Occurrence of Selected Pharmaceutical and Organic Wastewater Compounds in Effluent and Water Samples from Municipal Wastewater and Drinking-Water Treatment Facilities in the Tar and Cape Fear River Basins, North Carolina, 2003-2005
Open-File Report
2009-1046
Prepared in cooperation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
By: G.M. Ferrell
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Abstract
Samples of treated effluent and treated and untreated water were collected at 20 municipal wastewater and drinkingwater treatment facilities in the Tar and Cape Fear River basins of North Carolina during 2003 and 2005. The samples were analyzed for a variety of prescription and nonprescription pharmaceutical compounds and a suite of organic compounds considered indicative of wastewater. Concentrations of these compounds generally were less than or near the detection limits of the analytical methods used during this investigation. None of these compounds were detected at concentrations that exceeded drinking-water standards established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Bromoform, a disinfection byproduct, was the only compound detected at a concentration that exceeded regulatory guidelines. The concentration of bromoform in one finished drinking-water sample, 26 micrograms per liter, exceeded North Carolina water-quality criteria. Drinking-water treatment practices were effective at removing many of the compounds detected in untreated water. Disinfection processes used in wastewater treatment - chlorination or irradiation with ultraviolet light - did not seem to substantially degrade the organic compounds evaluated during this study.
Suggested Citation
Ferrell, G., 2009, Occurrence of Selected Pharmaceutical and Organic Wastewater Compounds in Effluent and Water Samples from Municipal Wastewater and Drinking-Water Treatment Facilities in the Tar and Cape Fear River Basins, North Carolina, 2003-2005: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2009-1046, vi, 47 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20091046.
ISSN: 2331-1258 (online)
Study Area
| Publication type | Report |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | USGS Numbered Series |
| Title | Occurrence of Selected Pharmaceutical and Organic Wastewater Compounds in Effluent and Water Samples from Municipal Wastewater and Drinking-Water Treatment Facilities in the Tar and Cape Fear River Basins, North Carolina, 2003-2005 |
| Series title | Open-File Report |
| Series number | 2009-1046 |
| DOI | 10.3133/ofr20091046 |
| Year Published | 2009 |
| Language | ENGLISH |
| Publisher | U.S. Geological Survey |
| Contributing office(s) | South Atlantic Water Science Center |
| Description | vi, 47 p. |
| Time Range Start | 2003-01-01 |
| Time Range End | 2005-12-31 |
| Country | United States |
| State | North Carolina |
| Other Geospatial | Cape Fear River Basin, Tar River Basin |
| Online Only (Y/N) | Y |