan and triclocarban, also correlated with the septic density. The presence of the antimicrobials in the streams indicates that although they are hydrophobic, removal during septic treatment was incomplete. The target analytes that correlated with septic density were also detected at high concentrations in the outfall of a near-by wastewater treatment plant. The steroidal hormone, estrone, was the most frequently detected analyte at all sites. However, the estrone concentrations and detection frequencies did not correlate with the septic density due to multiple non-point sources including animals and sewer line leakage.
