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U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Scientific Investigations Report 2007–5180

Factors Affecting the Occurrence and Distribution of Pesticides in the Yakima River Basin, Washington, 2000

National Water-Quality Assessment Program

By Henry M. Johnson

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Table of Contents

Conversion Factors and Datums

Foreword

Abstract

Introduction

Study Design

Methods

Pesticide Occurrence and Distribution

Pesticide-Transport Processes

Summary and Conclusions

Acknowledgments

References Cited

Appendix A. Pesticides and Pesticide Degradates Analyzed for This Study, Yakima River Basin, Washington

Figures

Figure 1. Relation between the absolute difference (AD) and relative percent difference (RPD) of environmental-replicate samples, Yakima River Basin, Washington, 2000.

Figure 2. Relation between reporting level (RL) and measured concentration of environmental replicate samples where one of the two analyses was reported as a nondetection, Yakima River Basin, Washington.

Figure 3. Selected recoveries of pesticide from laboratory-spiked organic-grade blank water and spiked environmental water, Yakima River Basin, Washington, 2000.

Figure 4. Frequency distribution of pesticide-spike recoveries in environmental waters, Yakima River Basin, Washington, July and October 2000.

Figure 5. Pesticide concentrations in samples collected in the Yakima River Basin, Washington, July and October 2000.

Figure 6. Frequency of detecting multiple pesticides in a sample, Yakima River Basin, Washington, 2000.

Figure 7. Land cover of the Yakima River Basin, Washington, 2001.

Figure 8. Comparison of frequency of pesticide detections in July 2000 and estimates of pesticide applications during the 2000 growing season, Yakima River Basin, Washington.

Figure 9. Pesticides and losses arranged in order of increasing organic carbon-water partitioning coefficient (K_oc) value, Yakima River Basin, Washington, 2000.

Figure 10. Relation between pesticide organic carbon-water partitioning coefficient (K_oc) value and pesticide loss, Yakima River Basin, Washington, 2000.

Figure 11. Relation between pesticide loss and irrigation method, Yakima River Basin, Washington, 2000.

Figure 12. Relation between percentage of sprinkler or drip irrigation used in catchment and suspended-sediment concentrations, Yakima River Basin, Washington, 2000.

Figure 13. Relation between suspended-sediment concentration and pesticide loss, Yakima River Basin, Washington, 2000.

Tables

Table 1. Sites sampled in the Yakima River Basin, Washington, 2000.

Table 2. Area, irrigation methods, and crops for each catchment, Yakima River Basin, Washington, 2000.

Table 3. Pesticides with a record of application in 2000, Yakima River Basin, Washington.

Table 4. Pesticide detection frequency in samples collected in July and October 2000, Yakima River Basin, Washington.

Table 5. Pesticides for which samples were analyzed during this study, but with no record of application in the Yakima River Basin, Washington, in 2000.

Table 6. Pesticide degradates for which samples were analyzed during this study, Yakima River Basin, Washington.

Table 7. Number of pesticides detected in water samples from sites sampled in July and October 2000, Yakima River Basin, Washington.

Table 8. Pesticides detected in stream and drain samples during the October–November 2000 sampling and K_oc values, Yakima River Basin, Washington.

Table 9. Pesticides detected in canal samples collected during July 2000 sampling and K_oc values, Yakima River Basin, Washington.

This report is available online in Portable Document Format (PDF). If you do not have the Adobe Adobe PDF Reader, it is available for free download from Adobe Systems Incorporated.

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Send questions or comments about this report to the author, H.M. Johnson, (503) 251-3472.

For more information about USGS activities in Oregon, visit the USGS Oregon Water Science Center home page.