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Llano Grande Lake bottom sediments; a chronicle of water-quality changes in the Arroyo Colorado, South Texas, 1989-2001

Fact Sheet 065-02
In cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
By:  and 
https://doi.org/10.3133/fs06502

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Abstract

The Arroyo Colorado, an ancient channel of the Rio Grande, extends 90 miles from Mission, Tex., to the Laguna Madre. The Arroyo Colorado flows through areas of intense agricultural cultivation and through important habitat for migrating birds and other wildlife, including several wildlife sanctuaries and refuges. The above-tidal segment of the Arroyo Colorado is included in the State of Texas 2000 Clean Water Act 303(d)1 list in part because of elevated concentrations of the hydrophobic legacy pollutants DDE (a DDT breakdown product), chlordane, and toxaphene in fish tissue. This report addresses three questions:

  • Do legacy pollutants (organochlorine compounds, major and trace elements) occur in the Arroyo Colorado at present and at what concentrations?
  • How has the occurrence of selected legacy pollutants in the Arroyo Colorado changed over time?
  • Are current concentrations of legacy pollutants in bottom sediments at levels of concern for the health of aquatic biota?

To answer these questions, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), collected and analyzed a sediment core from Llano Grande Lake on the Arroyo Colorado (fig. 1). Sediment cores can be used to reconstruct historical trends in concentrations of hydrophobic contaminants (Eisenreich and others, 1989; Van Metre and others, 1997, 2000). The lake is part of the Rio Grande delta drainage system (fig. 1). The lake is 6 miles long and has a maximum width of 600 feet.

Study Area

Publication type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Title Llano Grande Lake bottom sediments; a chronicle of water-quality changes in the Arroyo Colorado, South Texas, 1989-2001
Series title Fact Sheet
Series number 065-02
DOI 10.3133/fs06502
Year Published 2002
Language English
Publisher U.S. Geological Survey
Contributing office(s) Texas Water Science Center
Description HTML Document; Report: 4 p.
Country United States
State Texas
Other Geospatial Arroyo Colorado
Google Analytic Metrics Metrics page
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