Analytical Capabilities, Sample Requirements, and Instrumentation Active
Organic Geochemistry Research Lab
(OGRL)
OGRL works independently or collaboratively to pair fate and transport with biological
experiments and effects. OGRL has three main focuses:
1. Development and modification of robust analytical methods needed for analysis of
compounds in multiple matrices to address relevant environmental health issues.
2. Conduct independent and collaborative lab to national based studies to provide new
knowledge on source to receptor pathways for potential environmental relevant organic
contaminants.
3. Conduct collaborative research to study correlations between individual compound
and environmental mixture and environmental health effects.
Hot Topics
- A team of scientists from the USGS and the Agroscope Reckenholz-Tanikon Research Station, Switzerland, found that some mycotoxins are common in U.S. stream waters. (more)
- Measuring POEA, a Surfactant Mixture in Herbicide Formulations. (more)
- Groundwater microbial community composition affected during 30-day exposure to sub mg/L concentrations of the antibiotic, sulfamethoxazole.
- Two microbial communities from a sandy aquifer, one acclimated historically to wastewater with sulfamethoxazole and the other unacclimated were exposed to in situ 240-520 μg/L sulfamethoxazole using filter chambers suspended ambient groundwater for 30 days. The unacclimated microbial community displayed greater changes in mortality and impairment, sensitivity to sulfamethoxazole, and community composition than the unacclimated microbial community. The study shows that microbial communities can be affected by concentrations 2-3 orders of magnitude less than those used in clinical applications.
Sample Processing
Samples will be collected using protocols for the collection of pesticide analysis in Shelton, (1994) http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/pnsp/pubs/ofr94-455/sw-t.html
- Preclean all equipment with a Liquinox/tap-water solution, rinsed with tap water, deonized water, and then methanol, and then air dry.
- Filter sample water through a 0.7-µm pore-size baked glass-fiber filter after a 100 ml rinse of the filter with sample water, into 125-ml (4 oz) baked amber glass bottles (If filtering is not possible, then it can be done upon request at a rate of $30 persample).
- Upon collection, all samples will be kept chilled until shipped to the lab.
Shipping Instructions
Label bottles clearly with waterproof marker or preprinted labels (a paper label completely covered with clear packing tape is preferred). Information required on the bottle is shown:
- -Project code:
- -station id
- -stream/well name/location
- -date and time
- -initials of collector
- -lab method code
Example:
Project code: To be assigned by Julie Dietze
station id: Lake Houston North End, Texas
stream/well name/location: 40305060
date and time: 5-18-06 @ 1015
initials of collector: JD
lab method code: LCGY
Bottle Requirements
Method Required Bottles
LCPD 3-4oz (125mL) amber glass with teflon lined caps
LCAB 3-4oz (125mL) amber glass with teflon lined caps
LCEA 3-4oz (125mL) amber glass with teflon lined caps
LCGY 3-4oz (125mL) amber glass with teflon lined caps
IMA 3-4oz (125mL) amber glass with teflon lined caps
IMB 3-4oz (125mL) amber glass with teflon lined caps
IMNT/IMND *1- 8 oz (250mL) HDPE with polypropylene closure
IMYT/IMYD *1- 8 oz (250mL) HDPE with polypropylene closure
IMXT/IMXD *1- 8 oz (250mL) HDPE with polypropylene closure
Custom Methods Contact Julie Dietze for bottles requirements
*When submitting samples for total analysis (IMNT, IMYT, and IMXT) only fill the bottles half-way to ensure that they do not break when frozen.
The following information form an ASR is required for transfer from the lab database to NWIS batch files/QWDX.
- USGS station ID
- Phone Number
- E-mail Contact
- User Code
- Project Account Number
- Collection Date
- Collection Time
- Sample Medium Code
- Sample Type
A copy of an ASR may be made and enclosed in a watertight bag if sample is also being sent to NWQL. Please make sure the lab methods and any other information specific to our lab is on the ASR sent to Kansas.
Data can be uploaded to the QWDX site upon request with the exception of immunoassay and soils/solids/bed sediment methods.
Glass bottles to be placed in foam sleeves to help prevent breakage. The bottles from each site will then be placed in a ZIPLOCK-type bag, which will help keep them dry in the coolers and keep all bottles from the same site together. All samples will be kept chilled and shipped on ice. Permanently mark the inside lid of the cooler with return address and telephone number. If this is not possible, make certain samples are kept cool until they are shipped to the OGRL.
Coolers will be returned at your project's expense. The three options for cooler return are listed below.
- A. Enclose a return mailing label and correct postage metered for return of cooler by parcel post mail
- B. Return a completed Federal Express shipping label identifying your USGS internal cost code or Federal Express account number.
- C. Enclose a mailing label and internal USGS cost code to have the cooler returned by Federal Express Ground shipping.
The coolers must be sent Monday-Thursday by overnight delivery. The laboratory is not open on Saturday or Sunday. The laboratory is also closed on federal holidays; therefore, coolers should not be sent the day before a holiday.
If you have questions or need to set up a new project, please call Julie Dietze at the following number and use the following address when shipping samples:
OGRL
USGS KS WSC
4821 Quail Crest Place
Lawrence, KS 66049
785/832-3564
Organic Geochemistry Research Group
Links
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
OGRL Algal Toxins Methods of Analysis
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
Below are publications associated with this project.
Occurrence of organic wastewater compounds in drinking water, wastewater effluent, and the Big Sioux River in or near Sioux Falls, South Dakota, 2001-2004
Results of analyses of the fungicide Chlorothalonil, its degradation products, and other selected pesticides at 22 surface-water sites in five Southern states, 2003-04
Concentration of selected herbicides, herbicide degradation products, and nutrients in the lower Mississippi River, Louisiana, April 1991 through December 2003
Urban contributions of glyphosate and its degradate AMPA to streams in the United States
Evaluation of the persistence of micropollutants through pure-oxygen activated sludge nitrification and denitrification
Occurrence of antibiotics in wastewater treatment facilities in Wisconsin, USA
Pharmaceuticals and other organic chemicals in selected north-central and northwestern Arkansas streams
Occurrence and transport of agricultural chemicals in Leary Weber Ditch Basin, Hancock County, Indiana, 2003-04
Enantiomeric separation of metolachlor and its metabolites using LC-MS and CZE
Occurrence of pharmaceuticals and other organic wastewater constituents in selected streams in northern Arkansas, 2004
Occurrence of selected pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical compounds, and stable hydrogen and oxygen isotope ratios, in a riverbank filtration study, Platte River, Nebraska, 2001 to 2003, Volume 1
Summary of significant results from studies of triazine herbicides and their degradation products in surface water, ground water, and precipitation in the midwestern United States during the 1990s
- Overview
OGRL works independently or collaboratively to pair fate and transport with biological
experiments and effects. OGRL has three main focuses:
1. Development and modification of robust analytical methods needed for analysis of
compounds in multiple matrices to address relevant environmental health issues.
2. Conduct independent and collaborative lab to national based studies to provide new
knowledge on source to receptor pathways for potential environmental relevant organic
contaminants.
3. Conduct collaborative research to study correlations between individual compound
and environmental mixture and environmental health effects.Hot Topics
- A team of scientists from the USGS and the Agroscope Reckenholz-Tanikon Research Station, Switzerland, found that some mycotoxins are common in U.S. stream waters. (more)
- Measuring POEA, a Surfactant Mixture in Herbicide Formulations. (more)
- Groundwater microbial community composition affected during 30-day exposure to sub mg/L concentrations of the antibiotic, sulfamethoxazole.
- Two microbial communities from a sandy aquifer, one acclimated historically to wastewater with sulfamethoxazole and the other unacclimated were exposed to in situ 240-520 μg/L sulfamethoxazole using filter chambers suspended ambient groundwater for 30 days. The unacclimated microbial community displayed greater changes in mortality and impairment, sensitivity to sulfamethoxazole, and community composition than the unacclimated microbial community. The study shows that microbial communities can be affected by concentrations 2-3 orders of magnitude less than those used in clinical applications.
Sample Processing
Samples will be collected using protocols for the collection of pesticide analysis in Shelton, (1994) http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/pnsp/pubs/ofr94-455/sw-t.html
- Preclean all equipment with a Liquinox/tap-water solution, rinsed with tap water, deonized water, and then methanol, and then air dry.
- Filter sample water through a 0.7-µm pore-size baked glass-fiber filter after a 100 ml rinse of the filter with sample water, into 125-ml (4 oz) baked amber glass bottles (If filtering is not possible, then it can be done upon request at a rate of $30 persample).
- Upon collection, all samples will be kept chilled until shipped to the lab.
Shipping Instructions
Label bottles clearly with waterproof marker or preprinted labels (a paper label completely covered with clear packing tape is preferred). Information required on the bottle is shown:
- -Project code:
- -station id
- -stream/well name/location
- -date and time
- -initials of collector
- -lab method code
Example:
Project code: To be assigned by Julie Dietze
station id: Lake Houston North End, Texas
stream/well name/location: 40305060
date and time: 5-18-06 @ 1015
initials of collector: JD
lab method code: LCGY
Bottle Requirements
Method Required Bottles
LCPD 3-4oz (125mL) amber glass with teflon lined caps
LCAB 3-4oz (125mL) amber glass with teflon lined caps
LCEA 3-4oz (125mL) amber glass with teflon lined caps
LCGY 3-4oz (125mL) amber glass with teflon lined caps
IMA 3-4oz (125mL) amber glass with teflon lined caps
IMB 3-4oz (125mL) amber glass with teflon lined caps
IMNT/IMND *1- 8 oz (250mL) HDPE with polypropylene closure
IMYT/IMYD *1- 8 oz (250mL) HDPE with polypropylene closure
IMXT/IMXD *1- 8 oz (250mL) HDPE with polypropylene closure
Custom Methods Contact Julie Dietze for bottles requirements
*When submitting samples for total analysis (IMNT, IMYT, and IMXT) only fill the bottles half-way to ensure that they do not break when frozen.
The following information form an ASR is required for transfer from the lab database to NWIS batch files/QWDX.
- USGS station ID
- Phone Number
- E-mail Contact
- User Code
- Project Account Number
- Collection Date
- Collection Time
- Sample Medium Code
- Sample Type
A copy of an ASR may be made and enclosed in a watertight bag if sample is also being sent to NWQL. Please make sure the lab methods and any other information specific to our lab is on the ASR sent to Kansas.
Data can be uploaded to the QWDX site upon request with the exception of immunoassay and soils/solids/bed sediment methods.
Glass bottles to be placed in foam sleeves to help prevent breakage. The bottles from each site will then be placed in a ZIPLOCK-type bag, which will help keep them dry in the coolers and keep all bottles from the same site together. All samples will be kept chilled and shipped on ice. Permanently mark the inside lid of the cooler with return address and telephone number. If this is not possible, make certain samples are kept cool until they are shipped to the OGRL.
Coolers will be returned at your project's expense. The three options for cooler return are listed below.
- A. Enclose a return mailing label and correct postage metered for return of cooler by parcel post mail
- B. Return a completed Federal Express shipping label identifying your USGS internal cost code or Federal Express account number.
- C. Enclose a mailing label and internal USGS cost code to have the cooler returned by Federal Express Ground shipping.
The coolers must be sent Monday-Thursday by overnight delivery. The laboratory is not open on Saturday or Sunday. The laboratory is also closed on federal holidays; therefore, coolers should not be sent the day before a holiday.
If you have questions or need to set up a new project, please call Julie Dietze at the following number and use the following address when shipping samples:
OGRLUSGS KS WSC
4821 Quail Crest Place
Lawrence, KS 66049
785/832-3564
Organic Geochemistry Research Group
Links - Science
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
OGRL Algal Toxins Methods of Analysis
Algal toxins are a group of toxic compounds produced by a range of photosynthetic freshwater and marine plankton. These toxins have the ability to cause sickness in animals and humans and in severe cases lead to death. OGRL has the ability to evaluate and conduct occurrence, fate, transport, effects, and treatability studies methods. - Multimedia
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
- Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 107Occurrence of organic wastewater compounds in drinking water, wastewater effluent, and the Big Sioux River in or near Sioux Falls, South Dakota, 2001-2004
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the city of Sioux Falls conducted several rounds of sampling to determine the occurrence of organic wastewater compounds (OWCs) in the city of Sioux Falls drinking water and waste-water effluent, and the Big Sioux River in or near Sioux Falls during August 2001 through May 2004. Water samples were collected during both base-flow and storm-runofAuthorsSteven K. Sando, Edward T. Furlong, James L. Gray, Michael T. MeyerResults of analyses of the fungicide Chlorothalonil, its degradation products, and other selected pesticides at 22 surface-water sites in five Southern states, 2003-04
In accordance with the mission of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Toxic Substances Hydrology Program, a pesticide study was conducted during 2003–04 to determine the occurrence of the fungicide chlorothalonil and its degradation products at 22 surface-water sites in five Southern States. Water-quality samples were collected during the peanut-growing season (June–September) in 2003. During the peAuthorsElisabeth A. Scribner, James L. Orlando, William A. Battaglin, Mark W. Sandstrom, Kathryn Kuivila, Michael T. MeyerConcentration of selected herbicides, herbicide degradation products, and nutrients in the lower Mississippi River, Louisiana, April 1991 through December 2003
No abstract available.AuthorsElisabeth A. Scribner, Donald A. Goolsby, William A. Battaglin, Michael T. Meyer, E. M. ThurmanUrban contributions of glyphosate and its degradate AMPA to streams in the United States
Glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide in the world, being routinely applied to control weeds in both agricultural and urban settings. Microbial degradation of glyphosate produces aminomethyl phosphonic acid (AMPA). The high polarity and water-solubility of glyphosate and AMPA has, until recently, made their analysis in water samples problematic. Thus, compared to other herbicides (e.g. atraAuthorsD.W. Kolpin, E. M. Thurman, E.A. Lee, M. T. Meyer, E. T. Furlong, S.T. GlassmeyerEvaluation of the persistence of micropollutants through pure-oxygen activated sludge nitrification and denitrification
The persistence of pharmaceuticals, hormones, and household and industrial chemicals through a pure-oxygen activated sludge, nitrification, denitrification wastewater treatment facility was evaluated. Of the 125 micropollutants that were tested in this study, 55 compounds were detected in the untreated wastewater, and 27 compounds were detected in the disinfected effluent. The persistent compoundsAuthorsA.D. Levine, M. T. Meyer, G. KishOccurrence of antibiotics in wastewater treatment facilities in Wisconsin, USA
Samples from several wastewater treatment facilities in Wisconsin were screened for the presence of 21 antibiotic compounds. These facilities spanned a range of community size served (average daily flow from 0.0212 to 23.6 million gallons/day), secondary treatment processes, geographic locations across the state, and they discharged the treated effluents to both surface and ground waters (for grouAuthorsK.G. Karthikeyan, M. T. MeyerPharmaceuticals and other organic chemicals in selected north-central and northwestern Arkansas streams
Recently, our attention has focused on the low level detection of many antibiotics, pharmaceuticals, and other organic chemicals in water resources. The limited studies available suggest that urban or rural streams receiving wastewater effluent are more susceptible to contamination. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of antibiotics, pharmaceuticals, and other organic chemicalAuthorsB. E. Haggard, J.M. Galloway, W. R. Green, M. T. MeyerOccurrence and transport of agricultural chemicals in Leary Weber Ditch Basin, Hancock County, Indiana, 2003-04
Leary Weber Ditch Basin, Hancock County, Indiana, is one of seven first-order basins selected from across the United States as part of the Agricultural Chemicals: Source, Transport, and Fate study conducted by the National Water-Quality Assessment Program of the U.S. Geological Survey. The nationwide study was designed to increase the understanding of the links between the sources of water and agrAuthorsNancy T. Baker, Wesley W. Stone, John T. Wilson, Michael T. MeyerEnantiomeric separation of metolachlor and its metabolites using LC-MS and CZE
The stereoisomers of metolachlor and its two polar metabolites [ethane sulfonic acid (ESA) and oxanilic acid (OXA)] were separated using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) and capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE), respectively. The separation of metolachlor enantiomers was achieved using a LC–MS equipped with a chiral stationary phase based on cellulose tris(3,5-dimethylphenyl carbamaAuthorsC. John Klein, R.J. Schneider, M. T. Meyer, D.S. AgaOccurrence of pharmaceuticals and other organic wastewater constituents in selected streams in northern Arkansas, 2004
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the University of Arkansas and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, collected data in 2004 to determine the occurrence of pharmaceuticals and other organic wastewater constituents, including many constituents of emerging environmental concern, in selected streams in northern Arkansas. Samples were collected in March andAuthorsJoel M. Galloway, Brian E. Haggard, Michael T. Meyers, W. Reed GreenOccurrence of selected pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical compounds, and stable hydrogen and oxygen isotope ratios, in a riverbank filtration study, Platte River, Nebraska, 2001 to 2003, Volume 1
Although studied extensively in recent years in Europe, the occurrence of endocrine disrupters and other organic wastewater compounds in the environment in the United States is not well documented. To better understand the efficiency of riverbank filtration with respect to endocrine disrupting compounds and to evaluate the use of riverbank filtration as an effective means of drinking-water treatmeAuthorsJ. R. Vogel, Ingrid M. Verstraeten, T. B. Coplen, E. T. Furlong, M. T. Meyer, L. B. BarberSummary of significant results from studies of triazine herbicides and their degradation products in surface water, ground water, and precipitation in the midwestern United States during the 1990s
Nonpoint-source contamination of water resources from triazine herbicides has been a major water-quality issue during the 1990s in the United States. To address this issue, studies of surface water, ground water, and precipitation have been carried out by the U.S. Geological Survey in the Midwestern United States. Reconnaissance studies of 147 streams were conducted to determine the geographic andAuthorsElisabeth A. Scribner, E. M. Thurman, Donald A. Goolsby, Michael T. Meyer, William A. Battaglin, Dana W. Kolpin