Tidal river sediments in the Washington, D.C. area. 11. Distribution and sources of organic containmants

Journal Article · Wed Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1994 · Estuaries

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2307/1352666· OSTI ID:111388

Wade, T L ^[1]; Velinsky, D J ^[2]; Reinharz, E ^[3]; Schlekat, C E ^[4]

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1. Texas A&M Univ., College Station, TX (United States)
2. Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin, Rockville, MD (United States)
3. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Washington, DC (United States)
4. Science Applications International Corp., Narragansett, RI (United States)

Concentrations of aliphatic, aromatic, and chlorinated hydrocarbons were determined from 33 surface-sediment samples taken from the Tidal Basin, Washington Ship Channel, and the Anacostia and Potomac rivers in Washington, D.C. In conjunction with these samples, selected storm sewers and outfalls also were sampled to help elucidate general sources of contamination to the area. All of the sediments contained detectable concentrations of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, DDT (total dichlorodiphenytrichloroethande), DDE (dichlorodiphenyldichloroethene), DDD (dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane), PCBx (total polychlorinated biphenyls) and total chlordanes (oxy-, {alpha}-, and {gamma}-chlordane and cis + trans-nonachlor). Sediment concentrations of most contaminants were highest in the Anacostia River just downstream of the Washington Navy Yard, except for total chlordane, which appeared to have upstream sources in addition to storm and combined sewer runoff. This area has the highest number of storm and combined sewer outfalls in the river. Potomac River stations had lower concentrations than other stations. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, saturated hydrocarbons, and the unresolved complex mixture (UCM) distributions reflect mixtures of combustion products and direct discharges of petroleum products. Sources of PCBs appear to be related to specific outfalls, while hydrocarbon inputs, especially PAHs, are diffuse, and may be related to street runoff. This study indicates that in large urban areas, nonpoint sources deliver substantial amounts of contaminants to ecosystems through storm and combined sewer systems, and control of these inputs must be addressed. 33 refs., 6 figs., 3 tabs.

• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• OSTI ID: 111388
• Journal Information: Estuaries, Journal Name: Estuaries Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 17; ISSN 0160-8347; ISSN ESTUDO
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
COASTAL REGIONS
CONTAMINATION
DISTRIBUTION
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
MOBILITY
POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS
POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
POTOMAC RIVER BASIN
RIVERS
SEDIMENTS
WASHINGTON DC