Herbicide contamination of prairie springs at ultratrace levels of detection

Natural springs provide an opportunistic subject for assessing aquifer contamination. To determine the frequency and level of aquifer contamination by herbicides in the Canadian prairie, a study of natural springs draining small surficial aquifers a few hectares in area was carried out in southern S...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of environmental quality 1997-09, Vol.26 (5), p.1308-1318
Main Authors: Wood, J.A, Anthony, D.H.J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions
Applied sciences
Biological and medical sciences
Continental surface waters
Exact sciences and technology
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
HERBICIDAS
HERBICIDE
HERBICIDES
MANANTIALES
Natural water pollution
Pollution
POLLUTION DE L'EAU
POLUCION DEL AGUA
RESIDU
RESIDUES
RESIDUOS
SASKATCHEWAN
Soil and water pollution
Soil science
SOURCE
WATER POLLUTION
WATER SPRINGS
Water treatment and pollution
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Summary:Natural springs provide an opportunistic subject for assessing aquifer contamination. To determine the frequency and level of aquifer contamination by herbicides in the Canadian prairie, a study of natural springs draining small surficial aquifers a few hectares in area was carried out in southern Saskatchewan. All but one of the aquifers investigated received herbicide applications either for agricultural purposes or brush control. Elevated tritium isotope activities (10-60 TU) confirmed recent recharge of these aquifers. No wells were present on these aquifers. Therefore, the possibility of contamination by direct entry down wells was eliminated from the study. Large volume extraction technology permitted detections of herbicides at ng L-1 levels. This is the first study of herbicides in natural springs in Canada. Herbicides were detected in 23% of samples collected. The most frequently detected analyses being atrazine (6-chloro-N2-ethyl-N4-(isopropyl) -1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine), picloram (4-amino-3,5,6-trichloropicolinic acid) and 2,4-D ((2,4-dichlorophenoxy)acetic acid), with detections in 12, 7, and 7% of samples collected, respectively. The results show that shallow aquifer contamination occurs in the absence of wells. However, the levels detected were in the ng L-1 (ppt) range, which is much less than levels commonly reported in most well surveys. None of the herbicide concentrations exceeded any guidelines for drinking water, livestock, irrigation, and aquatic life including Canadian, Provincial, World Health Organization, and USEPA guidelines
ISSN:0047-2425
1537-2537
DOI:10.2134/jeq1997.00472425002600050017x