Evaluation of passive samplers for long-term monitoring of organic compounds in the untreated drinking water supply for the city of Eugene, Oregon, September–October 2007

Two types of passive samplers, polar organic chemical integrative samplers (POCIS) and semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs), were deployed at three sites in the McKenzie River basin during September-October 2007. The McKenzie River is the source of drinking water for the city of Eugene, Oregon, and the work presented here was designed to evaluate the use of POCIS and SMPDs as part of a long-term monitoring plan for the river. Various compounds were detected in extracts from the POCIS and SPMDs, indicating that some compounds of concern are present in the McKenzie River basin, including the intake for the drinking water plant. However, most concentrations were near the quantitation limits of the analytical methods used - generally at subnanogram per liter concentrations - and would not have been detectable with conventional water sampling and analysis methods. These results indicate that both POCIS and SPMDs are well suited to monitor organic compounds in the McKenzie River basin.