Biologically Active Chemical Research Core Technology Team Active
PFAS in Cape Cod Groundwater.
Fate, Occurrence, and Biological Effects
PFAS and other Contaminants
in the Potomac River Watershed
Water Reuse and Associated Contaminants
are studied in the Upper Colorado River and other locations.
About the Research.
The Biologically Active Chemicals Research Core Technology Team (CTT) as part of the Environmental Health Program conducts field and laboratory research on the occurrence, fate, and effects of complex mixtures of biologically active organic and inorganic chemicals in aquatic environments.
The primary focus of the Biologically Active Chemicals Research CTT is 1) water reuse, 2) the associated introduction of chemical contaminants into surface water and groundwater, and 3) potential biological effects.
- Field investigations into contaminant occurrence and exposure pathways in surface water and groundwater are being conducted across the Nation in a variety of hydrologic environments including the Upper Colorado River basin, the Rio Grande River basin, the Illinois River basin, the Potomac River basin, the Chesapeake Bay, Cape Cod, and the Hawaiian Islands. Water-quality study designs include longitudinal surveys, time-of-travel investigations, time-series analysis, and tracer tests.
- These water-quality investigations involve comprehensive and contemporaneous analysis of complex chemical mixtures including contaminant chemicals of emerging concern (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, endocrine disrupting compounds, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, trace elements) using multiple chemical and physical measurement techniques.
- Water-quality analysis methods include: bulk chemical property characterization for organic carbon, nutrients, and optical properties (absorbance and fluorescence), trace-organic chemical analysis by gas chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (GC/MSMS), trace-organic chemical screening by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), major-ion analysis by inductively-coupled plasma/optical emission spectrometry (ICP/OES) and ion chromatography, and trace-element analysis by inductively-coupled plasma/mass spectrometry (ICP/MS).
- Field-based experiments using on-site mobile laboratory protocols to characterize biological effects and bioconcentration from exposure to complex chemical mixtures present in surface water and groundwater.
- Application of in-situ technology, including multi-probe fluorimeters and molecular imprinted polymer/electroanalytical microsensors, for real-time and continuous measurement of contaminants such a per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and optical brighteners.
- Basin-scale water quality characterization and risk assessment using a combined approach involving application of hydrological, geospatial, and statistical models to predict environmental concentrations and risk in conjunction with discrete sampling and direct chemical measurements.
Key Chemical Analysis Capabilities
A wide range of biologically active trace organic constituents (including pharmaceuticals, consumer products, pesticides, hormones, sterols, and sugars) are typically measured as part of the comprehensive water analyses conducted, which also includes field parameters, nutrients, organic carbon, major ions, trace elements, and biological impact assessments.
Analytical Chemistry Capabilities and Instrumentation
- Quantitative, high resolution gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) used for trace analysis of emerging contaminants, both nonpolar and polar (after chemical derivatization steps)
- Extraction equipment for a variety of matrices (aqueous, sediment, tissue)
- Characterization of total and dissolved aquatic and sediment organic carbon
- Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) for high-throughput aqueous and tissue analysis of priority contaminants
- Major and trace elements by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and ICP-MS, and ion chromatography (IC)
- Custom method development
- Mobile field contaminant-exposure laboratory
- Whole organism, cellular, and molecular bioassays
- Geographic Information System analyses of exposure pathways
USGS Science Team Collaborators
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Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Integrated Science Team
Increasing scientific and public awareness of the widespread distribution of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in U.S. drinking-water supplies, aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, wildlife, and humans has raised many public health and resource management questions that U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) science can inform. The USGS Environmental Health Program's PFAS Integrated Science Team...Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Science Team
The team studies toxicants and pathogens in water resources from their sources, through watersheds, aquifers, and infrastructure to human and wildlife exposures. That information is used to develop decision tools that protect human and wildlife health.Minerals Science Team
The Minerals Integrated Science Team focuses on contaminant exposures in the environment that might originate from mineral resource activities including, transportation, storage, extraction and waste management. Perceived health risks to humans and other organisms will be distinguished from actual risks, if any. If actual risks are identified the science produced by this team can inform how to...
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Proxies Project
The Proxies Project is a series of studies to improve our understanding of water contaminants and water quality hazards. These studies develop models and technical approaches for estimating concentrations and assessing risk associated with: - harmful algal blooms (HABs) - per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) - 12 elements of concern (EoC)
Science activities related to the Biologically Active Chemical Research Core Technology Team can be found below.
Unique Approach to Measure Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Uptake in Fish, Mussels, and Passive Samplers
Integrated Assessments of Potential Risks to Aquatic Organisms and Public Water Supply from Wastewater-Derived Chemical Mixtures in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Refined Model Provides a Screening Tool to Understand Exposure to Contaminants from Incidental Wastewater Reuse
Long-Term Study Finds Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in Urban Waterways
Data related to the Biologically Active Chemical Research Core Technology Team can be found below.
Upper Colorado River Basin Accumulated Wastewater Ratios
Water quality and contaminants in stream surface waters collected in the Shenandoah Valley, 2021
Uptake of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances by Fish, Mussel, and Passive Samplers in Mobile Laboratory Exposures using Groundwater from a Contamination Plume at a Historical Fire Training Area, Cape Cod, Massachusetts - Chemical and Biological Data from
Potomac River Watershed Accumulated Wastewater Ratios and Predicted Environmental Concentrations
Concentrations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and related chemical and physical data at and near surface-water/groundwater boundaries on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 2016-19
Shenandoah River Accumulated Wastewater Ratio
Chemical Data From 40 Years of Monitoring a Treated-Wastewater Groundwater Plume in a Sand and Gravel Aquifer, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 1978-2018
Assessment of Endocrine Disruption in the Shenandoah River Watershed - Chemical and Biological Data from Mobile Laboratory Fish Exposures and Other Experiments Conducted during 2014, 2015, and 2016
Concentrations and associated method information for trace and major elements in Fourmile Creek near Ankeny, Iowa, USA during the 2011-2014 wastewater treatment facility pre/post-closure assessment
Survey of major and trace elements in stormwater runoff from across the United States, 2016 to 2017
Laboratory results for anthropogenic bioactive chemicals in the Illinois Waterway upstream and downstream of the bigheaded carp population front (2015)
Major, trace, and rare earth element concentration measured in water samples collected during the September 2013 Colorado South Platte River flood
Scientific publications related to the Biologically Active Chemical Research Core Technology Team can be found below.
Assessment of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in water resources of New Mexico, 2020–21
Multi-omic responses of fish exposed to complex chemical mixtures in the Shenandoah River watershed
Utilizing anthropogenic compounds and geochemical tracers to identify preferential structurally controlled groundwater pathways influencing springs in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA
Uptake of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances by fish, mussel, and passive samplers in mobile laboratory exposures using groundwater from a contamination plume at a historical fire training area, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Wastewater reuse and predicted ecological risk posed by contaminant mixtures in Potomac River watershed streams
Watershed-scale risk to aquatic organisms from complex chemical mixtures in the Shenandoah River
Surface-water/groundwater boundaries affect seasonal PFAS concentrations and PFAA precursor transformations
Elevated concentrations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking-water supplies are a major concern for human health. It is therefore essential to understand factors that affect PFAS concentrations in surface water and groundwater and the transformation of perfluoroalkyl acid (PFAA) precursors that degrade into terminal compounds. Surface-water/groundwater exchange can occur along
Temporal variations of de facto wastewater reuse and disinfection by-products in public water systems in the Shenandoah River watershed, USA
Evaluating the potential role of bioactive chemicals on the distribution of invasive Asian carp upstream and downstream from river mile 278 in the Illinois waterway
Urban stormwater: An overlooked pathway of extensive mixed contaminants to surface and groundwaters in the United States
De facto reuse and disinfection by-products in drinking water systems in the Shenandoah River watershed
Integrated assessment of wastewater reuse, exposure risk, and fish endocrine disruption in the Shenandoah River watershed
Web tools related to the Biologically Active Chemical Research Core Technology Team can be found below.
Interactive Map: Potomac Wastewater Mapper
The Potomac Wastewater Mapper is intended to help identify streams with elevated wastewater conditions or predicted ecological risk posed by municipal effluent-derived wastewater mixtures that may require further attention by resource managers, either through targeted contaminant monitoring and sampling or wastewater treatment plant upgrades to improve contaminant removal.
External partners that the Biologically Active Chemical Research Core Technology Team collaborates with are linked below.
- Overview
About the Research.
The Biologically Active Chemicals Research Core Technology Team (CTT) as part of the Environmental Health Program conducts field and laboratory research on the occurrence, fate, and effects of complex mixtures of biologically active organic and inorganic chemicals in aquatic environments.
The primary focus of the Biologically Active Chemicals Research CTT is 1) water reuse, 2) the associated introduction of chemical contaminants into surface water and groundwater, and 3) potential biological effects.
- Field investigations into contaminant occurrence and exposure pathways in surface water and groundwater are being conducted across the Nation in a variety of hydrologic environments including the Upper Colorado River basin, the Rio Grande River basin, the Illinois River basin, the Potomac River basin, the Chesapeake Bay, Cape Cod, and the Hawaiian Islands. Water-quality study designs include longitudinal surveys, time-of-travel investigations, time-series analysis, and tracer tests.
- These water-quality investigations involve comprehensive and contemporaneous analysis of complex chemical mixtures including contaminant chemicals of emerging concern (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, endocrine disrupting compounds, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, trace elements) using multiple chemical and physical measurement techniques.
- Water-quality analysis methods include: bulk chemical property characterization for organic carbon, nutrients, and optical properties (absorbance and fluorescence), trace-organic chemical analysis by gas chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (GC/MSMS), trace-organic chemical screening by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), major-ion analysis by inductively-coupled plasma/optical emission spectrometry (ICP/OES) and ion chromatography, and trace-element analysis by inductively-coupled plasma/mass spectrometry (ICP/MS).
- Field-based experiments using on-site mobile laboratory protocols to characterize biological effects and bioconcentration from exposure to complex chemical mixtures present in surface water and groundwater.
- Application of in-situ technology, including multi-probe fluorimeters and molecular imprinted polymer/electroanalytical microsensors, for real-time and continuous measurement of contaminants such a per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and optical brighteners.
- Basin-scale water quality characterization and risk assessment using a combined approach involving application of hydrological, geospatial, and statistical models to predict environmental concentrations and risk in conjunction with discrete sampling and direct chemical measurements.
Key Chemical Analysis Capabilities
A wide range of biologically active trace organic constituents (including pharmaceuticals, consumer products, pesticides, hormones, sterols, and sugars) are typically measured as part of the comprehensive water analyses conducted, which also includes field parameters, nutrients, organic carbon, major ions, trace elements, and biological impact assessments.
Analytical Chemistry Capabilities and Instrumentation
- Quantitative, high resolution gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) used for trace analysis of emerging contaminants, both nonpolar and polar (after chemical derivatization steps)
- Extraction equipment for a variety of matrices (aqueous, sediment, tissue)
- Characterization of total and dissolved aquatic and sediment organic carbon
- Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) for high-throughput aqueous and tissue analysis of priority contaminants
- Major and trace elements by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and ICP-MS, and ion chromatography (IC)
- Custom method development
- Mobile field contaminant-exposure laboratory
- Whole organism, cellular, and molecular bioassays
- Geographic Information System analyses of exposure pathways
USGS Science Team Collaborators-
Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Integrated Science Team
Increasing scientific and public awareness of the widespread distribution of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in U.S. drinking-water supplies, aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, wildlife, and humans has raised many public health and resource management questions that U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) science can inform. The USGS Environmental Health Program's PFAS Integrated Science Team...Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Science Team
The team studies toxicants and pathogens in water resources from their sources, through watersheds, aquifers, and infrastructure to human and wildlife exposures. That information is used to develop decision tools that protect human and wildlife health.Minerals Science Team
The Minerals Integrated Science Team focuses on contaminant exposures in the environment that might originate from mineral resource activities including, transportation, storage, extraction and waste management. Perceived health risks to humans and other organisms will be distinguished from actual risks, if any. If actual risks are identified the science produced by this team can inform how to...
-
Proxies Project
The Proxies Project is a series of studies to improve our understanding of water contaminants and water quality hazards. These studies develop models and technical approaches for estimating concentrations and assessing risk associated with: - harmful algal blooms (HABs) - per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) - 12 elements of concern (EoC)
- Science
Science activities related to the Biologically Active Chemical Research Core Technology Team can be found below.
Unique Approach to Measure Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Uptake in Fish, Mussels, and Passive Samplers
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) uptake and bioconcentration by fish and mussels ─ housed in mobile laboratories at a legacy fire-training area contaminated by aqueous film-forming foams ─ varied by species, sex, and compound. PFAS in passive samplers deployed at the same time mimicked uptake by fish but not mussels indicating that passive samplers might prove useful as screening tools...Integrated Assessments of Potential Risks to Aquatic Organisms and Public Water Supply from Wastewater-Derived Chemical Mixtures in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
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.Refined Model Provides a Screening Tool to Understand Exposure to Contaminants from Incidental Wastewater Reuse
Refinement of the existing national-scale “de facto reuse incidence in our nation’s consumable supply” (DRINCS) model, complemented by field measurements, provides a screening tool to understand human and wildlife exposure to toxicants and pathogens associated with the incidental reuse of treated wastewater in the Shenandoah River watershed. The model results can be accessed in a companion web...Long-Term Study Finds Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in Urban Waterways
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists determined that endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) were present in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent, water, and fish tissue in urban waterways in the Great Lakes and upper Mississippi River Regions (Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, and Ohio) during 1999 through 2009. - Data
Data related to the Biologically Active Chemical Research Core Technology Team can be found below.
Filter Total Items: 13Upper Colorado River Basin Accumulated Wastewater Ratios
A wastewater reuse model was applied to the Upper Colorado River basin to assess the percent of accumulated wastewater (ACCWW%) from municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in each initialized (that is, has an assigned hydrosequence number for flow-routing) National Hydrography Dataset Version 2.1 (NHDPlus V2.1) stream segment. Model inputs included (1) NHDPlus V2.1 stream geoWater quality and contaminants in stream surface waters collected in the Shenandoah Valley, 2021
The data presented in this data release includes 11 field/water quality parameters, concentrations of 16 nutrients/anions, dissolved organic carbon, 14 organic contaminants, net estrogenicity concentrations, and 51 inorganic constituents in surface water collected twice from 28 stream sites and collected once from 2 stream sites in the Shenandoah Valley (Virginia and West Virginia, USA), in the suUptake of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances by Fish, Mussel, and Passive Samplers in Mobile Laboratory Exposures using Groundwater from a Contamination Plume at a Historical Fire Training Area, Cape Cod, Massachusetts - Chemical and Biological Data from
This data release presents chemical and biological results from an investigation of the uptake of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from groundwater contaminated by fire training activities on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Exposure experiments were conducted from August 29 to September 21, 2018 using groundwater from a relatively uncontaminated reference site and a fire training area contaminaPotomac River Watershed Accumulated Wastewater Ratios and Predicted Environmental Concentrations
Treated effluent from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) contains contaminants not fully removed during the treatment process and that may pose environmental health risks when discharged to surface waters. This data release presents inputs for and results from a wastewater reuse model that used data compiled from several sources to calculate the following estimates for each non-tidal, non-coastliConcentrations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and related chemical and physical data at and near surface-water/groundwater boundaries on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 2016-19
Groundwater, surface-water, sediment, and associated quality-control samples were collected downgradient from a former fire training area and wastewater infiltration beds on Cape Cod, Massachusetts and analyzed for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Samples were collected between July 2016 and February 2019 following U.S. Geological Survey protocols. Field parameters reported include tempShenandoah River Accumulated Wastewater Ratio
De facto wastewater reuse from Waste Water Treatment Facilities (WWTF) has the potential to be a significant contributor of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals. An ArcGIS model of WWTFs, NHDPlus Version 2 stream networks (USGS and EPA 2012), and gage stations across the Shenandoah River watershed was created to calculate accumulated wastewater ratio. Virginia Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (VPDChemical Data From 40 Years of Monitoring a Treated-Wastewater Groundwater Plume in a Sand and Gravel Aquifer, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 1978-2018
This U.S. Geological Survey data release provides a comprehensive dataset of water-quality data and sampling-site characteristics collected in 1978-2018 during a study of the effects of land disposal of treated wastewater on groundwater quality in an unconsolidated sand and gravel aquifer on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Treated sewage-derived wastewater was discharged to rapid-infiltration beds at JoiAssessment of Endocrine Disruption in the Shenandoah River Watershed - Chemical and Biological Data from Mobile Laboratory Fish Exposures and Other Experiments Conducted during 2014, 2015, and 2016
This data release presents chemical and biological results from investigations of water quality, fish endocrine disruption, and emergent insects in the Shenandoah River Watershed (Virginia and West Virginia, USA) conducted during 2014, 2015, and 2016. Multiple sampling campaigns were conducted at sites located throughout the Shenandoah River Watershed (Table 1). The complex inorganic and organic cConcentrations and associated method information for trace and major elements in Fourmile Creek near Ankeny, Iowa, USA during the 2011-2014 wastewater treatment facility pre/post-closure assessment
Dataset includes trace and rare earth element concentration data as well as water level elevation data in select groundwater piezometers recorded in 10 minute intervals during the period October 2011 to October 2014. Latitude and longitude data are provided for groundwater piezometer locations. This data release supports the following publication: Keefe, S.H., L.E. Hubbard, L.B. Barber, PSurvey of major and trace elements in stormwater runoff from across the United States, 2016 to 2017
This study focuses on providing a broad-scale assessment of composition of water chemistry in urban stormwater runoff. The stormwater runoff is a source of recharge to groundwater by Green Infrastructure (GI) practices or it may become a source of recharge to groundwater to reduce stormwater volumes to surface waters or augment groundwater supply. The chemical composition of the stormwater runoffLaboratory results for anthropogenic bioactive chemicals in the Illinois Waterway upstream and downstream of the bigheaded carp population front (2015)
Two nonnative bigheaded carp species have invaded the Illinois River system and are a potential threat to the Great Lakes ecosystem. Discharges from industry, wastewater treatment plants, and urban and agricultural runoff, may be a factor contributing to the stalling of the upstream movement of the bigheaded carp population front near Illinois Waterway mile 278. In 2015, the U.S. Geological SurveyMajor, trace, and rare earth element concentration measured in water samples collected during the September 2013 Colorado South Platte River flood
Major flood events have the potential to impact water quality. In this study, the effects of the September 2013 South Platte River flood in Colorado were assessed on the urban water cycle and basin-wide scales using time-series water sampling of three source waters (tap water, wastewater treatment facility effluent, and receiving stream) and a longitudinal sampling of the South Platte River and it - Publications
Scientific publications related to the Biologically Active Chemical Research Core Technology Team can be found below.
Filter Total Items: 22Assessment of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in water resources of New Mexico, 2020–21
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been detected in public and private drinking-water wells, springs, and surface waters in New Mexico; however, the presence and distribution of PFAS in water resources across the State are not well characterized. From August 2020 to October 2021, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the New Mexico Environment Department, collected water-quaAuthorsRebecca E. Travis, Kimberly R. Beisner, Kate Wilkins, Jeramy Roland Jasmann, Steffanie H. Keefe, Larry B. BarberMulti-omic responses of fish exposed to complex chemical mixtures in the Shenandoah River watershed
To evaluate relationships between different anthropogenic impacts, contaminant occurrence, and fish health, we conducted in situ fish exposures across the Shenandoah River watershed at five sites with different land use. Exposure water was analyzed for over 500 chemical constituents, and organismal, metabolomic, and transcriptomic endpoints were measured in fathead minnows. Adverse reproductive ouAuthorsDavid Bertolatus, Larry Barber, Christopher J. Martyniuk, Huajun Zhen, Timothy W. Collette, Drew R. Ekman, Aaron Jastrow, Jennifer Rapp, Alan M. VajdaUtilizing anthropogenic compounds and geochemical tracers to identify preferential structurally controlled groundwater pathways influencing springs in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA
Study region: This study focuses on the Colorado River watershed in the area along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Study focus: This study utilizes anthropogenic chemical tracers to investigate the fate of treated wastewater effluent discharged within Grand Canyon National Park. Anthropogenic chemical tracers were used to discern preferential structurally controlled pathways in a complex regionAuthorsKimberly R. Beisner, Nicholas V. Paretti, Jeramy Jasmann, Larry BarberUptake of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances by fish, mussel, and passive samplers in mobile laboratory exposures using groundwater from a contamination plume at a historical fire training area, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Aqueous film-forming foams historically were used during fire training activities on Joint Base Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and created an extensive per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) groundwater contamination plume. The potential for PFAS bioconcentration from exposure to the contaminated groundwater, which discharges to surface water bodies, was assessed with mobile-laboratory experiments uAuthorsLarry Barber, Heidi M. Pickard, David Alvarez, Jitka Becanova, Steffanie H. Keefe, Denis R. LeBlanc, Rainer Lohmann, Jeffery Steevens, Alan M. VajdaWastewater reuse and predicted ecological risk posed by contaminant mixtures in Potomac River watershed streams
A wastewater model was applied to the Potomac River watershed to provide (i) a means to identify streams with a high likelihood of carrying elevated effluent-derived contaminants and (ii) risk assessments to aquatic life and drinking water. The model linked effluent discharges along stream networks, accumulated wastewater, and predicted contaminant loads of municipal wastewater constituents whileAuthorsKaycee E. Faunce, Larry Barber, Steffanie H. Keefe, Jeramy Jasmann, Jennifer L. KrstolicWatershed-scale risk to aquatic organisms from complex chemical mixtures in the Shenandoah River
River waters contain complex chemical mixtures derived from natural and anthropogenic sources. Aquatic organisms are exposed to the entire chemical composition of the water, resulting in potential effects at the organismal through ecosystem level. This study applied a holistic approach to assess landscape, hydrological, chemical, and biological variables. On-site mobile laboratory experiments wereAuthorsLarry Barber, Kaycee E. Faunce, David Bertolatus, Michelle Hladik, Jeramy Jasmann, Steffanie H. Keefe, Dana W. Kolpin, Michael T. Meyer, Jennifer L. Rapp, David A. Roth, Alan M. VajdaSurface-water/groundwater boundaries affect seasonal PFAS concentrations and PFAA precursor transformations
Elevated concentrations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking-water supplies are a major concern for human health. It is therefore essential to understand factors that affect PFAS concentrations in surface water and groundwater and the transformation of perfluoroalkyl acid (PFAA) precursors that degrade into terminal compounds. Surface-water/groundwater exchange can occur along
AuthorsAndrea K. Tokranov, Denis R. LeBlanc, Heidi M. Pickard, Bridger J. Ruyle, Larry Barber, Robert B. Hull, Elsie M. Sunderland, Chad D. VecitisTemporal variations of de facto wastewater reuse and disinfection by-products in public water systems in the Shenandoah River watershed, USA
Temporal variations of de facto wastewater reuse are relevant to public drinking water systems (PWSs) that obtain water from surface sources. Variations in wastewater discharge flows, streamflow, de facto reuse, and disinfection by-products (DBPs – trihalomethane-4 [THM4] and haloacetic acid-5 [HAA5]) over an 18-year period were examined at 11 PWSs in the Shenandoah River watershed, using more thaAuthorsRichard J Weisman, Larry Barber, Kaycee E. Faunce, Jennifer Rapp, Celso M FerreiraEvaluating the potential role of bioactive chemicals on the distribution of invasive Asian carp upstream and downstream from river mile 278 in the Illinois waterway
Two non-native carp species have invaded the Illinois Waterway and are a threat to Great Lakes ecosystems. Poor water quality in the upper Illinois Waterway, may be a factor contributing to the stalling of the carp population front near river mile 278. In 2015, the U.S. Geological Survey collected 4 sets of water samples from two sites upstream and 4 sites downstream from river mile 278, and one tAuthorsWilliam A. Battaglin, James J. Duncker, Paul J. Terrio, Paul M. Bradley, Larry Barber, Laura A. DeCiccoUrban stormwater: An overlooked pathway of extensive mixed contaminants to surface and groundwaters in the United States
Increasing global reliance on stormwater control measures to reduce discharge to surface water, increase groundwater recharge, and minimize contaminant delivery to receiving waterbodies necessitates improved understanding of stormwater-contaminant profiles. A multi-agency study of organic and inorganic chemicals in urban stormwater from 50 runoff events at 21 sites across the United States demonstAuthorsJason R. Masoner, Dana W. Kolpin, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli, Larry B. Barber, D.S. Burden, William T. Foreman, Kenneth J. Forshay, Edward Furlong, Justin F. Groves, Michelle Hladik, Matthew E. Hopton, Jeanne B. Jaeschke, Steffanie H. Keefe, David Krabbenhoft, Richard Lowrance, Kristin Romanok, David L. Rus, William R. Selbig, Brad Williams, Paul BradleyByWater Resources Mission Area, Science Synthesis, Analysis and Research Program, Contaminant Biology, Science Analytics and Synthesis (SAS) Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, California Water Science Center, Central Midwest Water Science Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC), Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center, Reston Biogeochemical Processes in Groundwater LaboratoryDe facto reuse and disinfection by-products in drinking water systems in the Shenandoah River watershed
De facto reuse is increasingly being studied among the variety of stressors that are relevant to drinking water systems that obtain their source water from surface waters. De facto reuse may influence the levels and types of precursors relevant to formation of disinfection by-products (DBPs) in surface water systems. DBPs such as trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs) have been associaAuthorsRichard J Weisman, Larry Barber, Jennifer Rapp, Celso M FerreiraIntegrated assessment of wastewater reuse, exposure risk, and fish endocrine disruption in the Shenandoah River watershed
Reuse of municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent is an important component in augmenting global freshwater supplies. The Shenandoah River Watershed was selected to conduct on-site exposure experiments to assess endocrine disrupting characteristics of different source waters. This investigation of the Shenandoah River Watershed integrates WWTP wastewater reuse modeling,AuthorsLarry Barber, Jennifer L. Krstolic, Chintamani Kandel, Steffanie H. Keefe, Jacelyn Rice, Paul Westerhoff, David Bertolatus, Alan M. Vajda - Web Tools
Web tools related to the Biologically Active Chemical Research Core Technology Team can be found below.
Interactive Map: Potomac Wastewater Mapper
The Potomac Wastewater Mapper is intended to help identify streams with elevated wastewater conditions or predicted ecological risk posed by municipal effluent-derived wastewater mixtures that may require further attention by resource managers, either through targeted contaminant monitoring and sampling or wastewater treatment plant upgrades to improve contaminant removal.
- Partners
External partners that the Biologically Active Chemical Research Core Technology Team collaborates with are linked below.