Effects of the 1993 Mississippi River flood on bed sediment distribution of municipal contaminants
- PTI Environmental Services, Boulder, CO (United States)
- Geological Survey, Boulder, CO (United States)
Completion of a bed sediment sampling effort in the Upper Mississippi River prior to the 1993 flood event, followed by sampling of the same locations in 1994, provided new information on the influence of a major flood on organic contaminants that accumulate in aquatic bed sediments and are indicative of sewage contamination. In both sampling events fecal sterols, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LAS), were measured in the bed sediments of 24 of the navigation pools. Bed sediment composite samples from each pool were collected at the identical composite locations ({+-} 5 m) in each event and were analyzed using similar analytical procedures. Definitive differences were observed in the fecal sterol distribution pattern. PAH concentrations were lower in the composite bed sediment samples collected downstream of Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, but overall, PAH distribution was not significantly affected by the flood. LAS concentrations apparently were distributed, but analytical variability precluded a definitive comparison.
- OSTI ID:
- 242401
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9511137-; ISBN 1-880611-03-1; TRN: IM9626%%229
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 2. Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) world conference, Vancouver (Canada), 5-9 Nov 1995; Other Information: PBD: 1995; Related Information: Is Part Of Second SETAC world congress (16. annual meeting): Abstract book. Global environmental protection: Science, politics, and common sense; PB: 378 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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