Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Publications

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

Filter Total Items: 4098

Pesticides in the atmosphere of the Mississippi River Valley, part I: Rain Pesticides in the atmosphere of the Mississippi River Valley, part I: Rain

Weekly composite rainfall samples were collected in three paired urban and agricultural regions of the Midwestern United States and along the Mississippi River during April–September 1995. The paired sampling sites were located in Mississippi, Iowa, and Minnesota. A background site, removed from dense urban and agriculture areas, was located near Lake Superior in Michigan. Herbicides...
Authors
M.S. Majewski, W.T. Foreman, D. A. Goolsby

Microbial H2 cycling does not affect δ2H values of ground water Microbial H2 cycling does not affect δ2H values of ground water

Stable hydrogen-isotope values of ground water (δ2H) and dissolved hydrogen concentrations (H(2(aq)) were quantified in a petroleum-hydrocarbon contaminated aquifer to determine whether the production/consumption of H2 by subsurface microorganisms affects ground water &delta2H values. The range of &delta2H observed in monitoring wells sampled (-27.8 ‰c to -15.5 ‰c) was best explained...
Authors
J. E. Landmeyer, F. H. Chapelle, P. M. Bradley

Effect of a constructed wetland on disinfection byproducts: Removal processes and production of precursors Effect of a constructed wetland on disinfection byproducts: Removal processes and production of precursors

The fate of halogenated disinfection byproducts (DBPs) in treatment wetlands and the changes in the DBP formation potential as wastewater treatment plant (WWTP)-derived water moves through the wetlands were investigated. Wetland inlet and outlet samples were analyzed for total organic halide (TOX), trihalomethanes (TH M), haloacetic acids (HAA), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and UV...
Authors
C.E. Rostad, Barbara S. Martin, L. B. Barber, J.A. Leenheer, S.R. Daniel

Ion exchange separation of chromium from natural water matrix for stable isotope mass spectrometric analysis Ion exchange separation of chromium from natural water matrix for stable isotope mass spectrometric analysis

A method has been developed for separating the Cr dissolved in natural water from matrix elements and determination of its stable isotope ratios using solid-source thermal-ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS). The separation method takes advantage of the existence of the oxidized form of Cr as an oxyanion to separate it from interfering cations using anion-exchange chromatography, and of...
Authors
J.W. Ball, R.L. Bassett

A field technique for estimating aquifer parameters using flow log data A field technique for estimating aquifer parameters using flow log data

A numerical model is used to predict flow along intervals between producing zones in open boreholes for comparison with measurements of borehole flow. The model gives flow under quasi-steady conditions as a function of the transmissivity and hydraulic head in an arbitrary number of zones communicating with each other along open boreholes. The theory shows that the amount of inflow to or...
Authors
Frederick L. Paillet

The fate of haloacetic acids and trihalomethanes in an aquifer storage and recovery program, Las Vegas, Nevada The fate of haloacetic acids and trihalomethanes in an aquifer storage and recovery program, Las Vegas, Nevada

The fate of disinfection byproducts during aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) is evaluated for aquifers in Southern Nevada. Rapid declines of haloacetic acid (HAA) concentrations during ASR, with associated little change in Cl concentration, indicate that HAAs decline primarily by in situ microbial oxidation. Dilution is only a minor contributor to HAA concentration declines during ASR
Authors
J. M. Thomas, W.A. McKay, E. Colec, J. E. Landmeyer, P. M. Bradley

Colloid formation and metal transport through two mixing zones affected by acid mine drainage near Silverton, Colorado Colloid formation and metal transport through two mixing zones affected by acid mine drainage near Silverton, Colorado

Stream discharges and concentrations of dissolved and colloidal metals (Al, Ca, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Pb, and Zn), SO4, and dissolved silica were measured to identify chemical transformations and determine mass transports through two mixing zones in the Animas River that receive the inflows from Cement and Mineral Creeks. The creeks were the dominant sources of Al, Cu, Fe, and Pb, whereas the...
Authors
L. E. Schemel, B. A. Kimball, K.E. Bencala

Effects of the flood of 1993 on the chemical characteristics of bed sediments in the Upper Mississippi River Effects of the flood of 1993 on the chemical characteristics of bed sediments in the Upper Mississippi River

Concentrations of pollutants stored in the surficial bed sediments in the navigation pools of the Upper Mississippi River showed a general decrease after the record flood of 1993. Percent clay and total organic carbon in the surficial sediments decreased as a result of an increase in the proportion of coarser sediment. Decreases in pollutant concentration may have been a result of the...
Authors
J. A. Moody, J.F. Sullivan, Howard E. Taylor

Negative pH and extremely acidic mine waters from Iron Mountain, California Negative pH and extremely acidic mine waters from Iron Mountain, California

Extremely acidic mine waters with pH values as low as -3.6, total dissolved metal concentrations as high as 200 g/L, and sulfate concentrations as high as 760 g/L, have been encountered underground in the Richmond Mine at Iron Mountain, CA. These are the most acidic waters known. The pH measurements were obtained by using the Pitzer method to define pH for calibration of glass membrane...
Authors
D. Kirk Nordstrom, Charles N. Alpers, C.J. Ptacek, D.W. Blowes

Multispecies reactive tracer test in an aquifer with spatially variable chemical conditions Multispecies reactive tracer test in an aquifer with spatially variable chemical conditions

A field investigation of multispecies reactive transport was conducted in a well‐characterized, sand and gravel aquifer on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The aquifer is characterized by regions of differing chemical conditions caused by the disposal of secondary sewage effluent. Ten thousand liters of groundwater with added tracers (Br, Cr(VI), and EDTA complexed with Pb, Zn, Cu, and Ni) were...
Authors
J.A. Davis, D.B. Kent, J.A. Coston, K.M. Hess, J.L. Joye

Effects of heterogeneity in aquifer permeability and biomass on biodegradation rate calculations: Results from numerical simulations Effects of heterogeneity in aquifer permeability and biomass on biodegradation rate calculations: Results from numerical simulations

Numerical simulations were used to examine the effects of heterogeneity in hydraulic conductivity (K) and intrinsic biodegradation rate on the accuracy of contaminant plume‐scale biodegradation rates obtained from field data. The simulations were based on a steady‐state BTEX contaminant plume undergoing biodegradation under sulfate‐reducing conditions, with the electron acceptor in...
Authors
Martha A. Scholl

Estimating formation properties from early-time oscillatory water levels in a pumped well Estimating formation properties from early-time oscillatory water levels in a pumped well

Hydrologists often attempt to estimate formation properties from aquifer tests for which only the hydraulic responses in a pumped well are available. Borehole storage, turbulent head losses, and borehole skin, however, can mask the hydraulic behavior of the formation inferred from the water level in the pumped well. Also, in highly permeable formations or in formations at significant...
Authors
A.M. Shapiro, D.S. Oki
Was this page helpful?