Pesticides are transported throughout the environment.
Detailed Description
Sources and Pathways in the Hydrologic System
Pesticides, like most other water contaminants, enter the hydrologic system from point sources, which are associated with specific points of release, and from nonpoint sources, which are diffuse and widely dispersed. Nonpoint sources are the dominant sources of pesticides found in streams and groundwater. Nonpoint sources include runoff to streams from agricultural and urban land, seepage to ground water in areas where pesticides are used, and deposition of pesticides from the atmosphere. Potential point sources of pesticides include pesticide manufacturing plants, mixing-and-loading facilities, spills, waste water recharge facilities (wells or basins), waste disposal sites, and sewage treatment plants. Once pesticides and their degradates (new compounds formed by the transformation of a pesticide by chemical or biological reactions) reach the atmosphere, streams, or ground water, they move through the hydrologic system with air, water, or particles, depending on the chemical and physical properties of the compounds.