Water, bottom sediment, and aquatic plants were sampled from ponds near a major south Florida highway interchange to document concentrations of selected constituents in an aquatic environment near heavy vehicular traffic. Generally, concentrations of constituents were within the range expected in an uncontaminated environment in south Florida. However, concentrations did exceed south Florida background levels or Environmental Protection Agency criteria in a few cases. Two trace elements--chromium (20 micrograms per liter) in ponded surface water and lead (500 micrograms per gram) in bottom sediment--exceeded background levels. Concentrations of dieldrin (22 micrograms per kilogram) and polychlorinated biphenyls (53 micrograms per kilogram) also exceed background levels in bottom sediment. The concentration of phenol (23 micrograms per liter) in ground water exceeded Environmental Protection Agency quality criteria by 22 micrograms per liter, but was within the background range for south Florida. Ten metals were detected in the cattail or algal samples, but only iron, manganese, and zinc were in higher concentrations than those in the bottom sediment. (Woodard-USGS)
