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.
Questions That the Team Answers:

- Is treated wastewater effluent a source of contaminants to streams that serve as source water for publicly and self-supplied drinking water supplies?
- What contaminants are in tap waters 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 that receive wastewater?
- 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?
GeoHEALTH–USGS Newsletter-Special Issue on Drinking Water
USGS science related to this science team’s activities.
Inorganic and Organic Chemical Mixtures Detected in both Public and Private Tap Water in Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Science to Understand Low-Level Exposures to Neonicotinoid Pesticides, their Metabolites, and Chlorinated Byproducts in Drinking Water
Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Residential Tap Water: Source-to-Tap Science for Underserved Communities
Mixtures 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
Ongoing Research to Characterize the Complexity of Chemical Mixtures in Water Resources—Urban Stormwater
Pilot Study Provides Information on Contaminant Exposure from Tap Water at Residential and Workplace Sites in the United States
Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) detected in Source Waters and Treated Public Water Supplies
Novel Approach Improves Understanding of Virus Occurrence in Drinking Water
Exploring the Suitability of a Modeling Approach to Estimate Contaminant Occurrence in Drinking Water Sources
Comparison of Predicted and Measured Pharmaceutical Concentrations in Rivers
Sources of Contaminants to Congaree National Park—USGS and National Park Service Working Together
Multi-State Survey Measures Parabens in Municipal Wastewater Biosolids
The following are the data releases from this science team’s research activities.
Target-Chemical Concentration Results for Assessment of Mixed-Organic/Inorganic Chemical and Biological Exposures in North Dakota and South Dakota Tapwater, 2019
Inorganic Concentration Results for Assessment of Mixed Organic/Inorganic Chemical and Biological Exposures in North Dakota and South Dakota Tapwater, 2019
Pesticides and pesticide transformation product data from passive samplers deployed in 15 Great Lakes tributaries, 2016
Reconnaissance of chemicals of potential biological concern in tributaries of the Great Lakes using passive samplers in 2010 and 2014
Target-Chemical Concentration Results of Mixed-Organic/Inorganic Chemical Exposures in Puerto Rico Tapwater, 2017 to 2018
Pesticide and Pharmaceutical Exposure Data for Select Streams within Great Smoky Mountains National Park, 2019
Data used to model and map arsenic concentration exceedances in private wells throughout the conterminous United States for human health studies
Microbial Source Tracking Marker Concentrations in Congaree National Park in 2017-2019, South Carolina, USA
Target-Chemical Concentration Results of Mixed-Organic/Inorganic Chemical Exposures in Cape Cod, Massachusetts Tapwater, 2018
Pesticide and transformation product concentrations and risk quotients in U.S. headwater streams
Influence of dissolved organic carbon on the acute toxicity of copper and zinc to white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) and the cladoceran (Ceriodaphnia dubia)
Pesticides and Pharmaceutical Exposure Data for Select Protected Streams of the US National Park Service Southeast Region 2015-2017
Below are publications associated with this science team.
Temporal variability in TiO2 engineered particle concentrations in rural Edisto River
Evaluating the effects of replacing septic systems with municipal sewers on groundwater quality in a densely developed coastal neighborhood, Falmouth, Massachusetts, 2016–19
Watershed-scale risk to aquatic organisms from complex chemical mixtures in the Shenandoah River
Food, beverage, and feedstock processing facility wastewater: A unique and underappreciated source of contaminants to U.S. streams
Integrated science for the study of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the environment—A strategic science vision for the U.S. Geological Survey
Tandem field and laboratory approaches to quantify attenuation mechanisms of pharmaceutical and pharmaceutical transformation products in a wastewater effluent-dominated stream
Temporal variations of de facto wastewater reuse and disinfection by-products in public water systems in the Shenandoah River watershed, USA
Multiple in-stream stressors degrade biological assemblages in five U.S. regions
Is there an urban pesticide signature? Urban streams in five U.S. regions share common dissolved-phase pesticides but differ in predicted aquatic toxicity
Untargeted lipidomics for determining cellular and sub-cellular responses in Zebrafish (Danio rerio) liver cells following exposure to complex mixtures in U.S. streams
Identifying chemicals and mixtures of potential biological concern detected in passive samplers from Great Lakes tributaries using high-throughput data and biological pathways
Pilot-scale expanded assessment of inorganic and organic tapwater exposures and predicted effects in Puerto Rico, USA
- Overview
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.). Questions That the Team Answers:
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. Visit Media to see details.Drinking water in the United States rarely is tested for contaminants and pathogens at the tap, where human exposure can occur. In this special issue, we present the science to help understand contaminants and pathogens in drinking water at business and residential taps. - Is treated wastewater effluent a source of contaminants to streams that serve as source water for publicly and self-supplied drinking water supplies?
- What contaminants are in tap waters 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 that receive wastewater?
- 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?
GeoHEALTH–USGS Newsletter-Special Issue on Drinking Water
- Science
USGS science related to this science team’s activities.
Filter Total Items: 26Inorganic and Organic Chemical Mixtures Detected in both Public and Private Tap Water in Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Multiple detections of regulated and unregulated chemical (inorganic, organic) analytes or elements were detected in both privately and publicly supplied tap water samples from 20 residences in Cape Cod, Massachusetts that share a common source of water.Science to Understand Low-Level Exposures to Neonicotinoid Pesticides, their Metabolites, and Chlorinated Byproducts in Drinking Water
Scientists reported the discovery of three neonicotinoid pesticides in drinking water and their potential for transformation and removal during water treatment. The research provides new insights into the persistence of neonicotinoids and their potential for transformation during water treatment and distribution, while also identifying granulated activated carbon as a potentially effective...Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Residential Tap Water: Source-to-Tap Science for Underserved Communities
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) were detected at low levels in treated drinking water samples from residential taps in the Greater Chicago Area. This study is part of a larger approach to provide an understanding of contaminant mixtures in residential tap water across the Nation including underserved communities in rural, urban, and tribal areas.Mixtures 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 inorganic...Ongoing 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.Pilot 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 of...Per- 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 Protection...Novel 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.Exploring 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.Comparison 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.Sources 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 agricultural areas.Multi-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. - Data
The following are the data releases from this science team’s research activities.
Filter Total Items: 33Target-Chemical Concentration Results for Assessment of Mixed-Organic/Inorganic Chemical and Biological Exposures in North Dakota and South Dakota Tapwater, 2019
Concentration and quality assurance results for organic compounds and bioassay endocrine activity results analyzed at the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Quality Laboratory, Denver, Colorado, Organic Chemistry Research Laboratory, Sacramento, California, the Organic Geochemistry Research Laboratory, Lawrence, Kansas, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and DeveloInorganic Concentration Results for Assessment of Mixed Organic/Inorganic Chemical and Biological Exposures in North Dakota and South Dakota Tapwater, 2019
This data set reports results for inorganic constituents analyzed at the Redox Chemistry Laboratory in Boulder, Colorado, for the 2019 tapwater study conducted in North Dakota and South Dakota, USA. This project is part of the U.S. Geological Survey, Ecosystems Mission Area, Environmental Health Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Program.Pesticides and pesticide transformation product data from passive samplers deployed in 15 Great Lakes tributaries, 2016
This dataset includes pesticides and pesticide transformation products in 15 tributaries of the Great Lakes. Pesticides were monitored using polar organic chemical integrative samplers (POCIS) to estimate concentrations in water following standard protocols (Alvarez, 2010) in June and July 2016. POCIS extracts were analyzed for 225 chemicals (USGS National Water Quality Laboratory schedule 5437, SReconnaissance of chemicals of potential biological concern in tributaries of the Great Lakes using passive samplers in 2010 and 2014
This data set is a compilation of data from two sampling efforts (2010 and 2014), focused on determining the presence and distribution of organic contaminants throughout the United States portion of the Great Lakes watershed. Water-borne contaminants were monitored in 69 tributaries of the Great Lakes using semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs), and polar organic chemical integrative samplers (POTarget-Chemical Concentration Results of Mixed-Organic/Inorganic Chemical Exposures in Puerto Rico Tapwater, 2017 to 2018
This dataset provides the water-quality results for organic and inorganic concentrations analyzed from samples collected at domestic and commercial tapwater faucets and one spring, sourced in Puerto Rico. Samples were collected in October, 2017 and August and December, 2018 from 19 locations. Samples were analyzed at various U.S. Geological Survey laboratories: the National Water Quality LaboratorPesticide and Pharmaceutical Exposure Data for Select Streams within Great Smoky Mountains National Park, 2019
This dataset included the concentration results (in nanograms per liter) for 328 pharmaceutical and pesticide compounds analyzed within the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, Tennessee and North Carolina, in 2019. Two samples were collected (July and September) at 15 locations within the park, and one location at the park boundary. Samples were analyzed at the National Water Quality Laboratory (NData used to model and map arsenic concentration exceedances in private wells throughout the conterminous United States for human health studies
This data release contains data used to develop models and maps that estimate the probabilities of exceeding various thresholds of arsenic concentrations in private domestic wells throughout the conterminous United States. Three boosted regression tree (BRT) models were developed separately to estimate the probability of private well arsenic concentrations exceeding 1, 5, and 10 micrograms per litMicrobial Source Tracking Marker Concentrations in Congaree National Park in 2017-2019, South Carolina, USA
The dataset contains quantitative polymerase chain reaction data for microbial source tracking markers screened on water samples collected from streams and rivers within and bounding Congaree National Park from samples collected throughout the year from December 2017 through June 2019. The number of samples collected per event ranged from 4-16 over the span of 11 sample events.Target-Chemical Concentration Results of Mixed-Organic/Inorganic Chemical Exposures in Cape Cod, Massachusetts Tapwater, 2018
This dataset provides the water-quality results for organic and inorganic concentrations analyzed from samples collected at residential tapwater faucets, sourced from private drinking water wells in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Samples were collected in July and August, 2018 from 20 locations. Samples were analyzed at various U.S. Geological Survey laboratories: the National Water Quality Laboratory iPesticide and transformation product concentrations and risk quotients in U.S. headwater streams
This dataset includes a subset of previously released pesticide data (Morace and others, 2020) from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water Quality Assessment Program (NAWQA) Regional Stream Quality Assessment (RSQA) project and the corresponding hazard index results calculated using the R package toxEval, which are relevant to Mahler and others, 2020. Pesticide and transformation productInfluence of dissolved organic carbon on the acute toxicity of copper and zinc to white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) and the cladoceran (Ceriodaphnia dubia)
This dataset characterizes the acute toxicity of copper and zinc to white sturgeon (~30 days post hatch) and cladocerans (<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/L.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 information is - Publications
Below are publications associated with this science team.
Filter Total Items: 81Temporal variability in TiO2 engineered particle concentrations in rural Edisto River
Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is widely used in engineered particles including engineered nanomaterial (ENM) and pigments, yet its occurrence, concentrations, temporal variability, and fate in natural environmental systems are poorly understood. For three years, we monitored TiO2 concentrations in a rural river basin (Edisto River, < 1% urban land cover) in South Carolina, United States. The total conceEvaluating the effects of replacing septic systems with municipal sewers on groundwater quality in a densely developed coastal neighborhood, Falmouth, Massachusetts, 2016–19
Land disposal of sewage wastewater through septic systems and cesspools is a major cause of elevated concentrations of nitrogen in the shallow coastal aquifers of southern New England. The discharge of nitrogen from these sources at the coast is affecting the environmental health of coastal saltwater bodies. In response, local, State, and Federal agencies are considering expensive actions to mitigWatershed-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 wereFood, beverage, and feedstock processing facility wastewater: A unique and underappreciated source of contaminants to U.S. streams
Process wastewaters from food, beverage, and feedstock facilities, although regulated, are an under-investigated environmental contaminant source. Food process wastewaters (FPWWs) from 23 facilities in 17 U.S. states were sampled and documented for a plethora of chemical and microbial contaminants. Of the 576 analyzed organics, 184 (32%) were detected at least once, with concentrations as large asByWater Resources, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Central Midwest Water Science Center, Kansas Water Science Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, Pennsylvania Water Science Center, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC), Upper Midwest Water Science Center, National Water Quality LaboratoryIntegrated science for the study of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the environment—A strategic science vision for the U.S. Geological Survey
Concerns related to perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in sources of drinking water and in natural and engineered environments have captured national attention over the last few decades. This report provides an overview of the science gaps that exist in the fields of study related to PFAS that are relevant to the U.S. Geological Survey mission and identifies opportunities where tTandem field and laboratory approaches to quantify attenuation mechanisms of pharmaceutical and pharmaceutical transformation products in a wastewater effluent-dominated stream
Evolving complex mixtures of pharmaceuticals and transformation products in effluent-dominated streams pose potential impacts to aquatic species; thus, understanding the attenuation dynamics in the field and characterizing the prominent attenuation mechanisms of pharmaceuticals and their transformation products (TPs) is critical for hazard assessments. Herein, we determined the attenuation dynamicTemporal 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 thaMultiple in-stream stressors degrade biological assemblages in five U.S. regions
Biological assemblages in streams are affected by a wide variety of physical and chemical stressors associated with land-use development, yet the importance of combinations of different types of stressors is not well known. From 2013 to 2017, the U.S. Geological Survey completed multi-stressor/multi-assemblage stream ecological assessments in five regions of the United States (434 streams total).ByWater Resources, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, California Water Science Center, Kansas Water Science Center, Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center, Oregon Water Science Center, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC), Washington Water Science Center, Wyoming-Montana Water Science CenterIs there an urban pesticide signature? Urban streams in five U.S. regions share common dissolved-phase pesticides but differ in predicted aquatic toxicity
Pesticides occur in urban streams globally, but the relation of occurrence to urbanization can be obscured by regional differences. In studies of five regions of the United States, we investigated the effect of region and urbanization on the occurrence and potential toxicity of dissolved pesticide mixtures. We analyzed 225 pesticide compounds in weekly discrete water samples collected during 6–12ByEcosystems, Water Resources, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, California Water Science Center, Fort Collins Science Center, Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Water Science Center, New Mexico Water Science Center, Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center, Oregon Water Science Center, Pennsylvania Water Science Center, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC), Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center, Washington Water Science CenterUntargeted lipidomics for determining cellular and sub-cellular responses in Zebrafish (Danio rerio) liver cells following exposure to complex mixtures in U.S. streams
Surface waters often contain a variety of chemical contaminants potentially capable of producing adverse outcomes in both humans and wildlife due to impacts from industrial, urban, and agricultural activity. Here, we report the results of a zebrafish liver (ZFL) cell-based lipidomics approach to assess the potential ecotoxicological effects of complex contaminant mixtures using water collected froIdentifying chemicals and mixtures of potential biological concern detected in passive samplers from Great Lakes tributaries using high-throughput data and biological pathways
Waterborne contaminants were monitored in 69 tributaries of the Laurentian Great Lakes in 2010 and 2014 using semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs) and polar organic chemical integrative samplers (POCIS). A risk-based screening approach was used to prioritize chemicals and chemical mixtures, identify sites at greatest risk for biological impacts, and identify potential hazards to monitor at thosePilot-scale expanded assessment of inorganic and organic tapwater exposures and predicted effects in Puerto Rico, USA
A pilot-scale expanded target assessment of mixtures of inorganic and organic contaminants in point-of-consumption drinking water (tapwater, TW) was conducted in Puerto Rico (PR) to continue to inform TW exposures and corresponding estimations of cumulative human-health risks across the US. In August 2018, a spatial synoptic pilot assessment of than 524 organic, 37 inorganic, and select microbiolo