Quality of bottom material and elutriates in the lower Willamette River, Portland Harbor, Oregon
In October 1983 the US Geological Survey, in cooperation with the US Army Corp of Engineers, collected bottom-material and water samples from Portland Harbor, Oregon to determine concentrations of trace metals and organic compounds in elutriate-test filtrate and bottom material. Of the trace metals examined in bottom material, concentrations of cadmium slightly exceed those of local rocks, whereas lead and zinc exceedance is substantially larger. Of the organochlorine compounds examined in bottom material chlordane, DDD, DDE, DDT, dieldrin, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB's) were detected and quantified in at least 30% of the samples tested. A large DDT concentrations near Doane Lake outlet is indicative of recent contamination. Polychlorinated biphenyls are ubiquitous in bottom sediments; median concentrations are nearly 65 micrograms/kilogram and as large as 550 microgram/kilogram PCB loading to the Columbia River from Willamette River suspended sediment has been estimated to be 72 kilograms/year, nearly five times the PCB dredge load of 15 kilogram/year. The acid and base-neutral extractable di-n-butyl phthalate and bis (2-methylhexyl)phthalate occur in sediments of Terminal No. 2 in concentrations as large as 1,965 and 2,200 micrograms/ kilogram, respectively. Of the trace metals examined in both standard and oxic elutriate-test filtrate, only copper concentration in an oxic elutriate-test filtrate exceeded the water quality criteria. 34 refs., 8 figs., 12 tabs.
- OSTI ID:
- 6898398
- Resource Relation:
- Related Information: USGS Water-Resources Investigations Report 89-4005
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Vertical distribution of selected trace metals and organic compounds in sediments of the proposed lower Columbia River export channel, Oregon, 1984
Reconnaissance of toxic substances in the Jordan River, Salt Lake County, Utah
Related Subjects
OREGON
WATER POLLUTION
SEDIMENTS
CONTAMINATION
CADMIUM
CHLORINATED AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
COPPER
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
LEAD
MONITORING
PESTICIDES
PHTHALATES
RIVERS
TRACE AMOUNTS
ZINC
AROMATICS
CARBOXYLIC ACID SALTS
ELEMENTS
FEDERAL REGION X
HALOGENATED AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
METALS
NORTH AMERICA
ORGANIC CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION
STREAMS
SURFACE WATERS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
USA
540320* - Environment
Aquatic- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)