Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Science Team
Science Center Objects
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.
Americans rely on treatment of drinking water and wastewater, and the maintenance of water distribution infrastructure to assure safe water supplies for the public and wildlife. New chemicals are manufactured and used every day. Populations grow and demographics shift. Treatment, conveyance and plumbing infrastructure ages, and new technologies are developed to detect contaminants (toxicants and pathogens) at low levels. Consequently, questions arise about the health effects of exposure to contaminants indidually or in complex mixtures.
The US Geological Survey’s Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Science Team provides information on processes that affect contaminants as they move from naturally occurring and human-caused sources through aquifers, aquatic environments, and infrastructure. This comprehensive understanding of contaminant profiles from source to exposure is used to develop decision tools to economically, effectively, and efficiently reduce wildlife or human exposure and associated health risks.
The Environmental Health Program's Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Science Team and other USGS Programs are building upon their previous studies to understand sources and occurrence of toxicants and pathogens in aquifers, streams, drinking water facilities and tap waters in homes and residences. This information is used to understand human and wildlife exposure, and to determine if there are any adverse effects upon exposure (Credit: Razmus Y. Kerwin. Public domain.).
The team determines if there are effects of contaminant exposure on wildlife in laboratory and field settings. In this example, the team deployed mobile fish exposure laboratories at sites in the Shenandoah River Watershed, Virginia.
Inside the laboratories (see inset photo) fish were placed in aquariums, and exposed to nearby stream water or wastewater sources. (Credit: Jennifer L. Rapp, U.S. Geological Survey, Virginia and West Virginia Water Science Center. Public domain.)
Questions That the Team Answers:
- What contaminants are in tap waters originating from publicly and self-supplied drinking water sources?
- What factors influence the types of contaminants that are present in tap water?
- Are there hazards to fish and wildlife associated with exposure to low-levels of contaminants in streams?
- What mitigation actions are the most efficient and cost effective at reducing exposure at the tap for humans? Or in water resources for wildlife?
- Can decision tools be established to to define, prioritize and mitigate human and wildlife health risks?
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Date published: June 26, 2020Status: ActiveMixtures of Organic and Inorganic Chemicals Characterized in Water from the Taps of Residences in the Greater Chicago Area— Science to Understand Contaminant Exposures in Drinking Water
As a component of ongoing research with a coalition of partners, including the U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Colorado School of Mines, University of Illinois Chicago, and University of South Carolina, water was collected from the taps of 45 Chicago-area residences and analyzed for 540 organic and 35...
Contacts: Paul M Bradley, Kelly Smalling -
Date published: November 8, 2019Status: CompletedOngoing Research to Characterize the Complexity of Chemical Mixtures in Water Resources—Urban Stormwater
A multiagency reconnaissance study of chemicals in urban stormwater, sampled from pipes or ditches during 50 runoff events at 21 sites in 17 states across the United States, demonstrated that stormwater runoff contains complex mixtures of chemicals including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals that are indicative of multiple sources in the watershed.
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Date published: February 25, 2019Status: CompletedPilot Study Provides Information on Contaminant Exposure from Tap Water at Residential and Workplace Sites in the United States
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in collaboration with National Institutes of Health, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and academia, completed a pilot study to provide information on contaminant exposure from tap water at 26 locations including public and private supplies. Public-supply tap water generally met enforceable standards for those compounds with standards. Samples consisted...
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Date published: February 5, 2019Status: ActivePer- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) detected in Source Waters and Treated Public Water Supplies
This study, which measured 17 per- and polyfuoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in source and treated public water supplies from 25 drinking water facilities as part of a broader study of contaminants in drinking water across the United States, reports that PFASs were detected in all source water and public water supply samples collected. One sample exceeded the current U.S. Environmental...
Contacts: Edward Furlong, Dana W Kolpin, Susan T. Glassmeyer -
Date published: February 5, 2019Status: ActiveNovel Approach Improves Understanding of Virus Occurrence in Drinking Water
Waterborne viruses, one of the leading causes of gastrointestinal illnesses, were measured in United States drinking water sources and finished water. Scientists used a combination of measurement and statistical techniques to overcome limitations to quantifying these viruses, thus offering an enhanced method for virus monitoring.
Contacts: Edward Furlong, Dana W Kolpin, Susan T. Glassmeyer -
Date published: August 24, 2018Status: CompletedExploring the Suitability of a Modeling Approach to Estimate Contaminant Occurrence in Drinking Water Sources
Scientists explored the suitability of the DeFacto Reuse in our Nation's Consumable Supply (DRINCS) model to estimate the likelihood of contaminants from upstream wastewater discharges to enter drinking water facility intakes.
Contacts: Edward Furlong, Dana W Kolpin, Susan T. Glassmeyer -
Date published: October 17, 2017Status: CompletedComparison of Predicted and Measured Pharmaceutical Concentrations in Rivers
New study evaluated if predicted environmental concentrations (PECs) of pharmaceuticals (based on pharmaceutical usage data, degree of metabolism in humans, removal in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), and environmental dilution), reflect actual measured environmental concentrations (MECs) in two rivers of different sizes and demographics.
Contacts: Dana W Kolpin -
Date published: October 12, 2017Status: CompletedSources of Contaminants to Congaree National Park—USGS and National Park Service Working Together
A National Park Service (NPS) and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) study determined the concentrations, potential for degradation, and potential for aquatic and terrestrial animal exposure to organic contaminants in water and sediment within the flood-plain/aquatic environments of Congaree National Park which is located downstream from urban and...
Contacts: Paul M Bradley -
Date published: July 13, 2017Status: CompletedMulti-State Survey Measures Parabens in Municipal Wastewater Biosolids
This study provides new information about the composition and concentrations of 5 parabens—preservatives in pharmaceuticals and personal care products—present in biosolids collected from 14 municipal wastewater treatment plants across the United States.
Contacts: Edward Furlong, Dana W Kolpin -
Date published: April 12, 2017Status: CompletedStudy Highlights the Complexity of Chemical Mixtures in United States Streams
A new study highlights the complexity of chemical mixtures in streams and advances the understanding of wildlife and human exposure to complex chemical mixtures.
Contacts: Paul M Bradley
Emerging and historical contaminants detected in desert rodents collected near a low‐level radioactive waste site
In an effort to determine contaminant presence, concentrations, and movement from a low‐level radioactive waste (LLRW) burial disposal site to ecosystems in the surrounding area, a study was developed to assess concentrations of per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and tritium. To complete this assessment...
Cleary, Ryan S.; Karnjanapiboonwong, Adcharee; Thompson, William A.; Lasee, Steven J.; Sabbiah, Seenivasan; Kauble, Ronald; Andraski, Brian J.; Anderson, Todd A. Landfill leachate contributes per-/poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and pharmaceuticals to municipal wastewater
Widespread disposal of landfill leachate to municipal sewer infrastructure in the United States calls for an improved understanding of the relative organic-chemical contributions to the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) waste stream and associated surface-water discharge to receptors in the environment. Landfill leachate, WWTP influent, and WWTP...
Masoner, Jason R.; Kolpin, Dana W.; Cozzarelli, Isabelle M.; Smalling, Kelly L.; Bolyard, Stephanie; Field, Jennifer; Furlong, Edward T.; Gray, James L.; Lozinski, Duncan; Reinhart, Debra; Rodowa, Alix; Bradley, Paul M. Mixed organic and inorganic tapwater exposures and potential effects in greater Chicago area, USA
Safe drinking water at the point of use (tapwater, TW) is a public-health priority. TW exposures and potential human-health concerns of 540 organics and 35 inorganics were assessed in 45 Chicago area United States (US) homes in 2017. No US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) enforceable Maximum Contaminant Level(s) (MCL) were exceeded in any...
Bradley, Paul; Argos, Maria; Kolpin, Dana W.; Meppelink, Shannon M.; Romanok, Kristin; Smalling, Kelly; Focazio, Michael J.; Allen, Joshua M.; Dietze, Julie E.; Devito, Michael J.; Donovan, Ariel; Evans, Nicola; Givens, Carrie E.; Gray, James L.; Higgins, Christopher P.; Hladik, Michelle; Iwanowicz, Luke; Journey, Celeste A.; Lane, Rachael; Laughrey, Zachary; Loftin, Keith A.; McCleskey, R. Blaine; McDonough, Carrie A.; Medlock Kakaley, Elizabeth K; Meyer, Michael T.; Holthouse-Putz, Andrea; Richardson, Susan D; Stark, Alan ; Weis, Christopher P.; Wilson, Vickie S.; Zehraoui, Abderrahman Multi-region assessment of pharmaceutical exposures and predicted effects in USA wadeable urban-gradient streams
Human-use pharmaceuticals in urban streams link aquatic-ecosystem health to human health. Pharmaceutical mixtures have been widely reported in larger streams due to historical emphasis on wastewater-treatment plant (WWTP) sources, with limited investigation of pharmaceutical exposures and potential effects in smaller headwater streams. In 2014–...
Bradley, Paul; Journey, Celeste A.; Button, Daniel T.; Carlisle, Daren; Huffman, B.J.; Qi, Sharon L.; Romanok, Kristin; Van Metre, Peter C. De facto water reuse: Bioassay suite approach delivers depth and breadth in endocrine active compound detection
Although endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) have been detected in wastewater and surface waters worldwide using a variety of in vitro effects-based screening tools, e.g. bioassays, few have examined potential attenuation of environmental contaminants by both natural (sorption, degradation, etc) and anthropogenic (water treatment practices)...
Medlock Kakaley, Elizabeth K; Blackwell, Brett R.; Cardon, Mary C.; Conley, Justin M.; Evans, Nicola; Feifarek, David J.; Furlong, Edward; Glassmeyer, Susan T.; Gray, L. Earl Jr.; Hartig, Phillip C.; Kolpin, Dana W.; Mills, Marc A.; Rosenblum, Laura; Villeneuve, Daniel L.; Wilson, Vickie S. Exposure and potential effects of pesticides and pharmaceuticals in protected streams of the US National Park Service southeast Region
Globally protected areas offer refugia for a broad range of taxa including threatened and endangered species. The United States National Park Service (NPS) manages public lands to preserve biodiversity, but increasing park visitation and development of surrounding landscapes increase exposure to and effects from bioactive contaminants. The risk (...
Bradley, Paul; Romanok, Kristin; Duncan, Jeffrey R.; Battaglin, William; Clark, Jimmy; Hladik, Michelle; Huffman, Bradley; Iwanowicz, Luke; Journey, Celeste A.; Smalling, Kelly Spatial fingerprinting of biogenic and anthropogenic volatile organic compounds in an arid unsaturated zone
Subsurface volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can pose risks to human and environmental health and mediate biological processes. VOCs have both anthropogenic and biogenic origins, but the relative importance of these sources has not been explored in subsurface environments. This study synthesizes 17 years of VOC data from the Amargosa Desert...
Green, Christopher; Luo, Wentai; Conaway, Christopher H.; Haase, Karl B.; Baker, Ronald J.; Andraski, Brian J. Urban 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...
Masoner, Jason R.; Kolpin, Dana W.; Cozzarelli, Isabelle M.; Barber, Larry B.; Burden, D.S.; Foreman, William T.; Forshay, Kenneth J.; Furlong, Edward; Groves, Justin F.; Hladik, Michelle; Hopton, Matthew E.; Jaeschke, Jeanne B.; Keefe, Steffanie H.; Krabbenhoft, David; Lowrance , Richard; Romanok, Kristin; Rus, David L.; Selbig, William R.; Williams, Brad; Bradley, Paul Examining the extraction efficiency of petroleum-derived dissolved organic matter in contaminated groundwater plumes
The extraction efficiency of petroleum-derived dissolved organic matter (DOM) was examined for groundwater samples from an aquifer contaminated with crude oil. Four different types of extraction were used to determine which method is best suited for the analysis of potentially toxic petroleum-derived DOM. The four types were a liquid-liquid...
Zito, Phoebe; Ghannam, Rana; Bekins, Barbara A.; Podgorski, David C. De 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...
Weisman, Richard J; Barber, Larry; Rapp, Jennifer; Ferreira, Celso M
Lithostratigraphic, geophysical, and hydrogeologic observations from a boring drilled to bedrock in glacial sediments near Nantucket Sound in East Falmouth, Massachusetts
In spring 2016, a 310-foot-deep boring (named MA–FSW 750) was drilled by the U.S. Geological Survey near Nantucket Sound in East Falmouth, Massachusetts, to investigate the hydrogeology of the southern coast of western Cape Cod. Few borings that are drilled to bedrock exist in the area, and the study area was selected to fill a gap between...
Hull, Robert B.; Johnson, Carole D.; Stone, Byron D.; LeBlanc, Denis R.; McCobb, Timothy D.; Phillips, Stephanie N.; Pappas , Katherine L. ; Lane, Jr., John W. Predictive analysis using chemical-gene interaction networks consistent with observed endocrine activity and mutagenicity of U.S. streams
In a recent U.S. Geological Survey/U.S. Environmental Protection Agency study assessing >700 organic compounds in 38 streams, in vitro assays indicated generally low estrogen, androgen, and glucocorticoid receptor activities, but identified 13 surface waters with 17β estradiol equivalent (E2Eq) activities greater than the 1 ng/L level of...
Berninger, Jason P.; DeMarini, David M.; Warren, Sarah H.; Simmons, Jane Ellen; Wilson, Vickie S.; Conley, Justin M.; Armstrong, Mikayla D.; Kolpin, Dana W.; Kuivila, Kathryn; Reilly, Timothy J.; Romanok, Kristin M.; Villeneuve, Daniel L.; Bradley, Paul M.; Iwanowicz, Luke R.-
Date published: March 12, 2020Target-Chemical Concentrations in Landfill Leachate and Wastewater Treatment Influent and Effluent
Concentration results and quality assurance for pharmaceutical, hormone, and per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) analyzed in landfill leachate and wastewater influent and effluent. Samples were collected between July and October 2016, using U.S. Geological Survey field methods. Water-quality samples for pharmaceutical and hormone compounds (reported in nanograms per lit
Attribution: South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC) -
Date published: January 14, 2020
Concentrations of Pharmaceutical Contaminants and Their Predicted Effects from a Multi-Regional Assessment of Wadeable USA Streams, 2014-2017
Human-use pharmaceutical compounds were analyzed at the U.S. Geological Survey, National Water Quality Laboratory, Denver, Colorado, in wadeable streams in 4 Regional Stream Quality Assessments: Northeast (NESQA), Southeast (SESQA), Pacific Northwest (PNSQA) and California (CSQA). Multiple (with few exceptions) samplings occurred at each site, during base flow%
Attribution: South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC) -
Date published: January 9, 2020
Determination of the effect of temperature (Q10) on rates of oxygen consumption in surface sediments collected from Ashumet Pond on Cape Cod, MA (2016)
This data release presents results from a laboratory study designed to measure the effect of temperature on rates of oxygen consumption within lake-bottom surface sediments at 0- to 5-cm depth. Sediment and lake water samples were collected June 8, 2016 from the South site in Ashumet Pond, Cape Cod, MA, where lake water recharges to the aquifer. Samples were shipped to Boulder, CO for l
Attribution: Water Resources -
Date published: December 23, 2019
Air, plant, and unsaturated-zone tritium and plant-metrics data, Amargosa Desert Research Site, Nye County, Nevada, 2012–2016
These data comprise air, plant (creosote bush, Larrea tridentata), and unsaturated-zone tritium measurements and plant metrics collected during 2012 to 2016 from three sampling areas at the Amargosa Desert Research Site (ADRS) near Beatty, Nevada: (1) within a low-level radioactive waste facility, (2) buffer area adjacent to the waste facility, and (3) reference
Attribution: Nevada Water Science Center -
Date published: December 2, 2019
Influence of dissolved organic carbon on the acute toxicity of copper to white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) and the cladoceran (Ceriodaphnia dubia)-Data
This dataset characterizes the acute toxicity of copper and zinc to white sturgeon (~30 days post hatch) and cladocerans (less thab 24 hours old) in waters with varying dissolved organic carbon (DOC) by conducting 96-hour white sturgeon and 48-hour cladoceran copper and zinc exposures in test waters with natural DOC (from pond water) at concentrations ranging from 0.5 to 5.5 mg%
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Date published: November 25, 2019
Pesticides and Pharmaceutical Exposure Data for Select Protected Streams of the US National Park Service Southeast Region 2015-2017
This dataset contains pesticide and pharmaceutical results (including maximum and median summaries) collected in the Southeast Region of the United States, 2015-17. Water-quality and bed-sediment results are reported. Samples were analyzed at the National Water Quality Laboratory, Denver, Colorado and the Organic Chemistry Research Laboratory, Sacramento, California. Method and site
Attribution: South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC) -
Date published: November 1, 2019
Baseline groundwater-quality data from a densely developed coastal neighborhood, Falmouth, Massachusetts (2016 - 2019)(ver. 2.0, November 2019)
This data release provides a comprehensive dataset of sampling-site characteristics and baseline groundwater-quality data collected from a network of multilevel sampling wells installed in a densely developed coastal neighborhood undergoing a conversion from onsite septic systems to municipal sewering. Groundwater samples were collected during multiple events from a total of 227 well screens...
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Date published: September 18, 2019
Growth Characteristics of Pelobacter acetylenovorans, strain SFB93, sp. nov., a diazotrophic, acetylene fermenting anaerobe isolated from San Francisco Bay intertidal sediments
Data supporting the establishment of Pelobacter acetylenovorans SFB93 as a new microbial species. Data release includes growth curve and preferred growth conditions for the species.
Attribution: Water Resources -
Date published: August 12, 2019
Concentrations of inorganic and organic analytes in a national reconnaissance of urban stormwater runoff to surface water and groundwater in the United States
This dataset contains results for samples collected at stormwater basins across the United States to assess the potential contaminant pathways of these basins to surface water and groundwater. Sample sites were in stormwater conveyance infrastructure that discharged mixed stormwater runoff from buildings, parking lots, roads, and other infrastructure in residential, commercial, and indu
Attribution: South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC) -
Date published: August 12, 2019
Concentrations of inorganic and organic analytes in a national reconnaissance of urban stormwater runoff to surface water and groundwater in the United States
This dataset contains results for samples collected at stormwater basins across the United States to assess the potential contaminant pathways of these basins to surface water and groundwater. Sample sites were in stormwater conveyance infrastructure that discharged mixed stormwater runoff from buildings, parking lots, roads, and other infrastructure in residential, commercial, and indu
Attribution: South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC)