New Reconnaissance Study Identifies Toxic Compounds in Columbia River Basin
Human activities, such as industrial production, transportation and day-to-day living are sources of many contaminants that flow into the Columbia River.
A recent reconnaissance study detected hundreds of these contaminants in water samples collected from wastewater treatment plant effluent and storm runoff from roads and other urban environments in nine cities that line the Columbia River in Oregon and Washington. The nine cities, in downstream order, are: Wenatchee, Richland, Umatilla, The Dalles, Hood River, Portland, Vancouver, St. Helens and Longview.
"Many of these toxic pollutants are not removed by normal purification processes in municipal waste water treatment plants, and for that reason, it is wise to think twice before washing or flushing anything down the drain that can harm the environment," said U.S Geological Survey Director Marcia McNutt. "After all, the fish from the Columbia River find their way to many dinner plates, thus we want to be sure that their home waters are as clean and healthy as possible."
The USGS study, done in cooperation with Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission and the Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership, can help water managers and policy makers in the lower Columbia basin make decisions about how to proceed with toxics-reduction activities.
"Hundreds of fish and wildlife species, including 12 stocks of threatened and endangered salmonids, rely on the Columbia River ecosystem for their food sources and habitat, so toxic contamination is a significant concern in the basin," said Jennifer Morace, a hydrologist with the USGS and principal investigator for the study. "We need to know what’s getting into the river and where it’s coming from. This study was a first step toward finding out."
Among the contaminants found in samples from wastewater-treatment plants were personal care products, plasticizers, industry-related compounds, pharmaceuticals, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDEs, which are flame-retardants), organochlorine or legacy compounds, currently used pesticides, mercury and estrogenic compounds. The wastewater-treatment plant study analyzed 210 of these compounds, and 112—53%—were detected.
Analysis of storm runoff yielded 114—58%—of the 195 compounds tested for, including PCBs, PBDEs, organochlorine compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), currently used pesticides, trace elements, mercury and oil and grease. Most of the compounds detected in the treatment plant effluent were found at all of the plants, whereas the compounds in storm runoff varied among locations. This result is expected given the variety of sources for the runoff.
Related
