Intro
I have been a hydrologist with the US Geological Survey for over 25 years, and have authored over 50 publications focusing on the source and transport of trace organics (including pharmaceuticals, hormones, personal care products and pesticides) in urban and agricultural settings across the United States. My research has focused on organic wastewater compounds in groundwater, surface water and wastewater systems. Most recently I have used newly developed analytical, sampling, and statistical techniques to assess loadings of hormones and other organic contaminants from combined sewer overflows to adjacent surface water systems.
Science and Products
St. Lawrence Monitoring Network – Lake Ontario Lake Management Plan Massena, NY Area of Concern (AOC)
Organic Wastewater and Pesticide Monitoring at Key Points in the New York City Reservoir System
Organic Wastewater Contaminants in New York City Watersheds
Estrogenicity in Streams of New York State
Personal Care Products, Pharmaceuticals, and Hormones Move from Septic Systems to Local Groundwater
Emerging contaminant data at wastewater treatment facilities, municipal water supplies, surface water and lake sites in the northeastern United States, 2009-2018 (ver. 1.1, January 2023)
Organic and Metal Contaminants in Fish Tissue Collected from the Niagara River Area of Concern, New York, 2018
Organic and metal contaminants in fish tissue collected from the Buffalo River Area of Concern, 2017
Hormone, pesticide, pharmaceutical and other organic compound data for select water and bed sediment samples collected in Chesapeake Bay watershed in parts of Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia, 2006-2014
Environmental and anthropogenic drivers of contaminants in agricultural watersheds with implications for land management
Groundwater discharges as a source of phytoestrogens and other agriculturally derived contaminants to streams
Pesticides and their degradates in groundwater reflect past use and current management strategies, Long Island, New York, USA
Pharmaceutical manufacturing facility discharges can substantially increase the pharmaceutical load to U.S. wastewaters
Investigating dynamic sources of pharmaceuticals: Demographic and seasonal use are more important than down-the-drain disposal in wastewater effluent in a University City setting
The impact of onsite wastewater disposal systems on groundwater in areas inundated by Hurricane Sandy in New York and New Jersey
Comparison of wastewater-associated contaminants in the bed sediment of Hempstead Bay, New York, before and after Hurricane Sandy
Regional variability in bed-sediment concentrations of wastewater compounds, hormones and PAHs for portions of coastal New York and New Jersey impacted by hurricane Sandy
Complex mixtures, complex responses: Assessing pharmaceutical mixtures using field and laboratory approaches
Potential estrogenic effects of wastewaters on gene expression in Pimephales promelas and fish assemblages in streams of southeastern New York
Concentrations of hormones, pharmaceuticals and other micropollutants in groundwater affected by septic systems in New England and New York
Analysis of pharmaceutical and other organic wastewater compounds in filtered and unfiltered water samples by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
- Science
St. Lawrence Monitoring Network – Lake Ontario Lake Management Plan Massena, NY Area of Concern (AOC)
The St. Lawrence River at Massena Remedial Action Plan (RAP) Area of Concern (AOC) begins above the power dam facilities and seaway locks at the Massena Village drinking water intake and follows the river downstream for about fifteen miles to the international border. For New York State, the AOC includes portions of the Grasse, Raquette and St. Regis Rivers. There are three governmental agencyOrganic Wastewater and Pesticide Monitoring at Key Points in the New York City Reservoir System
Problem Samples were collected from 10 Key Point sites in the New York City Reservoir system as part of the cooperative USGS-New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) statewide pesticide monitoring project ( Phillips and others, 2000). Ten pesticides were detected in the key-point samples collected between January 1999 and September 2000 - the herbicides atrazine, metolacOrganic Wastewater Contaminants in New York City Watersheds
Problem - In August 2000, eleven sites were sampled from 9 streams within the Croton watershed for pharmaceuticals and other organic compounds associated with wastewater as part of a national study of these compounds in streams receiving wastewater discharges. Results from the national study indicated that streams in the Croton Reservoir downstream of sewage treatment plants had concentrationsEstrogenicity in Streams of New York State
Problem Almost 1900 public, private, and commercial waste-water treatment plants (WWTPs), many located upstream of drinking water intakes or within tributaries to water-supply reservoirs, are permitted to release effluents into surface- or ground-waters across New York State. More than 150 facilities have New York State SPEDES permits to discharge waste waters in the New York City East of HudsonPersonal Care Products, Pharmaceuticals, and Hormones Move from Septic Systems to Local Groundwater
Pharmaceuticals, hormones, personal care products, and other contaminants of concern associated with everyday household activities were found in adjacent shallow groundwater near two septic system networks in New York (NY) and New England (NE). Factors influencing movement to shallow groundwater and the types of chemicals found include population served by a septic system, site conditions such as... - Data
Emerging contaminant data at wastewater treatment facilities, municipal water supplies, surface water and lake sites in the northeastern United States, 2009-2018 (ver. 1.1, January 2023)
Over 300 samples were collected in New York, Vermont, and Massachusetts from wastewater treatment facilities (20 locations), drinking water facilities (9 locations), streams (53 locations), lakes (2 locations), a bay (1 location), and a POCIS (Polar Organic Chemical Integrative Sampler) blank sample between April 2009 and October 2018. This data release provides chemistry data for over 400 analytOrganic and Metal Contaminants in Fish Tissue Collected from the Niagara River Area of Concern, New York, 2018
Fish tissue from 203 samples collected at five locations in the Niagara River Area of Concern in 2018 were analyzed for a wide range of analytes including Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), pesticides (E1 and E2), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), organochlorine and other persistent organic compounds, metals, lipid and moisture. Over 230 analytes were analyzed in the tissue samples, includingOrganic and metal contaminants in fish tissue collected from the Buffalo River Area of Concern, 2017
Fish tissue from 159 samples collected at four locations in the Buffalo River Area of Concern in 2017 were analyzed for a wide range of analytes including Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, organochlorine and other persistent organic compounds, metals, lipid and moisture. Over 230 analytes were analyzed in the tissue samples, including 160 PCB congenersHormone, pesticide, pharmaceutical and other organic compound data for select water and bed sediment samples collected in Chesapeake Bay watershed in parts of Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia, 2006-2014
These data represent water and bed sediment samples analyzed for a variety of organic compounds. The samples were collected in streams and rivers in the Chesapeake Bay watershed from 2006-2014. Water samples were collected from 61 sites and analyzed for hormones (SH2434 method; Tables 1A and 1B), pharmaceuticals (SH2080 method; Tables 2A and 2B), wastewater indicators (SH1433 method; Tables 3A and - Multimedia
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 22
Environmental and anthropogenic drivers of contaminants in agricultural watersheds with implications for land management
If not managed properly, modern agricultural practices can alter surface and groundwater quality and drinking water resources resulting in potential negative effects on aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Exposure to agriculturally derived contaminant mixtures has the potential to alter habitat quality and negatively affect fish and other aquatic organisms. Implementation of conservation practicesAuthorsKelly Smalling, Olivia H. Devereux, Stephanie Gordon, Patrick J. Phillips, Vicki S. Blazer, Michelle Hladik, Dana W. Kolpin, Michael T. Meyer, Adam Sperry, Tyler WagnerByEcosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, California Water Science Center, Central Midwest Water Science Center, Chesapeake Bay Activities, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Kansas Water Science Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, New York Water Science Center, Pennsylvania Water Science CenterGroundwater discharges as a source of phytoestrogens and other agriculturally derived contaminants to streams
Groundwater discharge zones in streams are important habitats for aquatic organisms. The use of discharge zones for thermal refuge and spawning by fish and other biota renders them susceptible to potential focused discharge of groundwater contamination. Currently, there is a paucity of information about discharge zones as a potential exposure pathway of chemicals to stream ecosystems. Using thermaAuthorsTyler J. Thompson, Martin A. Briggs, Patrick J. Phillips, Vicki S. Blazer, Kelly Smalling, Dana W. Kolpin, Tyler WagnerPesticides and their degradates in groundwater reflect past use and current management strategies, Long Island, New York, USA
Long Island, New York, has a mix of urban/suburban to agricultural/horticultural land use and nearly 3 million residents that rely on a sole-source aquifer for drinking water. The analysis of shallow groundwater (AuthorsIrene Fisher, Patrick J. Phillips, Banu Bayraktar, Shirley Chen, Brendan A. McCarthy, Mark W. SandstromPharmaceutical manufacturing facility discharges can substantially increase the pharmaceutical load to U.S. wastewaters
Discharges from pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities (PMFs) previously have been identified as important sources of pharmaceuticals to the environment. Yet few studies are available to establish the influence of PMFs on the pharmaceutical source contribution to wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and waterways at the national scale. Consequently, a national network of 13 WWTPs receiving PMF disAuthorsTia-Marie Scott, Patrick J. Phillips, Dana W. Kolpin, Kaitlyn M. Colella, Edward T. Furlong, William T. Foreman, James L. GrayInvestigating dynamic sources of pharmaceuticals: Demographic and seasonal use are more important than down-the-drain disposal in wastewater effluent in a University City setting
Pharmaceutical pollution in surface waters poses risks to human and ecosystem health. Wastewater treatment facilities are primary sources of pharmaceutical pollutants, but little is known about the factors that affect drugs entering the wastewater stream. This paper investigates the effects of student pharmaceutical use and disposal behaviors and an annual demographic shift on pharmaceutical polluAuthorsChristine Vatovec, Patrick J. Phillips, Emily Van Wagoner, Tia-Marie Scott, Edward T. FurlongThe impact of onsite wastewater disposal systems on groundwater in areas inundated by Hurricane Sandy in New York and New Jersey
Coastal onsite wastewater disposal systems (OWDS) were inundated by Hurricane Sandy's storm tide. This study compares the shallow groundwater quality (nutrients, pharmaceuticals, and hormones) downgradient of OWDS before and after Hurricane Sandy, where available, and establishes a baseline for wastewater influence on groundwater in coastal communities inundated by Hurricane Sandy. Nutrients and cAuthorsIrene Fisher, Patrick J. Phillips, Kaitlyn Colella, Shawn C. Fisher, Tristen N. Tagliaferri, William T. Foreman, Edward T. FurlongComparison of wastewater-associated contaminants in the bed sediment of Hempstead Bay, New York, before and after Hurricane Sandy
Changes in bed sediment chemistry of Hempstead Bay (HB) have been evaluated in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, which resulted in the release of billions of liters of poorly-treated sewage into tributaries and channels throughout the bay. Surficial grab samples (top 5 cm) collected before and (or) after Hurricane Sandy from sixteen sites in HB were analyzed for 74 wastewater tracers and steroid hormonAuthorsShawn C. Fisher, Patrick J. Phillips, Bruce J. Brownawell, James BrowneRegional variability in bed-sediment concentrations of wastewater compounds, hormones and PAHs for portions of coastal New York and New Jersey impacted by hurricane Sandy
Bed sediment samples from 79 coastal New York and New Jersey, USA sites were analyzed for 75 compounds including wastewater associated contaminants, PAHs, and other organic compounds to assess the post-Hurricane Sandy distribution of organic contaminants among six regions. These results provide the first assessment of wastewater compounds, hormones, and PAHs in bed sediment for this region. ConcenAuthorsPatrick J. Phillips, Cathy A Gibson, Shawn C. Fisher, Irene Fisher, Timothy J. Reilly, Kelly L. Smalling, Kristin M. Romanok, William T. Foreman, Rhiannon C. ReVello, Michael J. Focazio, Daniel JonesComplex mixtures, complex responses: Assessing pharmaceutical mixtures using field and laboratory approaches
Pharmaceuticals are present in low concentrations (AuthorsHeiko L. Schoenfuss, Edward T. Furlong, Patrick J. Phillips, Tia-Marie Scott, Dana W. Kolpin, Marina Cetkovic-Cvrlje, Kelsey E. Lesteberg, Daniel C. RearickPotential estrogenic effects of wastewaters on gene expression in Pimephales promelas and fish assemblages in streams of southeastern New York
Direct linkages between endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) from municipal and industrial wastewaters and impacts on wild fish assemblages are rare. The levels of plasma vitellogenin (Vtg) and Vtg messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) in male fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) exposed to wastewater effluents and dilutions of 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2), estrogen activity, and fish assemblages in 1AuthorsBarry P. Baldigo, Scott D. George, Patrick J. Phillips, Joceyln D. C. Hemming, Nancy D. Denslow, Kevin J. KrollConcentrations of hormones, pharmaceuticals and other micropollutants in groundwater affected by septic systems in New England and New York
Septic-system discharges can be an important source of micropollutants (including pharmaceuticals and endocrine active compounds) to adjacent groundwater and surface water systems. Groundwater samples were collected from well networks tapping glacial till in New England (NE) and sandy surficial aquifer New York (NY) during one sampling round in 2011. The NE network assesses the effect of a singleAuthorsPatrick J. Phillips, Christopher E. Schubert, Denise M. Argue, Irene J. Fisher, Edward T. Furlong, William T. Foreman, James L. Gray, Ann T. ChalmersAnalysis of pharmaceutical and other organic wastewater compounds in filtered and unfiltered water samples by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry
Research on the effects of exposure of stream biota to complex mixtures of pharmaceuticals and other organic compounds associated with wastewater requires the development of additional analytical capabilities for these compounds in water samples. Two gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analytical methods used at the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Quality Laboratory (NWQL) to analyzAuthorsSteven D. Zaugg, Patrick J. Phillips, Steven G. SmithNon-USGS Publications**
Phillips, P.J., Smith, S.G., Kolpin, D.W., Zaugg, S.D., Buxton, H.T., Furlong, E.T., Esposito, K., and Stinson, B., 2010, Pharmaceutical Formulation Facilities as Sources of Opioids and Other Pharmaceuticals to Wastewater Treatment Plant Effluents, Environmental Science and Technology, v. 44, no. 13, p. 4910-4916.**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
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