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Publications

Dive into our publications and explore the science from the Environmental Health Program (Toxic Substances Hydrology and Contaminant Biology).

Filter Total Items: 4097

Determination of instream metal loads using tracer-injection and synoptic-sampling techniques in Wightman Fork, southwestern Colorado, September 1997 Determination of instream metal loads using tracer-injection and synoptic-sampling techniques in Wightman Fork, southwestern Colorado, September 1997

Spatial determinations of the metal loads in Wightman Fork can be used to identify potential source areas to the stream. In September 1997, a chloride tracer-injection study was done concurrently with synoptic water-quality sampling in Wightman Fork near the Summitville Mine site. Discharge was determined and metal concentrations at 38 sites were used to generate mass-load profiles for...
Authors
Roderick F. Ortiz, Kenneth E. Bencala

Water quality and occurrence of methyl-tert butyl ether (MTBE) and other fuel related compounds in lakes and ground water at lakeside communities in Sussex and Morris Counties, New Jersey, 1998-1999 Water quality and occurrence of methyl-tert butyl ether (MTBE) and other fuel related compounds in lakes and ground water at lakeside communities in Sussex and Morris Counties, New Jersey, 1998-1999

Densely populated communities surround many of the larger lakes in northwestern New Jersey. These communities derive most of their water supply from wells. The lakes can be navigated by gasoline-powered watercraft, can be in various stages of eutrophication, may contain pathogens associated with bathing and waterfowl, and are periodically subjected to chemical applications to control...
Authors
Arthur L. Baehr, Timothy J. Reilly

Nature and chlorine reactivity of organic constituents from reclaimed water in groundwater, Los Angeles County, California Nature and chlorine reactivity of organic constituents from reclaimed water in groundwater, Los Angeles County, California

The nature and chlorine reactivity of organic constituents in reclaimed water (tertiary-treated municipal wastewater) before, during, and after recharge into groundwater at the Montebello Forebay in Los Angeles County, CA, was the focus of this study. Dissolved organic matter (DOM) in reclaimed water from this site is primarily a mixture of aromatic sulfonates from anionic surfactant...
Authors
J.A. Leenheer, C.E. Rostad, L. B. Barber, R. A. Schroeder, R. Anders, M.L. Davisson

Chemical and optical changes in freshwater dissolved organic matter exposed to solar radiation Chemical and optical changes in freshwater dissolved organic matter exposed to solar radiation

We studied the chemical and optical changes inthe dissolved organic matter (DOM) from twofreshwater lakes and a Sphagnum bog afterexposure to solar radiation. Stable carbonisotopes and solid-state 13C-NMR spectraof DOM were used together with optical andchemical data to interpret results fromexperimental exposures of DOM to sunlight andfrom seasonal observations of two lakes...
Authors
C.L. Osburn, D.P. Morris, K. A. Thorn, R.E. Moeller

Demonstration of significant abiotic iron isotope fractionation in nature Demonstration of significant abiotic iron isotope fractionation in nature

Field and laboratory studies reveal that the mineral ferrihydrite, formed as a result of abiotic oxidation of aqueous ferrous to ferric Fe, contains Fe that is isotopically heavy relative to coexisting aqueous Fe. Because the electron transfer step of the oxidation process at pH >5 is essentially irreversible and should favor the lighter Fe isotopes in the ferric iron product, this...
Authors
T.D. Bullen, A. F. White, C.W. Childs, D.V. Vivit, M.S. Schultz

pH dependence of iron photoreduction in a rocky mountain stream affected by acid mine drainage pH dependence of iron photoreduction in a rocky mountain stream affected by acid mine drainage

The redox speciation of dissolved iron and the transport of iron in acidic, metal‐enriched streams is controlled by precipitation and dissolution of iron hydroxides, by photoreduction of dissolved ferric iron and hydrous iron oxides, and by oxidation of the resulting dissolved ferrous iron. We examined the pH dependence of these processes in an acidic mine‐drainage stream, St Kevin Gulch...
Authors
Diane M. McKnight, B. A. Kimball, R.L. Runkel

Standard reference water samples for rare earth element determinations Standard reference water samples for rare earth element determinations

Standard reference water samples (SRWS) were collected from two mine sites, one near Ophir, CO, USA and the other near Redding, CA, USA. The samples were filtered, preserved, and analyzed for rare earth element (REE) concentrations (La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, and Lu) by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). These two samples were acid mine waters...
Authors
P. L. Verplanck, Ronald C. Antweiler, D. Kirk Nordstrom, Howard E. Taylor

Identification of methyl halide-utilizing genes in strain IMB-1, a methyl bromide-utilizing bacterium suggests a high degree of conservation of methyl halide-specific genes in gram-negative bacteria Identification of methyl halide-utilizing genes in strain IMB-1, a methyl bromide-utilizing bacterium suggests a high degree of conservation of methyl halide-specific genes in gram-negative bacteria

Strain IMB-1, an aerobic methylotrophic member of the alpha subgroup of the Proteobacteria, can grow with methyl bromide as a sole carbon and energy source. A single cmu gene cluster was identified in IMB-1 that contained six open reading frames: cmuC, cmuA, orf146, paaE, hutI, and partial metF. CmuA from IMB-1 has high sequence homology to the methyltransferase CmuA from...
Authors
C.A. Woodall, K.L. Warner, R.S. Oremland, J.C. Murrell, I.R. McDonald

Pesticides associated with suspended sediments entering San Francisco Bay following the first major storm of water year 1996 Pesticides associated with suspended sediments entering San Francisco Bay following the first major storm of water year 1996

Estuaries receive large quantities of suspended sediments following the first major storm of the water year. The first-flush events transport the majority of suspended sediments in any given year, and because of their relative freshness in the hydrologic system, these sediments may carry a significant amount of the sediment-associated pesticide load transported into estuaries. To...
Authors
Brian A. Bergamaschi, Kathryn Kuivila, Miranda S. Fram

Transport and fate of organic wastes in groundwater at the Stringfellow hazardous waste disposal site, southern California Transport and fate of organic wastes in groundwater at the Stringfellow hazardous waste disposal site, southern California

In January 1999, wastewater influent and effluent from the pretreatment plant at the Stringfellow hazardous waste disposal site were sampled along with groundwater at six locations along the groundwater contaminant plume. The objectives of this sampling and study were to identify at the compound class level the unidentified 40–60% of wastewater organic contaminants, and to determine what...
Authors
J.A. Leenheer, J. Hsu, L. B. Barber

Transient storage assessments of dye-tracer injections in rivers of the Willamette Basin, Oregon Transient storage assessments of dye-tracer injections in rivers of the Willamette Basin, Oregon

Rhodamine WT dye-tracer injections in rivers of the Willamette Basin yield concentration-time curves with characteristically long recession times suggestive of active transient storage processes. The scale of drainage areas contributing to the stream reaches studied in the Willamette Basin ranges from 10 to 12,000 km2. A transient storage assessment of the tracer studies has been...
Authors
A. Laenen, K.E. Bencala

Methyl t-Butyl Ether Mineralization in Surface-Water Sediment Microcosms under Denitrifying Conditions Methyl t-Butyl Ether Mineralization in Surface-Water Sediment Microcosms under Denitrifying Conditions

Mineralization of [U-14C] methyl t-butyl ether (MTBE) to 14CO2 without accumulation of t-butyl alcohol (TBA) was observed in surface-water sediment microcosms under denitrifying conditions. Methanogenic activity and limited transformation of MTBE to TBA were observed in the absence of denitrification. Results indicate that bed sediment microorganisms can effectively degrade MTBE to...
Authors
P. M. Bradley, F. H. Chapelle, J. E. Landmeyer
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