Water-Quality Assessment of the Trinity River Basin, Texas - Pesticides in Streams Draining an Urban and an Agricultural Area, 1993-95

Land, Larry F.; Brown, Mariann F.

Abstract:

Water and bed-sediment samples from streams draining an urban and an agricultural area in the Trinity River Basin, Texas, were analyzed. The samples were collected during March 1993?September 1995 by the Trinity River Basin study-unit team of the National Water-Quality Assessment Program. A comparison of pesticide data for water samples from seven streams in the Dallas-Fort Worth urban area with five streams in an agricultural area in the west-central part of the Trinity River Basin showed detections of 24 herbicides in urban-area streams and 19 herbicides in agricultural-area streams and 10 insecticides in each area. Atrazine, a herbicide, was detected in all samples from both areas. Diazinon, an insecticide, was detected in all samples collected in urban-area streams and in about 60 percent of the samples collected in agricultural-area streams. Concentrations of alachlor, atrazine, fluometuron, metolachlor, and pendimethalin (herbicides) were always greater in agricultural-area streams, and prometon and simazine concentrations were always greater in urban-area streams. Atrazine was the only herbicide with concentrations greater than a health advisory limit of 3 micrograms per liter. Concentrations were greater in about 20 percent of the samples; all were in the agricultural area and occurred during spring and during higher streamflow. Diazinon was the only insecticide with concentrations greater than the health advisory of 0.6 microgram per liter. Concentrations were greater in about 15 percent of the samples from the urban area. All exceedances were during spring through early fall and during all ranges of streamflow. In the agricultural area, atrazine and metolachlor concentrations peaked during spring and early summer and increased with increasing streamflow; in the urban area, carbaryl, chlorpyrifos, and diazinon peaked in April and remained relatively high during the summer and increased with increasing streamflow. A comparison of pesticide data for bedsediment samples from five urban streams and five agricultural streams showed detections of 11 organochlorine insecticides in the urban area and 1 in the agricultural area. All compounds were either DDT-related or one of the components of chlordane except for mirex and dieldrin.

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USGS Numbered Series

ProdID:

28238

Citation Author:

Land, Larry F.; Brown, Mariann F.

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Geological Survey (U.S.)

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ENGLISH

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Citation Phsyical Description:

22 p.

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Geological Survey (U.S.)

Citation Series:

Water-Resources Investigations Report

Citation Series Code:

WRI

Citation Series Number:

96-4114

Citation Search Results Text:

Water-Quality Assessment of the Trinity River Basin, Texas - Pesticides in Streams Draining an Urban and an Agricultural Area, 1993-95; 1996; WRI; 96-4114; Land, Larry F.; Brown, Mariann F.

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1996

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citation/reference

Text:

Water-Quality Assessment of the Trinity River Basin, Texas - Pesticides in Streams Draining an Urban and an Agricultural Area, 1993-95; 1996; WRI; 96-4114; Land, Larry F.; Brown, Mariann F.