U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

Open File Report 2006-1392

Summary of Ground-Water-Quality Data in the Anacostia River Watershed, Washington, D.C., September – December 2005

By Cheryl A. Klohe and Linda M. Debrewer

Abstract

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the District Department of the Environment (formerly the District of Columbia, Department of Health, Environmental Health Administration), conducted a ground-water-quality investigation in the Anacostia River watershed within Washington, D.C. Samples were collected and analyzed from 17 ground-water monitoring wells located within the study area from September through December 2005. Samples were analyzed for a variety of constituents including major ions, nutrients, volatile organic compounds, semivolatile organic compounds, pesticides and degradates, oil and grease, phenols, total polychlorinated biphenyls, and other selected constituents. The concentrations of major ions in the study area indicate that the ground water is predominantly calcium-bicarbonate type water, with some wells containing a higher percentage of milliequivalents per liter of iron (cation), and chloride or sulfate (anions). Concentrations of nitrogen were generally less than 1 milligram per liter, and concentrations of phosphorus were generally less than 0.5 milligrams per liter. Twelve of 79 pesticides and degradates were detected at 6 out of 17 wells. Volatile organic compounds (predominantly gasoline oxygenates and solvents) were detected in 9 of the 17 wells. Two semivolatile organic compounds, (bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate and total phenols), out of the 51 analyzed, were detected in the study area.

Contents

• Abstract
• Introduction
  • Previous Investigations
  • Purpose and Scope
  • Description of Study Area
• Sample Collection, Analysis, and Quality Control
  • Sample Collection and Analysis
  • Quality Control
• Ground-Water Quality and Occurrence and Distribution of Selected Constituents
  • Inorganic Water Chemistry
  • Nutrients in Ground Water
  • Pesticides in Ground Water
  • Volatile Organic Compounds, Semivolatile Organic Compounds, and Other Organic Compounds in Ground Water
• Summary
• Acknowledgments
• References Cited
• Appendix 1. List of Chemical Constituents, Reporting Limits, and Methods of Analysis Used During the Study
• Appendix 2. Concentrations of Inorganic Constituents in Ground Water from Selected Wells in the Anacostia River Watershed Within Washington, D.C., September – December 2005, and Selected Water-Quality Criteria
• Appendix 3. Concentrations of Pesticides, Degradates, Volatile Organic Compounds, and Semivolatile Organic Compounds in Ground Water from Selected Wells in the Anacostia River Watershed Within Washington, D.C., September – December 2005, and Selected Water-Quality Criteria

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U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey Persistent URL: http://pubsdata.usgs.gov/pubs/of/2006/1392/ Page Contact Information: USGS Publishing Network Last modified: Wednesday, February 04 2015, 11:29:52 AM

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