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National findings and their implications for water policies and strategies

U.S. Geological Circular 1225--The Quality of Our Nation's Waters--Nutrients and Pesticides

Water-quality patterns in agricultural areas

 

 

 

Transport of a chemical compound in the environment depends on its mobility. Some compounds, such as nitrate and atrazine, readily dissolve and move with water in both streams and ground water. Many forms of phosphorus, however, attach to soil particles rather than dissolve; a large proportion of such compounds is transported to streams with eroded soil, particularly during times of high runoff from precipitation or irrigation. Ground water typically is not vulnerable to contamination by compounds that attach to soils.

The transport of a chemical compound in the environment also depends on its persistence. Some pesticides are not readily broken down by microorganisms or other processes in the natural environment. For example, DDT and chlordane can persist in soil, water, sediment, and animal tissue for years and even decades. Other pesticides, such as carbaryl, are relatively unstable in water and break down to other compounds in days or weeks. Chemical compounds that persist for a long time are likely to be transported farther than compounds that are short-lived.

 

Picture of farm building in the middle of a field.
image size 85KB
Photo by Jana S. Stewart

 

Picture of a field on sunflowers.
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Photo by Jeffrey D. Stoner

 

Picture of a bull and cows grazing in a field.
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(photo by David F. Usher)

 

 

Some of the highest levels of nitrogen occur in streams and ground water in agricultural areas

Applications of fertilizers, manure, and pesticides have degraded the quality of streams and shallow ground water in agricultural areas and have resulted in some of the highest concentrations of nitrogen measured in NAWQA studies. Concentrations of nitrogen in nearly half of the streams sampled in agricultural areas ranked among the highest of all streams measured in the first 20 Study Units. Concentrations of nitrate exceeded the USEPA drinking-water standard of 10 milligrams per liter (as nitrogen) in 15 percent of samples collected in shallow ground water beneath agricultural and urban land, signifying a possible concern in some rural areas where shallow aquifers are used for drinking-water supply.

Phosphorus is elevated, too

Compared to nitrogen, a smaller proportion of phosphorus (originating mostly from livestock wastes or fertilizers) was lost from watersheds to streams. The annual amounts of total phosphorus and total nitrogen measured in agricultural streams were equivalent to less than 20 percent of the phosphorus and less than 50 percent of the nitrogen that was applied annually to the land. This is consistent with the general tendency of phosphorus to attach to soil particles and move with runoff to surface water. Even with the lower losses from land for phosphorus than for nitrogen, however, phosphorus is more likely to reach concentrations that can cause excessive aquatic plant growth. Nitrogen concentrations are rarely low enough to limit aquatic plant growth in freshwater, whereas phosphorus concentrations can be low enough to limit such growth. Hence, excessive aquatic plant growth and eutrophication in freshwater generally result from elevated phosphorus concentrations (typically greater than 0.1 milligram per liter). In contrast, nitrogen is typically the limiting nutrient for aquatic plant growth in saltwater and coastal waters.

Pesticides—primarily herbicides—are found frequently in agricultural streams and shallow ground water

Extensive herbicide use in agricultural areas (accounting for about 70 percent of total national use of pesticides) has resulted in widespread occurrence of herbicides in agricultural streams and shallow ground-water. The highest rates of detection for the most heavily used herbicides—atrazine, metolachlor, alachlor, and cyanazine—were found in streams and shallow ground water in agricultural areas. Insecticides were frequently detected in some streams draining watersheds with high insecticide use but were less frequently detected in shallow ground water because most insecticides are applied at lower levels than herbicides and tend to sorb onto soil or degrade quickly after application.

Health effects of pesticides are not adequately understood

Concentrations of individual pesticides generally were low compared to USEPA drinking-water standards and guidelines; pesticides exceeded standards or guidelines in less than 1 percent of sampled wells. This good news, however, is tempered by the current uncertainty in estimating risks of pesticide exposure. For example, most contamination occurred as pesticide mixtures, such as atrazine, metolachlor, and other pesticides, whereas most toxicity and exposure assessments are based on controlled experiments with a single contaminant. In addition, some breakdown products, for which there are no established standards or guidelines, may have effects similar to their parent pesticides. Finally, water-quality standards and guidelines have been established for only about one-half of the pesticides measured in NAWQA water samples.

Aquatic life may be at more risk than human health

Effects on aquatic organisms may be greater than on humans in many agricultural areas. Although there are no USEPA aquatic-life criteria for the major herbicides, Canadian guidelines were exceeded at 17 of the 40 agricultural streams studied, most commonly for atrazine or cyanazine. Also, currently used insecticides exceeded guidelines for aquatic life in at least one water sample from 18 of the 40 agricultural streams. The major organochlorine insecticides, such as DDT, dieldrin, and chlordane (which no longer are used but remain widely detected in sediment and fish in agricultural streams) exceeded recommended sediment-quality guidelines for protection of aquatic life at about 15 percent of agricultural sites.



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