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Proper management of contaminants of emerging concern in the Chesapeake Bay region requires scientific efforts to understand the risk posed to aquatic resources from the “cocktail” of multiple contaminants that is often present. This research aims to assess the occurrence, sources, environmental impacts, biological effects, and the human health impacts of toxic contaminants in rivers.
This study applied a wastewater model to the Potomac River watershed to identify streams with a high likelihood of carrying elevated effluent-derived contaminants. Results were used in a screening-level risk assessment to evaluate the potential risks to aquatic life and drinking water posed by municipal wastewater-contaminant mixtures.
This study examined the potential and observed ecological risk posed by chemical mixtures in the Shenandoah River watershed, using a holistic approach to evaluate landscape, hydrological, chemical, and biological variables.
Major findings of efforts in the Shenandoah and Potomac River watersheds suggest that:
These findings have water resource management implications that this project will explore further in cooperation with the Chesapeake Bay Program, with the ultimate goal of reducing the impact of toxic contaminants to protect aquatic ecosystem health for generations to come.
The Chesapeake Bay and its watershed is one of America’s greatest natural treasures. However, toxic contaminants introduced into the watershed from sources such as industrial waste, municipal wastewater discharges, agricultural runoff, and stormwater runoff can harm the living resources that call the Bay home. Human health can also be affected, such as through impacts to drinking water quality or consumption of contaminated animal tissues.
One of the Chesapeake Bay Program’s goals is to reduce the impact of these contaminants on the Bay and its surrounding areas. To achieve this goal, the USGS has been leading several research efforts to: (1) gain insights into the sources, fate, and effects of toxic contaminants in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and (2) inform efforts to mitigate their harmful effects.
The USGS Environmental Health Mission Area's Toxic Substances Hydrology Program has conducted several integrated studies in coordination with the Chesapeake Bay Program to better understand the occurrence and fate of toxic contaminants in surface waters, with much focus on contributions from contaminant loading from treated wastewater.
Treated wastewater is water that has been processed through physical, chemical, or biological processes to remove contaminants before being discharged into rivers and other bodies of water. This reuse of treated wastewater is an essential component of the modern water cycle that can help maintain flow of water in rivers during dry periods. Many emerging contaminants, however, are not fully removed by conventional wastewater treatment technologies. These contaminants, once discharged into the environment, may have harmful effects on aquatic life and human health.
Early studies in the Shenandoah identified a number of constituents derived from natural and anthropogenic sources in the river waters sampled, including pharmaceuticals, personal care products, pesticides, hormones, disinfection by-products, and fossil fuel combustion products. Although more than 550 individual constituents were found, these represent only a small fraction of the potential contaminants present in the water. Since then, holistic integrated approaches have been developed to assess the perceived versus actual risk posed to aquatic organisms and human health from exposure to these complex chemical mixtures derived from water reuse and other sources in the Shenandoah as well as the broader Potomac River watershed, of which the Shenandoah is a subbasin.
A fundamental challenge in conducting integrated transdisciplinary research is linking continental-scale issues to molecular-scale processes. This requires the ability to upscale or downscale to address a particular study need while maintaining the integration of landscape, hydrological, chemical, and biological processes.
Focusing on complex chemical mixture exposure pathways and potential effects and risks to aquatic organisms.
Associated report (Barber et al., 2022)
Focusing on effects of complex chemical mixture exposure on physiological, molecular, and multi-omics pathways for the model organism fathead minnow.
Associated report currently in review: Bertolatus, D.W., Barber, L.B., Martyniuk, C.J., Zhen, H, Collette, T.W., Ekman, D.R., Jastrow, A., Rapp, J.L., and Vajda, A.M., 2022 – in review, Watershed-scale integrated ecotoxicological assessment: Multi-omic responses of fathead minnows exposed to complex chemical mixtures. To be submitted to Science of the Total Environment.
Focusing on effects of de facto wastewater reuse on disinfection byproduct formation in public water supply systems.
Associated report (Weisman et al., 2019)
Associated report (Weisman et al., 2022)
Upscaling the wastewater reuse model to the Potomac River watershed.
Associated report (Faunce et al., 2023)
Associated data release (Faunce et al., 2023)
Associated web tool (Faunce, 2023)
Shenandoah mobile laboratory fathead minnow experiment station
One of the mobile fish exposure laboratories that were deployed at sites in the Shenandoah River watershed, Virginia. Fish were housed in the mobile laboratories and exposed to stream water or wastewater during the study to understand exposure and effects on fish.
One of the mobile fish exposure laboratories that were deployed at sites in the Shenandoah River watershed, Virginia. Fish were housed in the mobile laboratories and exposed to stream water or wastewater during the study to understand exposure and effects on fish.
Scientists deployed mobile fish exposure laboratories at sites in the Shenandoah River watershed, Virginia, to understand exposure and effects on fish. This photo shows the aquariums in a laboratory where fish were exposed to stream water or wastewater.
Scientists deployed mobile fish exposure laboratories at sites in the Shenandoah River watershed, Virginia, to understand exposure and effects on fish. This photo shows the aquariums in a laboratory where fish were exposed to stream water or wastewater.
Proper management of contaminants of emerging concern in the Chesapeake Bay region requires scientific efforts to understand the risk posed to aquatic resources from the “cocktail” of multiple contaminants that is often present. This research aims to assess the occurrence, sources, environmental impacts, biological effects, and the human health impacts of toxic contaminants in rivers.
This study applied a wastewater model to the Potomac River watershed to identify streams with a high likelihood of carrying elevated effluent-derived contaminants. Results were used in a screening-level risk assessment to evaluate the potential risks to aquatic life and drinking water posed by municipal wastewater-contaminant mixtures.
This study examined the potential and observed ecological risk posed by chemical mixtures in the Shenandoah River watershed, using a holistic approach to evaluate landscape, hydrological, chemical, and biological variables.
Major findings of efforts in the Shenandoah and Potomac River watersheds suggest that:
These findings have water resource management implications that this project will explore further in cooperation with the Chesapeake Bay Program, with the ultimate goal of reducing the impact of toxic contaminants to protect aquatic ecosystem health for generations to come.
The Chesapeake Bay and its watershed is one of America’s greatest natural treasures. However, toxic contaminants introduced into the watershed from sources such as industrial waste, municipal wastewater discharges, agricultural runoff, and stormwater runoff can harm the living resources that call the Bay home. Human health can also be affected, such as through impacts to drinking water quality or consumption of contaminated animal tissues.
One of the Chesapeake Bay Program’s goals is to reduce the impact of these contaminants on the Bay and its surrounding areas. To achieve this goal, the USGS has been leading several research efforts to: (1) gain insights into the sources, fate, and effects of toxic contaminants in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and (2) inform efforts to mitigate their harmful effects.
The USGS Environmental Health Mission Area's Toxic Substances Hydrology Program has conducted several integrated studies in coordination with the Chesapeake Bay Program to better understand the occurrence and fate of toxic contaminants in surface waters, with much focus on contributions from contaminant loading from treated wastewater.
Treated wastewater is water that has been processed through physical, chemical, or biological processes to remove contaminants before being discharged into rivers and other bodies of water. This reuse of treated wastewater is an essential component of the modern water cycle that can help maintain flow of water in rivers during dry periods. Many emerging contaminants, however, are not fully removed by conventional wastewater treatment technologies. These contaminants, once discharged into the environment, may have harmful effects on aquatic life and human health.
Early studies in the Shenandoah identified a number of constituents derived from natural and anthropogenic sources in the river waters sampled, including pharmaceuticals, personal care products, pesticides, hormones, disinfection by-products, and fossil fuel combustion products. Although more than 550 individual constituents were found, these represent only a small fraction of the potential contaminants present in the water. Since then, holistic integrated approaches have been developed to assess the perceived versus actual risk posed to aquatic organisms and human health from exposure to these complex chemical mixtures derived from water reuse and other sources in the Shenandoah as well as the broader Potomac River watershed, of which the Shenandoah is a subbasin.
A fundamental challenge in conducting integrated transdisciplinary research is linking continental-scale issues to molecular-scale processes. This requires the ability to upscale or downscale to address a particular study need while maintaining the integration of landscape, hydrological, chemical, and biological processes.
Focusing on complex chemical mixture exposure pathways and potential effects and risks to aquatic organisms.
Associated report (Barber et al., 2022)
Focusing on effects of complex chemical mixture exposure on physiological, molecular, and multi-omics pathways for the model organism fathead minnow.
Associated report currently in review: Bertolatus, D.W., Barber, L.B., Martyniuk, C.J., Zhen, H, Collette, T.W., Ekman, D.R., Jastrow, A., Rapp, J.L., and Vajda, A.M., 2022 – in review, Watershed-scale integrated ecotoxicological assessment: Multi-omic responses of fathead minnows exposed to complex chemical mixtures. To be submitted to Science of the Total Environment.
Focusing on effects of de facto wastewater reuse on disinfection byproduct formation in public water supply systems.
Associated report (Weisman et al., 2019)
Associated report (Weisman et al., 2022)
Upscaling the wastewater reuse model to the Potomac River watershed.
Associated report (Faunce et al., 2023)
Associated data release (Faunce et al., 2023)
Associated web tool (Faunce, 2023)
Shenandoah mobile laboratory fathead minnow experiment station
One of the mobile fish exposure laboratories that were deployed at sites in the Shenandoah River watershed, Virginia. Fish were housed in the mobile laboratories and exposed to stream water or wastewater during the study to understand exposure and effects on fish.
One of the mobile fish exposure laboratories that were deployed at sites in the Shenandoah River watershed, Virginia. Fish were housed in the mobile laboratories and exposed to stream water or wastewater during the study to understand exposure and effects on fish.
Scientists deployed mobile fish exposure laboratories at sites in the Shenandoah River watershed, Virginia, to understand exposure and effects on fish. This photo shows the aquariums in a laboratory where fish were exposed to stream water or wastewater.
Scientists deployed mobile fish exposure laboratories at sites in the Shenandoah River watershed, Virginia, to understand exposure and effects on fish. This photo shows the aquariums in a laboratory where fish were exposed to stream water or wastewater.