Source Of Surface Water Contamination Research Articles

Tracking Anthropogenic Inputs Using Caffeine, Indicator Bacteria, and Nutrients in Rural Freshwater and Urban Marine Systems

Our objective was to evaluate the hypothesis that measurements of caffeine, nutrients, and indicator bacteria can distinguish human versus non-human sources of surface water contamination in contrasting environments. A second objective was to determine if natural sources of caffeine were significant in unpopulated areas. Caffeine was measured in an isolated wetland, and a native plant source was identified. In two rural watersheds in southwest Georgia (U.S.), caffeine was detected in tributary creeks immediately below wastewater discharge sites and within towns. However, caffeine was not found in river main streams. Thus, although natural caffeine sources exist, background levels in stream drainage networks of these rural watersheds remained below detection. The presence of caffeine and elevated nitrate in streams was associated with anthropogenic inputs and population centers, whereas bacterial indicators did not correlate to these chemical indicators and appeared to have non-human sources. In contrast, caffeine in an urban coastal lagoon was generally linked to fecal coliform abundance. We observed sporadic relationships between caffeine and other water quality indicators, possibly due to differential rates of degradation. Creeks and bayous flowing into the lagoon contained the greatest caffeine concentrations and highest amounts of bacteria, nitrate, and radon, which is an indicator of groundwater discharge.

Flatwoods Citrus Best Management Practice: Minimizing Direct Deposition of Pesticides into Waterways

SL-235 is a 5-page illustrated fact sheet by Chris Wilson, Brian Boman, Ed Stover, Janet Bargar and Jack Hebb. This document summarizes the results from a study evaluating the effectiveness of turning sprayer nozzles off at row ends as a proposed best management practice for preventing non-target deposition of pesticides in surface water connections such as irrigation and drainage ditches. It also estimates direct deposition on ground surfaces that translate into wasted product, as well as another potential source of surface water contamination through surface water runoff. Includes references. Published by the UF Department of Soil and Water Sciences, March 2006. SL 235/SS454: Flatwoods Citrus Best Management Practice: Minimizing Direct Deposition of Pesticides into Waterways (ufl.edu)

Detection and differentiation of Cryptosporidium oocysts in water by PCR-RFLP.

Consumption of contaminated water has been implicated as a major source of Cryptosporidium infection in various outbreak investigations and case control studies. Surveys conducted in various regions of the United States demonstrated the presence of Cryptosporidium oocysts in 67-100% of wastewaters, 24-100% of surface waters, and 17-26.8% of drinking waters. The identity and human infective potential of these waterborne oocysts are not known, although it is likely that not all oocysts are from human-infecting Cryptosporidium species. Likewise, the source of the oocyst contamination is also not fully clear. Farm animals and human sewage discharge are generally considered to be the major sources of surface water contamination with C. parvum. Because Cryptosporidium infection is common in wildlife, it is conceivable that wildlife can also be a source for Cryptosporidium oocysts in waters. The presence of host-adapted Cryptosporidium spp. and genotypes makes it possible to develop molecular tools to assess the human infection potential and source of Cryptosporidium oocysts in water.Currently, the identification of Cryptosporidium oocysts in environmental samples is largely made by the use of immunofluorescent assay (IFA) after concentration processes (Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] recommended information collection rule [ICR] method or method 1622/1623 or similar techniques). Because IFA detects oocysts from all Cryptosporidium parasites, the species distribution of Cryptosporidium parasites in environmental samples cannot be assessed. Although many surface water samples contain Cryptosporidium oocysts, it is unlikely that all these oocysts are from human-pathogenic species or genotypes, because only five genotypes of Cryptosporidium parasites (the C. parvum human and bovine genotypes, C. meleagridis, C. canis, and C. felis) are responsible for most human infections. Information on the source of C. parvum contamination is necessary for effective evaluation and selection of management practices for reducing C. parvum contamination of surface water and the risk of cryptosporidiosis. Thus, identification of oocysts to species and genotype levels is of public health importance.

Algal-bacterial treatment facility removes selenium from drainage water

Growers and pesticide applicators in California are legally required to file pesticide use reports with details about every application to commercial crops. We used the individual applicator records to document a decline in the use of organophosphate pesticides (OP) on almond and stone fruit orchards during the rainy season in California, a time period in which the trees are dormant. The decline is important because dormant applications are a major source of surface water contamination and the Federal Clean Water Act mandates a reduction in movement of OPs into surface water. However, the decline in use of OPs has been accompanied by an increase in use of pyrethroid pesticides, particularly in stone fruit orchards. Additional implementation of “reduced-risk” integrated pest management practices could further reduce use of dormant applications of OPs and pyrethroids on almonds and stone fruit orchards.

Almond and stone fruit growers reduce OP, increase pyrethroid use in dormant sprays

Growers and pesticide applicators in California are legally required to file pesticide use reports with details about every application to commercial crops. We used the individual applicator records to document a decline in the use of organophosphate pesticides (OP) on almond and stone fruit orchards during the rainy season in California, a time period in which the trees are dormant. The decline is important because dormant applications are a major source of surface water contamination and the Federal Clean Water Act mandates a reduction in movement of OPs into surface water. However, the decline in use of OPs has been accompanied by an increase in use of pyrethroid pesticides, particularly in stone fruit orchards. Additional implementation of “reduced-risk” integrated pest management practices could further reduce use of dormant applications of OPs and pyrethroids on almonds and stone fruit orchards.

Assessment of the contamination of surface water and fish from Côte d'Ivoire.

Water and fish samples were collected from selected rivers and lagoons from Côte d'Ivoire. Water samples were analyzed for their chemical characteristics and for the levels of heavy metals and organochlorine pesticides. Fish samples were analyzed for the presence of organochlorine pesticides. The values for pH and total hardness found indicate that these waters are suitable for drinking. The COD is higher in the south and urban areas indicating an enrichment in organic matter due to agricultural and industrial activities. Only two metals, zinc and copper were detected at very low levels (ranges of values). The levels of organochlorine pesticides detected in water and fish samples were below the extraneous residue limits (ERL) and the acceptable daily intake (ADI) set by the FAO/WHO codex alimentarius commission. The levels found are higher in the south and around urban areas. These findings [correction of finding] indicate that agriculture and industrial activities are the most important source of surface water contamination by xenobiotics.

A new method of examining the interior of pearls: B. Szilard. ( Comptes Rendus, Feb. 9, 1925.)

Comprehensive water quality investigations to characterize large watersheds include collection of surface water samples over time at various locations within the watershed and analyses of the samples for multiple chemical and biological constituents. The size and complexity of the resulting dataset make overall evaluations difficult, and as a result, multivariate statistical methods can be useful to evaluate environmental patterns and sources of contamination. The most commonly applied multivariate method in watershed studies is principal components analysis (PCA), which uses correlation among multiple water quality constituents to effectively reduce the number of variables. The reduced set of variables may assist in the identification and description of spatial patterns in water quality that result from hydrologic and geochemical processes and from sources of contamination.The utility of PCA for identifying important environmental factors in a given study is obviously affected by sampling design, constituents analyzed, data quality, data treatment prior to PCA, methods of interpreting PCA results, and other factors. Unfortunately no comprehensive evaluations have been performed and no standard procedures exist for dealing with these issues. This paper examines and evaluates the current state-of-the-science by review of 49 published papers dealing with multivariate (typically PCA) techniques to evaluate watershed water quality.Additionally an example PCA for a surface water quality study in the Illinois River Watershed (IRW) is provided to illustrate methods to address the above issues and to evaluate the sensitivity of results to alternative methods. The example PCA evaluations were consistent with two dominant sources of surface water contamination in the IRW: 1) discharge to the streams from municipal wastewater treatment plants and 2) runoff and infiltration from fields with land applied poultry waste.