PROGRAMS AND PROCEEDINGS OF SYMPOSIUM
  ON AGRICULTURAL NONPOINT SOURCES OF
  CONTAMINANTS: A FOCUS ON HERBICIDES
                   Sponsored by
   U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY, REGION VII
            U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, WRD
             I
I
a
                September 28-29, 1993
                 Lawrence, Kansas

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PROGRAMS AND PROCEEDINGS OF SYMPOSIUM
  ON AGRICULTURAL NONPOINT SOURCES OF
  CONTAMINANTS: A FOCUS ON HERBICIDES
                   Sponsored by
   U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY, REGION VII
            U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, WRD
s
                    I
                    CO
                September 28-29, 1993
                  Lawrence, Kansas

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                                 CONTENTS
                                                                         PAGE
Agenda .............................. . [[[ 1

        Introduction, Moderator:  Barb Ryan, U.S. Geological Survey

Organonitrogen  Herbicides  in Unregulated and Regulated Streams in the Lower
      Kansas River Basin, Kansas and Nebraska
      By John K. Stamer, U.S. Geological 'Survey.. ;.......: ......... ..... . ............ . .............. .'..6

Impact of the Drinking Water Program on Nonpoint-Soiirce Activities,
      By Ralph Langemeier, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ............................ 7

Basic Principles of Pesticide Runoff
      By John Hickman, Kansas State University [[[ 8

  Occurrence in Surface Water and Ground Water, Moderator: Ronald F.
     Hammerschmidt, Kansas Department of Health and Environment

Occurrence and Transport of Pesticides in the Mississippi River Basin
      By Donald Goolsby and W.A. Battaglin, U.S. Geological Survey ......................... 9

Missouri River Monitoring for Pesticides
      By Terry L. Gloriod and Paul W. Keck, St. Louis County Water Company ........ 10

Occurrence of Herbicides in Water  from Rural  Domestic Wells, Northwest and
      Northeast Missouri, July 1991  and July 1992
      By Donald H. Wilkison, U.S.  Geological  Survey, and  Randall D. Maley,
      University of Nebraska - Lincoln [[[ 11

Pesticide Persistence in Two Impoundments in Northeastern Nebraska
      By Daniel D. Snow and Roy F. Spalding, University of Nebraska - Lincoln ....... 12

Determining the Age, Transport, and 3-Dimensional Distribution of Atrazine in a
      Reservoir by Immunoassay
      By James D. Fallen and E.M. Thurmah, U.S. Geological Survey ............ .. ..... '... 13

Occurrence and Control of Atrazine and its Degradation Products in Public Drinking
      Water Supplies
      By Stephen J. Randtke,  University of Kansas .................................................. 14

Herbicide Distribution Beneath Nebraska MSEA Blocks
      By Roy F. Spalding and Thomas D. Papiemik, University of Nebraska  -

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                          CONTENTS-Continued
                                                                       PAGE
Fate and Transport, Moderator: U. Gale Hutton, Nebraska Department of
                            Environmental Quality
                                                                        17
Herbicide Transport and Degradation in a Pristine Watershed: The Fate of Herbicides
      Deposited By Precipitation
      ByAron E. Cromwell and E. Michael Thurman, U.S. Geplogical Survey ...........

A  Comparison  of  Atrazine and Metolachlor. Biological  Assessment  Data  to
      Concentrations Reported in Precipitation Monitoring Studies
      By Philip Banks, MARATHON, and Dennis P. Tierney, Ciba Plant Protection .. 18

Chemistry, Degradation, and Transport of Triazine Metabolites in Surface Water
      By E.M. Thurman, U.S. Geological Survey
                                                                        19
Nonequilibrium Adsorption and Degradation of Atrazine and Alachlor in Soil
      By Gerard J. Kluitenberg, Leticia S. Sonon, and A. Paul Schwab, Kansas State
      University ..................................... - [[[ 20

Cyanazine Metabolites in Surface Water: The Transport and Degradation of Labile
      Herbicides
      By M.T. Meyer and E.M. Thurman, U.S. Geological Survey .............................. 21

Biodegradation of Pesticides in Subsurface Samples from Three Midcontinent Sites
      By James L. Sinclair, and Tony R. Lee, ManTech Environmental Technology,
      Inc., Robert S. Kerr Environmental Research Laboratory ................................. 22

       Health and Ecological Effects, Moderator: Darrell McAllister,
                   Iowa Department of Natural Resources

Incidence of Certain Cancers and Exposure to Agricultural Herbicides:  Measures
      to Reduce Risk
      By Robert  J.  Robel,  Kansas State University, Frederick F.  Holmes  and
    -.  Cathy. D. Boysen, University of Kansas Medical Center ...................................
                                                                        23
Hazard Assessment of Atrazine
       By Darrell D. Sumner, Charles B. Breckenridge, and James T. Stevens, Ciba
       Plant Protection ......... , ....... [[[ • ............. 24
Ecological Impacts of Herbicides-A Review
       by Donald Huggins, Kansas Biological Survey
                                                                        25
   Management Options, Moderator: Nicholas A. Di Pasquale, Missouri
            Department of Natural Resources and Dale Lambley,
                      Kansas State Board of Agriculture

Weed Control Options for Reducing Atrazine Impact
       By David L. Regehr, Kansas State University [[[ 26


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                            CONTENTS-Continued
                                                                           PAGE
Pesticide Incorporation and Tillage Affects Atrazine and Alachlor Losses
      By James Steichen,  Philip Barnes, and Hirozumi Watanabe, Kansas State
      University, and Elbert Dickey,  David  Shelton, Paul Jasa,  and Nathan
      Watermeier, University of Nebraska - Lincoln	28

Impact of Conservation Practices on Agricultural Nonpoint Contamination
      By Philip Barnes, Kansas State University, Mike Pope and Andy Foster,
      U.S. Geological Survey	'.:	.—:	 29

Federal, State, and Local Cooperation to Improve Surface-Water and Ground-Water
      Quality: A Case Study from Recharge Lake in York County, Nebraska
      By Robert A. Dunlevy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency	30

Management of Herbicides in the Delaware River Basin
      By Jane Nieuhues, Steering Committee for the Non Point Pollution Plan for the
      Delaware River Basin	31

West Lake Water Quality Project
      By Alan Teel, Iowa State University of Science and Technology	32

Influence of Management Practices on Water Quality in Walnut Creek Watershed
      By J.L. Hatfield, R.C. Buchmiller, P.J. Soenksen, and D.B. Jaynes,
      U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Geological Survey	33

Utilizing Fertilizer and Chemical Dealers to Manage Pesticides
      By Duane Sand, Long Range Planning and Research, Iowa Natural Heritage
      Foundation	34

                                     Posters

Water-Quality Characteristics of Stormwater Runoff in Davenport, Iowa
      By Bryan D. Schaap and Keith J. Lucey, U.S. Geological Survey	36

Isocratic Separation of Alachlor Ethane and Sulfonic Acid, Alachlor Oxacetic Acid, and
      Hydroxyatrazine by Reversed-P.hase Liquid Chromatography
      By M.  L. Pomes, D. F. Holub, and E.M. Thurman, U.S. Geological Survey	37

Chromatographic Applications of Solid-Phase Extraction in Developing Immunoassay
      Methods for Herbicides and Their Metabolites: An Example for Alachlor and
      Alachlor-Ethanesulfonic Acid
      By D.S. Aga and E.M. Thurman, U.S. Geological Survey	38

Use of Geographic Information System Procedure to Estimate Atrazine Impact
      By John S. Hickman, Ray E. McDonald, H.L. Seyler, and Michel D. Ransom,
      Kansas State University	39

Estimating Pollutant Soil Ratings
      By John S. Hickman, Paul R. Finnell, and  Richard L. Schlepp, Kansas State
      University and U.S. Soil Conservation Service	40
                                          ill

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                            CONTENTS-Continued
                                                                           PAGE
Reconnaissance of Data for Herbicides and Their Metabolites in Surface Water of the
       Midwestern United  States:  Immunoassay and Gas Chromatography/Mass
       Spectrometry
       By Elisabeth A. Scribner, E. Michael Thurman, and Donald A. Goolsby,
       U.S. Geological Survey	.::.	-••	41

Atrazine Management to Meet Water-Quality Criteria
       By David L. Regehr, Dallas E. Peterson, and John S. Hickman, Kansas State
       University	»	•	•'•'	^	•'•	42

Effects of Pore-Size Distribution and Saturation Cycles on Atrazine and Bromide
       Transport Through Soil
       By E.A. Smith, P.J. Shea, W.L. Powers, and D.R. Tupy, University of Nebraska
       -Lincoln	,	43

Selected Herbicides in Bottom Sediments and Water of Water-Supply Lakes in Iowa,
       By S.J. Kalkhoff, J. Kennedy, U. Agena, and G. Breuer, U.S. Geological Survey,
       University  of Iowa  Hygenic Laboratory, and Iowa  Department of Natural
       Resources	44

The  Comprehensive  Environmental  Economic  Policy Evaluation System:   An
       Application to Atrazine and Water Quality
       By Aziz  Bouzaher, Center for Agricultural Rural Development and Andrew
       Manale,  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency	45

Presenter addresses	46
                                          iv

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                            AGENDA

           SYMPOSIUM ON AGRICULTURAL NONPOINT
                  SOURCES OF CONTAMINANTS:
                    A FOCUS ON HERBICIDES
                             Holiday Inn  -
                         2OO McDonald Drive
                          Lawrence, Kansas

                        September 28-29, 1993
September 28, 1993
11:00 AM   Registration

12:30 PM   Introductions - Barb Ryan, U.S. Geological Survey

12:40      Organonitrogen Herbicides in Unregulated and Regulated Streams, in
           the Lower Kansas River Basin, Kansas and Nebraska
           John Stamer, U.S. Geological Survey
1:20
1:40
Impact of the Drinking Water Program on Nonpoint Source Activities
Ralph Langemeier, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region
VII

Basic Principles of Pesticide Runoff
John Hickman, Kansas State University
    OCCURRENCE IN SURFACE WATER AND GROUND WATER

                 Moderator: Ronald F. Hammerschmidt
                       Division of Environment
             Kansas Department of Health and Environment
2:00
2:20
2:40
Occurrence and Transport of Pesticides in the Mississippi River Basin
Donald A. Goolsby and W.A. Battaglin, U.S. Geological Survey

Missouri River Monitoring for Pesticides
Terry L. Gloriod and Paul W. Keck, St. Louis County Water Com-
pany

BREAK

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3:00
3:20
3:40



4:00



4:20



4:40



5:00

5:15

7:00
Occurrence of Herbicides  in Water from  Rural Domestic Wells,
Northwest and Northeast Missouri, July 1991 and July 1992
Donald  H. Wilkison, U.S. Geological Survey, Randall D.  Maley,
Missouri Department of Health

Pesticide  Persistence  in  Two  Impoundments  in  Northeastern
Nebraska
Daniel D. Snow and Roy F.  Spalding, University  of Nebraska-
Lincoln                            .

Determining the Age, Transport, and 3-Dimensional Distribution of
Atrazine in a Reservoir by Immunoassay
James D. Fallon and E.M. Thurman, U.S. Geological Survey

Occurrence and Control of Atrazine and its Degradation Products in
Public Drinking Water Supplies
Stephen J. Randtke, University of Kansas

Herbicide Distribution Beneath Nebraska MSEA Blocks
Roy F. Spalding and Thomas D. Papiernik, University of Nebraska-
Lincoln

A Natural Gradient Transport Study of Selected Herbicides
Sharon  K. Widmer and R.F.  Spalding, University  of Nebraska-
Lincoln

BREAK

Poster Session and Cash Bar

Adjourn
September 29, 1993
                       FATE AND TRANSPORT
                       Moderator: U. Gale Hutton
                         Water Quality Division
             Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality
8:00 AM   Herbicide Transport and Degradation in a Pristine Watershed: The
           Fate of Herbicides Deposited by Precipitation
           Aron E. Cromwell and E. Michael Thurman, U.S. Geological Survey

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8:20
8:40
9:00
9:20
9:40
10:00
A  Comparison of Atrazine and Metolachlor Biological Assessment
Data to Concentrations Reported in Precipitation Monitoring Studies
Philip A. Banks, MARATHON-Agricultural and Environmental
Consulting, Inc., and Dennis P. Tierney, Ciba-Geigy Corporation

Chemistry, Degradation, and Transport of Triazine Metabolites in
Surface Water
E.M. Thurman, U.S. Geological Survey

Nonequilibrium Adsorption and Degradation of Atrazine and Alachlor
in Soil
Gerard J.  Kluitenberg,  Leticia S. Sonon, and A. Paul Schwab,
Kansas State University

Cyanazine Metabolites  in  Surface  Water:  The Transport  and
Degradation of Labile Herbicides
M.T. Meyer and E.M. Thurman, U.S. Geological Survey

Biodegradation of Pesticides in Subsurface Samples from Three
Midcontinent sites
James L. Sinclair and Tony R. Lee, Robert S. Kerr Environmental
Research Laboratory

BREAK
               HEALTH AND ECOLOGICAL EFFECTS

                      Moderator: Darrell McAllister
               Surface and Groundwater Protection Bureau
                  Iowa Department of Natural Resources
 10:30      Incidence  of Certain  Cancers  and  Exposure  to  Agricultural
           Herbicides: Measures to Reduce the Risk
           Robert J. Robel, Kansas State  University, Frederick F. Holmes and
           Cathy D. Boysen, University of Kansas Medical Center

 10:50      Hazard Assessment of Atrazine
           Darrell D. Sumner, Charles B. Breckenridge, and James T. Stevens,
           Ciba-Geigy Corporation

 11:10      Ecological Impacts of Herbicides-A Review
           Don Huggins, Director, Aquatic Ecotoxicology Program,
           Kansas Biological Survey

 11:30      LUNCH

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1:00 PM


1:20


1:40
2:00
2:20
2:40
           MANAGEMENT OPTIONS

        Moderator: Nicholas A. Di Pasquale
          Water Pollution Control Program
     Missouri Department of Natural Resources


 Weed Control Options for Reducing Atrazine Impact
 David L. Regehr, Kansas State University

 Impact of Conservation Tillage Systems on Agricultural Runoff
 Douglas W. Rushing, Monsanto Agricultural Company

 Pesticide  Incorporation  and. Tillage Affects Atrazine and Alachlor
 Losses
 James Steichen, Hirozumi Watanabe, Kansas State University,
 Elbert Dickey, David Shelton, Paul Jasa, and Nathan Watermeier,
 University of Nebraska-Lincoln

 Impact   of  Conservation   Practices  on  Agricultural  Nonpotnt
 Contamination
 Philip  L.  Barnes,  Kansas State University, Mike Pope and Andy
 Foster, U.S. Geological Survey

 Federal State, and Local Cooperation to Improve Surface Water and
 Groundwater Quality: The York Ground Water Recharge Project
 Robert A. Dunlevy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,  Region
 VII
 BREAK
                        Moderator: Dale Lambley
                    Kansas State Board of Agriculture
3:00
3:20
3:40
.Management of Herbicides in the Delaware River Basin
 Jane Nieuhues, Non Point Source Pollution Plan for the Delaware
 River Basin

 West Lake Water Quality Project
 Alan Teel, ICM Coordinator,  Iowa  State  University  Extension
 Service, Osceola, Iowa

 Influence of Management Practices on Water Quality in Walnut Creek
 Watershed
 J.L.  Hatfield and  D.B. Jaynes, U.S.  Department of  Agriculture,
 R.C. Buchmiller, P.J. Soenksen, U.S.Geological Survey

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4:00



4:20


5:00
Utilizing Fertilizer and Chemical Dealers to Manage Pesticides
Duane Sand, Director, Long Range Planning and Research,
Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation

Open discussion, wrapup
Larry Ferguson and Richard Herbert

Adjourn

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         ORGANONITROGEN HERBICIDES IN UNREGULATED AND
  REGULATED STREAMS IN THE LOWER KANSAS RIVER BASIN,
                                                    KANSAS AND NEBRASKA
John K. Stamer, U.S. Geological Survey, Lawrence, Kansas
Atrazine has been the most extensively applied herbicide in the lower Kansas River Basin, which
drains 39,627 square kilometers of predominantly agricultural land in northeast Kansas and
southeast Nebraska. As part of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment
(NAWQA) Program, the spatial and temporal distributions of organonitrogen herbicides in surface
water were denned. Results indicated that, in principal streams of the basin, atrazine was the most
frequently detected organonitrogen herbicide and occurred in the largest concentrations. The
larger atrazine concentrations were measured in parts of the basin where the larger amounts of
atrazine had been applied. Atrazine concentrations varied  seasonally; the larger concentrations
occurred in the spring and summer and the smaller in the fall and winter. Reservoirs decreased
the seasonal variability of atrazine concentrations from that of inflowing streams.

Atrazine poses a problem for public-water supplies because it is water soluble, relatively persistent
in the hydrologic system, and not effectively removed by conventional water-treatment practices.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has established a Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL)
for atrazine 3.0 (ig/L in finished public drinking-water supplies. The 1989 mean concentration of
atrazine in the outflow of Perry Lake exceeded the MCL even though streamflows in the Delaware
River during 1989 were only about 20% of the long-term mean. Results of the NAWQA study were
used by the Kansas State Board of Agriculture as a basis for designating the Delaware River Basin
as the Nation's first inland surface-water pesticide management area (PMA).

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   IMPACT OF THE DRINKING WATER PROGRAM ON NONPOINT-
                                                            SOURCE ACTIVITIES
Ralph N. Langemeier, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Kansas City, Kansas


Phase n Rule - On January 30, 1991, EPA.promulgated regulations that established Maximum
Contaminant Levels (MCLs) for a variety of pesticides and other contaminants, including a level of
3 |ig/L for atrazine. This regulation went into effect in. July of 1992. Public water systems are to
conduct quarterly monitoring for atrazine and the other contaminants between January 1993 and
December  1995.  Systems are  in compliance .with these  regulations if the annual  average
concentration is below the MCL.

Based on studies conducted by various water suppliers, State and Federal agencies prior to the
start of the official monitoring, it is anticipated that many surface-water systems in the Midwest
will have difficulty meeting the atrazine MCL without treatment. Public water supplies that rely on
reservoirs are likely to have more problems meeting the atrazine MCL than those that take water
directly from rivers. There are approximately 150 surface-water systems in EPA Region VII that
use reservoirs.

Phase V Rule - The Phase V  regulations  promulgated on July 17,  1992,  added 5 inorganic
chemicals and 18 synthetic organic chemicals (SOCs) to the list of regulated contaminants. The
list of 18 SOCs include such chemicals as  Dinoseb, Diquat, Endothall, Glyphospate and Simazine.
The Phase V monitoring coincides with the Phase II rule.

Surface Water Treatment Rule - The Surface Water Treatment Rule will also have an impact on
nonpoint-source activities. It requires, among other things, that State primacy agencies determine
if public water systems that are using ground water, e.g. wells and springs, are under the direct
influence of surface water. For instance, does  nearby surface water affect the quality of the well
water? The State has until June of 1994 to make those decisions on community water systems. It
is anticipated that many public water systems that use alluvial aquifer wells may be affected.

If a ground water source is determined to be under the influence of surface water, the public water
system must provide the same level of treatment as traditional surface-water systems, which may
include filtration and disinfection. Treatment must be in place within 18 months from the time the
public water system is notified of the decision.  Systems wishing to avoid expensive treatment may
be required to implement watershed protection programs.

The secondary impact of these decisions is that a  State may  revise it's ambient water-quality
standards water-body designation for those surface waters that are influencing wells to include a
public drinking-water supply  use. This, in turn, could have a significant effect on the nonpoint-
source program. For instance, the priorities for the State and Federally funded nonpoint-source
projects could be altered, and  the level and type of prevention/control activities could be affected.

Future Surface Water Treatment regulations being  considered by EPA may require public water
systems to do extensive evaluations of their source water, including the watershed,  to identify and
address  potential  sources   of contamination.  Of  particular  concern  are  microbiological
contaminants, such as  Giardia, Cryptosporidium,  and E.  Coli  bacteria;  all  have links to
agricultural activities.

The EPA Region VII office is involved in various activities to inform those involved with nonpoint-
source pollution prevention and control activities about the drinking-water regulations and their
impact. These outreach efforts will help States establish priorities  in their nonpoint-source
management programs.

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                             BASIC PRINCIPLES OF PESTICIDE RUNOFF
John S. Hickman, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas
Understanding basic principles  of pesticide runoff is key to designing  and implementing
management practices to reduce surface loss of pesticides. There are a variety of practices that can
be used to reduce pesticide runoff;  however, the effectiveness of these factors will vary from one
site to another.

The amount of pesticides lost in surface rtinoff will vary depending on three-key factors. The first
factor is that most pesticides are partitioned into the adsorbed (sediment) and/or the solution
(water) phase of runoff. Pesticides with a solubility of greater than 2 ppm are typically lost with the
water leaving the field. Some exceptions to this rule are pesticides with both a high solubility and
adsorption coefficient such as paraquat or Roundup. An even better rule of thumb  is that
pesticides with an adsorption coefficient (Koc) less than 1,000 are typically lost in the solution or
water phase. Atrazine has a solubility of 33 ppm and Koc of 100 and thus is lost in the water that
leaves the field. In some  recent modelling using the  GLEAMS model,  about 90 percent of 232
pesticides  modelled were lost primarily in the  solution phase of runoff.  For  most  pesticides,
controlling runoff that leaves the field is more important than sediment control for reducing loss in
overland flow. Fortunately, some of the soil-erosion control practices used today also reduce runoff
and thus are somewhat effective in reducing pesticide losses.

The second key factor is the concept of a "mixing zone," a zone where pesticide, soil, overland flow,
and precipitation intermix to create runoff. This  zone is  at the soil surface and is very narrow,
often  less than one-third of an inch in thickness. The concentration of pesticide in the mixing zone
often  controls the amount lost in overland flow. Once the product moves below this depth, there is
a much smaller chance for the pesticide to be lost in overland flow. Soils that are coarse-textured
and/or have low amounts of organic  matter often have lower pesticide concentrations in the
mixing  zone.  Incorporation  and reducing application  rates will  also reduce  the pesticide
concentration in the mixing zone. Incorporation will result in a 50 to 70% reduction in pesticide
surface loss as compared to a surface application.

The third factor affecting pesticide runoff loss is the characteristic of the first precipitation/runoff
event after application. Critical storms that have  historically proven to have the largest pesticide
runoff, losses are those that occur within 2 weeks of application, have at least half an inch of rain,
arid have 50% runoff or greater. Storm  patterns differ across the country. In Kansas, such storms
are more likely to occur in May or June as compared to March or early April. Timing of application,
therefore, can have a large effect on pesticide surface losses. Another important runoff-related
factor is the time  to runoff after rainfall begins. Any factor or practice that delays  the time to runoff
will help move the pesticide below the mixing zone and reduce runoff losses. Conservation tillage
and contouring are examples of conservation practices which delay the time to runoff and reduce
overland flow losses.

In summary,  properties of the soil, pesticides, site,  and  climate as well as conservation and
management practices will affect the amount of pesticide runoff. Management plans to reduce
pesticide surface loss will vary from one site to another. Management practices, such as changing
rate of application, timing, and  placement, and conservation practices, such as  conservation
tillage and contouring, can all reduce pesticide surface loss.

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          OCCURRENCE AND TRANSPORT OF PESTICIDES IN THE
                                                    MISSISSIPPI RIVER BASIN
D.A. Goolsby and W.A. Battaglin, U.S. Geological Survey, Lakewood, Colorado


The Mississippi River Basin contains the largest and most intensive agricultural region in the
Nation. Large amounts of pesticides (herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides) are used in order to
increase yields from the major crops grown.in the basin (corn, soybeans, sorghum, wheat). About
two-thirds  of all pesticides used  annually for agriculture in  the United States are applied to
cropland and pastureland .in the Mississippi .River Basin. Herbicides, account for about three-
fourths of the annual pesticide use and are the most frequently detected pesticides in streams
throughout the basin.

Recent regional-scale studies by the U.S. Geological Survey have shown that significant amounts
of herbicides are flushed into  streams by late spring and summer rainfall following application of
herbicides to cropland. These amounts are large enough to produce high concentrations of several
herbicides  in streams for a few weeks to several  months  during periods of storm runoff.
Concentrations of herbicides in some small streams  may briefly exceed 50 ng/L,  and annual
average concentrations may exceed drinking-water standards established under the Safe Drinking
Act. Flow from these small streams, in turn, transports significant amounts of pesticides into large
rivers such as the Missouri, Ohio, and Mississippi, and eventually to the Gulf of Mexico. During
1991 and 1992, more than 40 pesticides and pesticide degradation products were detected in the
main stem of the  Mississippi  River,  although most of these were detected  in very low
concentrations (less than 0.5  (ig/L). Maximum concentrations of  the most  extensively used
herbicides  such as alachlor,  atrazine, cyanazine, and metolachlor,  in the Missouri, Ohio, and
Mississippi Rivers ranged from 3 to  10 ng/L and exceeded health-based limits for drinking water
for periods as long as one month  at some locations. However, the annual average herbicide
concentrations in these large rivers were far below health-based limits, and concentrations did not
violate the  Safe Drinking Water Act. Low concentrations (0.005 to 0.2 ng/L) of atrazine, cyanazine,
and metolachlor were detected throughout the year in the Mississippi River due, in part, to storage
and subsequent discharge of these compounds from lakes, reservoirs, and aquifers.

The total mass of pesticides discharged annually from the Mississippi River represents a small
fraction  of the total  amounts  applied to cropland in the basin. The atrazine and cyanazine
discharged to the Gulf of Mexico 'during April 1991  through March 1992 was equivalent to about
1:6%'of  the .amounts applied annually in the basin. The quantities of several other'herbicides
discharged annually from the basin, expressed  as a percentage of the amount applied, were:
metolachlor,  0.8%; alachlor. 0.2%: and simazine, 2.7%. Most of the herbicide transport occurs
during May, June, and July. More than one-half of the total quantity of pesticides transported
annually by the Mississippi River originates in small streams draining Iowa, Illinois, and parts of
Missouri and Minnesota, an area that constitutes only about 22% of the Mississippi River drainage
basin.

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                    MISSOURI RIVER MONITORING FOR PESTICIDES


T.L. Gloriod and P.W. Keck, St. Louis County Water Company, St. Louis, Missouri


During the 1980's, laboratory improvements in instrumentation and methods provided the means
for reliable measurement of many pesticides/herbicides in water. Subsequent monitoring by water
utilities on the Missouri River during spring and summer runoff periods identified four commonly
occurring compounds; atrazine, alachlor, metolachlor, and cyanazine. A 1990 study by the St.
Louis County Water Company analyzed atrazine levels each day during May, June, and July at a
single location on the Missouri River.            .                        ,                 ,

In January 1991, the USEPA finalized drinking-water standards for atrazine and alachlor. During
the spring and summer of that year,  the Missouri River Public Water Supplies  Association
(MRPWSA) conducted a comprehensive monitoring study on the Missouri River to determine the
occurrence, range of concentrations, and regional contribution of these two pesticides. Atrazine
and alachlor concentrations were measured  in daily samples from seven sites that were near
Corps of Engineers gaging stations. The study report presents the occurrence pattern at each site,
and the mass of pesticide contributed by major tributary regions. The study was repeated in 1992,
using fewer sampling sites.

While the concentration of atrazine  can vary widely from day to day, the total amount of atrazine
discharged from the Missouri  River did not  change dramatically during the 3 years of study.
During 1990, 118,456 pounds of  atrazine were  discharged from the Missouri;  during 1991,
106,230 pounds; and in 1992, 88,363 pounds.

The occurrence data collected by the MRPWSA members are important in assessing the potential
impact on water systems who must comply  with the drinking-water standards that have been
established.

Conventional water-treatment plants on the  Missouri River are only marginally  effective in
reducing pesticide levels in  river water. Drinking-water compliance monitoring using quarterly
samples,  has a  high probability of producing average levels  that  exceed  the drinking-water
standards especially in lower volume  tributaries. Granular activated carbon, if required for
treatment of pesticides, will dramatically increase water pricing for consumers.
                                           10

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          OCCURRENCE OF HERBICIDES IN WATER FROM RURAL
  DOMESTIC WELLS, NORTHWEST AND NORTHEAST MISSOURI,
                                                  JULY 1991 AND JULY 1992


Donald H. Wilkison, U.S. Geological Survey, Independence, Missouri, and
Randall D. Maley, Missouri Department of Health, Jefferson City, Missouri


In July 1991, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Missouri Department of Health sampled water
from 130 rural .domestic wells in Caldwell, Clinton, Daviess, Gentry, and Nodaway Counties in
northwest 'Missouri. These water samples were analyzed for the-'presence of trlazine- and Cl-
acetamide herbicides using  enzyme-linked  immunosorbent assays.  Triazine or Cl-acetamide
herbicides were detected  at concentrations higher than 0.05 \ig/L in one-third of all samples.
Samples from 79 wells were analyzed using gas-chromatograph/mass spectrometry methods. One
or more of the herbicides alachlor, atrazine, cyanazine, metribuzin, metolachlor, and trifluralin
were detected at concentrations greater than or equal to 0.05 |ig/L in samples from 19 of the 79
wells. Atrazine was detected in samples from 16 of the wells in concentrations that ranged from
0.05 to 9.6 n.g/L. Atrazine concentrations exceeded 3.0 \ig/L in only one sample.

In July 1992,  water samples were collected from 147 wells in Audrain, Clark, Lewis, Monroe,
Scotland, and  Shelby Counties in northeast Missouri. Alachlor,  atrazine, cyanazine, metribuzin,
and metolachlor were detected at concentrations greater than 0.10 ng/L in water samples from 19
of the  147 wells sampled. Atrazine was detected in water from 18 of the 19 wells with detectable
herbicide concentrations. Atrazine concentrations exceeded 3.0 ^g/L in two of the samples.

Well depth, well diameter, and geology were significant factors in the occurrence of herbicides in
water  from wells sampled in northeast Missouri. For wells with  detectable concentrations of
herbicides in the water samples, well depths ranged from 12 to 220 feet, and  averaged 58.9 feet.
For wells with  no detectable concentrations of herbicides, well depths ranged from 15 to 740 feet,
and averaged 211 feet. The diameter of wells with detectable concentrations of herbicides in the
water  samples ranged from  1.5  to  144 inches, and  averaged  33.2  inches.  For wells with no
detectable herbicide concentrations in the water samples, the well diameter ranged from 1.5 to 72
inches, and averaged 14.7 inches. Although only 21% of the 147 wells sampled during July 1992
were screened in rocks of Pennsylvanian age of the Cherokee Group, these wells accounted for
60% of the wells with detectable concentrations of herbicides in the water samples. The rest of the
wells sampled were screened in Ordovician- or Mississippian-age rocks, alluvium of the Des
Mpines or Mississippi Rivers, or glacial till.
                                           11

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             PESTICIDE PERSISTENCE IN TWO IMPOUNDMENTS IN
                                                       NORTHEAST NEBRASKA


Daniel D. Snow and Roy F. Spalding, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska


Dissolved pesticide concentrations in 108 water samples collected from two closely spaced lakes
between early May 1990 and mid-June 1991 indicated large differences in impacts from watershed
nonpoint-source inputs. Pesticide levels in Maskenthine Lake, a small impoundment of only 34
hectares, increased  dramatically in response to- spring and early summer runoff .events. Fifteen
pesticides (atrazine, alachlor,  metolachlor, cyanazine,  EPTC, butylate,  propachlor, trifluralin,
simazine, prometon, propazine, fonofos, disulfoton, metribuzin,  and terbufos) and two atrazine
metabolites, deethylatrazine  (DEA)  and  deisopropylatrazine (DIA),  were  detected. Atrazine,
cyanazine, DEA, and DIA levels were greater than 1 (ig/L"1. Atrazine remained above the Maximum
Contaminant Level  for potable water of  3 |ig L"1 throughout the  period of investigation. The
pesticide response to spring and summer runoff events was much less dramatic at Willow Lake, a
284-hectare impoundment. All of the 15 pesticides and two metabolites detected in Maskenthine
Lake, except terbufos and disulfoton, were detected in Willow Lake. However, the concentrations
were lower and did not .exceed 1 |ig L"1. In months following the maximum flush of pesticides in
May and June there was a significant decrease in pesticide residues that appeared to follow first-
order kinetics. Apparent half-lives were calculated from the observed decrease. Atrazine was the
most persistent agrichemical (t1'/2 = 133, t1/2 = 148)  introduced  in the spring runoff events.
Extracted pesticide levels were also higher in bottom cores from Maskenthine Lake. Differences in
pesticide levels in the two lakes were related to watershed slope, soil-drainage capacity, land use,
and rainfall.
                                           12

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    DETERMINING THE AGE, TRANSPORT, AND 3-DIMENSIONAL
                  DISTRIBUTION OF ATRAZINE IN A RESERVOIR BY
                                                                  IMMUNOASSAY
James D. Fallen and E.M. Thurman, U.S. Geological Survey, Lawrence, Kansas


The age, transport, and distribution of atrazine in a reservoir were determined using enzyme-
linked immunosorbent assay. A pulse-of stormwater runoff containing atrazine concentrations as
much as nine times larger than .the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Maximum Contaminant
Level (MCL) for drinking water (the MCL for atrazine is based on an annual average concentration
of 3.0 ng/L was monitored as it moved through Perry Lake, northeastern Kansas, during the 1992
growing season.  The  drainage basin of  Perry Lake  is the first Pesticide Management Area
designated by the State of Kansas. The leading edge of the pulse marked the boundary and mixing
zone between old atrazine applied in previous years and freshly applied atrazine. Deethylatrazine-
to-atrazine ratios (DAR) further denned the age of atrazine in the reservoir. Runoff entering the
reservoir immediately after herbicide application was identified by its small DAR values (0.09 to
0.13). Water with increasing DAR values (0.14 to 0.25) entered the reservoir as the year progressed
and gradually displaced 'water with smaller DAR values. Four hundred and twenty (420) samples
from four detailed reservoir surveys (pre-application, post-application, summer, and autumn) were
analyzed by immunoassay  to determine  the distribution  of herbicide concentrations  in  the
reservoir. Also, weekly samples were collected from four fixed sites located upstream, within, and
downstream of the reservoir. One  hundred  (100) of these samples  were  analyzed by  gas
chromatography/mass  spectrometry  to  confirm immunoassay  results  and  to  determine
deethylatrazine and deisopropylatrazine concentrations: A combination of immunoassay and DAR
values   could  prove  useful   in  developing reservoir-release strategies  to  mitigate atrazine
concentrations in reservoirs and their outflows.
                                           13

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               OCCURRENCE AND CONTROL OF ATRAZINE AND ITS
                     DEGRADATION PRODUCTS IN  PUBLIC DRINKING
                                                                WATER SUPPLIES


Stephen J. Randtke, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas


Atrazine is frequently detected  in  municipal  water supplies,  at  times  above the Maximum
Contaminant Level (MCL) of 3 Mg/L promulgated by the U.S. EPA. Atrazine's, degradation products
have toxicological properties similar to those of atrazine and may eventually be regulated. Little is
known regarding the occurrence of these compounds in drinking water, the possibility of their
formation during treatment, or methods for their removal.

This presentation will summarize the results of a 2-year study that focused on the types and
concentrations  of atrazine degradation products present in raw  and treated drinking-water
samples collected from seven  treatment  facilities  located in  the  midwestem United States
Treatment processes studied included  adsorption on powdered and granular activated carbon
(PAC and GAC), oxidation  (using ozone, potassium permanganate, chlorine, or chlorine dioxide),
and ion exchange. Point-of-use activated carbon filters were also evaluated. Atrazine and its major
degradation products were determined using solid-phase extraction and high-pressure liquid
chromatography.

Atrazine concentrations in water supplies drawn from streams peaked in late spring to  early
summer;  those in supplies  drawn from  lakes  or reservoirs were  relatively constant.  The
concentrations of degradation products in streams were less variable and significantly lower than
those of the  parent compound.  Hydroxyatrazine was the most abundant degradation product
detected,  averaging about 1 ng/L (versus about 3 |ig/L for atrazine). Deethylatrazine  and
deisopropylatrazine were routinely detected, but at  concentrations  averaging only 0.7 and 0.3
Mg/L, respectively. Didealkyatrazine and the deethylated hydroxanalogues were not detected.

Conventional treatment processes did not achieve substantial removal or alteration of atrazine or
its  degradation products. PAC  addition resulted in substantial removal of atrazine and its
degradation products; i.e., about 30 to 90%, depending on the dosage  applied.  At the Rathbun,
Iowa, treatment facility, a 2-foot cap of GAC removed 24% of the influent atrazine and between 9
and 31% of the atrazine degradation products. At Perry Lake, Kansas, a GAC system installed by
the tiJ.S:- Army  Corps of Engineers  achieved complete removal  of atrazine and its  degradation
products  during April through  September of its first year in service.  Some point-of-use GAC
systems effectively removed atrazine and its degradation products from  tap water throughout the
stated life of the unit; others experienced premature breakthrough, and breakthrough of atrazine
correlated with  breakthrough of residual chlorine.

Potassium permanganate reacts  too slowly with atrazine and  its major degradation products to
cause a significant change in  their concentration  under typical  water-treatment conditions.
Atrazine and its major degradation products  were adsorbed  by a  strong-acid  cation-exchange
resin, but they were chromatographically displaced by calcium.

The concentrations of atrazine and its degradation products in surface-water supplies are variable,
which has significant implications for both monitoring and control.  Fortunately, it appears that
the degradation products occur at lower concentrations than the parent compound and that their
removal by most non-oxidative processes is  similar to that of atrazine.  However, oxidative
processes tend  to convert atrazine to uncleaved degradation products that may be no less toxic to
humans. Adsorption, especially on PAC, appears to  be the best means of control based on the
information now available.
                                           14

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                    HERBICIDE DISTRIBUTION BENEATH NEBRASKA
                                                                    MSEA BLOCKS
Roy F. Spalding and Thomas D. Papiernik, University of Nebraska-Lincoln,
Lincoln, Nebraska


Sampling of 41 multilevel sampler installations occurred in early spring, summer, and fall and
represents times of maximum and minimum water levels, from July 1991 to October 1992, a total
of 2,200 discrete samplings for nitrate and atrazine and its. degradates were, used  to calculate
average concentrations at each depth.. Initially, nitrate-N concentrations in pore water beneath the
root zone (unsaturated zone) to the bottom of the primary aquifer were invariant  with  depth.
Atrazine concentrations were stratified with average concentrations of -3 ng/L in  the shallow
water and ~1 ng/L at  depth. Both deethyl- and deisopropylatrazine decrease at almost the same
rates  as the parent compound, suggesting that hydrolysis is the  primary process controlling
atrazine concentrations.  Deethylatrazine concentrations are about 30% higher than atrazine
concentrations throughout the profiles. 3H/3He dates suggest that the ground water at the bottom
of the primary aquifer to be from 10-20 years old. Irrigation water is drawn primarily from the
lower part of the primary aquifer because the irrigation wells are screened in the lower one-third of
the aquifer. Through the October 1992 sampling, water-table fluctuations of 1.5 meters (5 feet)
occurred annually, and declines from irrigation were normally compensated  by  recharge in the
winter and spring. A decrease in aquifer NO3-N concentration was not noted until  the spring 1993
sampling. High recharge rates during a very wet spring and early summer of 1993 have aided the
remediation of the upper portions of the primary aquifer.
                                            15

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       A NATURAL GRADIENT TRANSPORT STUDY OF SELECTED
                                                                       HERBICIDES


S.K. Widmer and R.F. Spalding, Water Center, University of Nebraska, Lincoln


An investigation of the behavior of commonly detected herbicides and herbicide degradates under
aquifer conditions was conducted in a shallow sand and gravel aquifer near Fremont, Nebraska.
Approximately 950 liters (250 gallons) of 3 ppb atrazine, 2 ppb alachlor, 10 ppb cyanazine,  10 ppb
metolachlor, 1 ppb butachlor, 3 ppb deethylatrazine (DEA), and 3 ppb deisopropylatrazine (DIA)
and a conservative tracer (sodium bromide) were injected into the aquifer in two experiments. The
plumes were monitored over several months. A system of multilevel samplers (MLS) was used to
delineate the solute plume. Fences of MLSs were arranged in arcs,  such that eight arcs were
longitudinally located within the 7.3 meters (24 feet) monitored. The measured average  rate of
ground-water flow at the study site was 15 cm day'1 (0.5 feet day'1). Samples were collected at
0.30-meter (1-foot) depth intervals.

A retardation factor (R) was determined for each pesticide by comparing its concentration profile to
that of the conservation tracer at a given distance. The triazines (atrazine and cyanazine, R=1.2)
were slightly less mobine than the acetanilides (alachlor and metolachlor, R=l. 1). DEA (R=l.l) was
more mobile than the  atrazine, while  DIA (R=1.3)  was less mobile. Persistence of atrazine,
cyanazine, metolachlor, DEA, and DIA was verified by lack of loss of parent compounds and, in the
case of atrazine, static levels  of  the degradates.  Alachlor and butachlor exhibited  losses of
approximately 30 and 60%, respectively, while the conservative tracer showed a decrease of less
than 15%.
                                            16

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     HERBICIDE TRANSPORT AND DEGRADATION IN A PRISTINE
         WATERSHED:  THE FATE OF HERBICIDES DEPOSITED BY
                                                                 PRECIPITATION


Aron E. Cromwell and E. Michael Thurman, U.S. Geological Survey, Lawrence, Kansas


Herbicides used in agricultural areas are being transported atmospherically and deposited by
precipitation onto pristine watersheds. The  fate of these herbicides was studied at Isle Royale
National Park, an island park  located in Lake Superior on the United States-Canadian border.
Rainfall, soil water, surface water, and soils were analyzed by combining solid-phase extraction
(SPE) with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).  This  combination enabled the onsite
analysis of samples in which the concentrations of herbicides were as little as 5 ng/L. The SPE-
ELISA results were  confirmed using  gas  chromatography/mass spectrometry  (GC/MS) with
isotope dilution. Herbicides detected at Isle Royale included the triazine herbicides atrazine and
cyanazine, as well as two triazine metabolites, deethylatrazine and deisopropylatrazine. Maximum
atrazine and cyanazine  concentrations  in  rainfall  occurred  in late  spring,  approaching or
exceeding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) of 3.0
|ig/L for atrazine, and the health advisory (HA) of 1.0 ng/L for cyanazine. By mid-summer, rainfall
concentrations of the herbicides decreased to less than detection levels. Atrazine was detected in
small concentrations in water from all lakes that were sampled. Field data and soil-column and
lake-water degradation experiments indicate that atrazine degrades rapidly in soil environments,
but  more slowly in aquatic environments. This slow degradation rate in  water  has important
implications for the quality of lakes in pristine areas receiving herbicide-contaminated rainfall
because the potential exists for the accumulation of herbicides to levels harmful to aquatic life.
                                           17

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                 A COMPARISON OF ATRAZINE AND METOLACHLOR
          BIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT DATA TO CONCENTRATIONS
             REPORTED IN PRECIPITATION MONITORING STUDIES


Philip A. Banks, MARATHON-Agricultural and Environmental Consulting, Inc., Las Graces,
New Mexico, and Dennis P. Tierney, Ciba Plant Protection, Greensboro, North Carolina


Several pesticides have recently been reported in precipitation, including the herbicides atrazine
and  metolachlor. While data are limited on  how these herbicides get into the atmosphere,  it
appears that volatilization and particle erosion following application are the primary contributors.
Atrazine and metolachlor presence in precipitation is seasonal with the highest concentrations and
most detections occurring during and shortly after the peak application period in the spring. From
published reports,  five for atrazine  and three for  metolachlor,  atrazine  was detected  in
approximately 50% of the samples collected and metolachlor in approximately 20% of the samples.
For both herbicides, over 90% of the precipitation samples contained concentrations of less than 1
ppb (atrazine = 94% and metolachlor = 97%).

A biological risk assessment evaluated the significance of atrazine and metolachlor concentrations
in rainfall on various terrestrial  and aquatic plants and  animals. For atrazine, various algae
species were reported to have lowest observable response levels (LOEL) that ranged from 10 to 565
ppb  in a variety of aquatic studies.  Most terrestrial plants were more tolerant of atrazine, with
cucumber and cabbage having no observable effect levels (NOEL) of 12 and 6 ppb, respectively. In
general, aquatic and terrestrial plants were more tolerant of metolachlor than atrazine. Based
upon measured concentrations of each herbicide in rainfall, atrazine and metolachlor do not pose
an ecological risk.

Additionally, a human exposure assessment evaluated the potential health effects of atrazine and
metolachlor in rainfall relative to the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act and the Environmental
Protection Agency Health Advisory criteria. A dermal risk assessment is also provided. No adverse
health effects are expected due to  drinking water or dermal exposure routes.

While historical data on atrazine and metolachlor presence in precipitation is limited to only five
published reports, two were in the atrazine and metolachlor high-use areas of the Midwest. Data
from these areas can be used to provide perspective on data from future studies.
                                           18

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    CHEMISTRY, DEGRADATION, AND TRANSPORT OF TRIAZINE
                                       METABOLITES IN SURFACE WATER


E.M. Thunnan, U.S. Geological Survey, Lawrence, Kansas


Atrazine, one of the most extensively used herbicides in the midwestem United States, degrades in
soil  to  several  important metabolites  (principally  deethylatrazine  and  deisopropylatrazine).
Atrazine field-dissipation studies show.that.only deethylatrazine persists in soil and is transported
to ground water  through the unsaturated zone.  In  soil, deisopropylatrazine rapidly degrades
further to didealkylatrazine; consequently, deisopropylatrazine is found  in.only trace amounts
relative  to  atrazine and  deethylatrazine (approximately one-tenth the concentration  or less).
Alternatively, deisopropylatrazine is more stable in surface water and is present at concentrations
equal to one-third the concentration of deethylatrazine. In areas where atrazine is the only parent
compound  for these metabolites, the dichotomy in degradation rates makes the two atrazine
metabolites suitable indicators of surface- and ground-water interactions  in the Corn Belt (a 12-
state  region in the midwestern United States). The ratio of concentrations of each degradation
product to  the parent compound may be used to distinguish  ground-water flow paths, such as
streambank infiltration into ground water, ground-water contribution to streams during base flow,
and point-source  contamination of an aquifer (such as a spill at a poorly constructed well). Other
herbicides that commonly occur with atrazine use also may  be indicators  of flow path. These
herbicides include cyanazine, propazine, and simazine. They degrade in soil to metabolites that
may be identical to atrazine metabolites and also may be indicators of surface-  and ground-water
interactions in the Corn Belt.
                                            19

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          NONEQUILIBRIUM ADSORPTION AND DEGRADATION OF
                                        ATRAZINE AND ALACHLOR IN SOIL
Gerard J. Kluitenberg, Leticia S. Sonon, and A. Paul Schwab, Department of Agronomy,
Kansas State University, Manhattan Kansas
   	___	;^_^^^•••^^•^•^^^^^^^^^•^^•^^^•^^^•••^^^•••••^•^^^^^^^^^•••••••^•i

Atrazine  and alachlor are chemically and biologically degraded during transport through soil.
Degradation of.atrazine produces daughter products such as hydroxyatrazine,  deethylatrazine,
and deisopropylatrazine. Both herbicides..are also sorbed to soil particles during transport. This
research was conducted  to provide insight  into the  mechanisms of  airazine  and  alachlor
adsorption and degradation.

Laboratory leaching experiments were  conducted by using  1.1 meter-long undisturbed  soil
columns from four soils varying in texture, pH, and organic carbon content. Atrazine, alachlor, and
bromide were added at the soil surface at a rate similar to recommended rates. Solute application
was followed by steady-state water applications of 2.6 and 0.2 inches per day. respectively, for the
saturated and unsaturated flow conditions. Soil-water potential was set to approximately -0.3 bar
at the bottom of the unsaturated columns. Column effluent was collected at regular time intervals
and used to plot effluent breakthrough curves (BTC's).

Results from experiments with Pratt loamy fine sand will be presented. This soil was collected at
the Sandyland Experiment Field near St. John,  Kansas, which overlies the Great Bend aquifer.
Mass recovery of atrazine at the conclusion of the  experiments was 50 and 9%, respectively, for the
saturated and unsaturated  leaching experiments. Greater degradation in the uns,aturated flow
experiement was  mainly a  result  of the greater solute residence time within the  soil. Under
saturated conditions,  deisopropylatrazine  and  deethylatrazine were  present  in the column
effluents at  or below  detection  limits; however,  effluents  collected from the unsaturated
experiments contained relatively high concentrations of the degradation products. Mass recovery
of alachlor was 10% for the saturated leaching experiemtns, and alachlor was not detected in the
effluent  from the unsaturated  flow experiments. Thus, degradation  rates for  alachlor were
significantly higher than atrazine degradation rates.

The results of batch adsorption experiments were used to calculate atrazine retardation factors of
7.7 and 12.5 for the saturated and unsaturated flow regimes, respectively. Atrazine BTC's would
be center-ed at 7.7 and  12.5 pore volumes if equilibrium adsorption prevailed during transport.
Measured centers of mass of the atrazine BTC's were located between 2 and 3 pore volumes. The
leftward  shift of the BTCs indicates that nqnequilibrium adsorption significantly enhanced the
mobility  of atrazine under  both saturated and  unsaturated flow conditions. Atrazine and its
degradation products  ranked in  order of decreasing  mobility:  deethylatrazine  > atrazine >
deisopropylatrazine. Alachlor was found to  be less mobile than atrazine, a result opposite from
that expected based on batch adsorption data. Thus, nonequilibrium adsorption also enhanced
alachlor  movement but to a lesser extent.  Modeling of the bromide BTC's with the advection-
dispersion equation yielded dispersivities of 1-2  centimeters. This indicates that nonequilibrium
due  to the chemical  kinetics  of adsorption was more important than physical causes of
nonequilibrium.
                                            20

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              CYANAZINE METABOLITES IN SURFACE WATER: THE
        TRANSPORT AND  DEGRADATION OF LABILE HERBICIDES


M.T. Meyer and E.M. Thunnan, U.S. Geological Survey, Lawrence, Kansas


Gyanazine (2-chloro-4-(ethylamino)-6-(l-cyano-l-methylainino)-S-triazlne) is one of the five most
extensively used herbicides in the United States and is more labile than atrazine; however, there
are few studies of the fate and transport of cyanazine metabolites in surface water. A field-
dissipation study showed  that   cyanazine  degrades to., a  common atrazine  metabolite,
deisopropylatrazine. Analysis of samples collected from several stream, sites during storm runoff
throughout the spring and  early summer demonstrates that the ratio of deisopropylatrazine to
deethylatrazine (D2R) is an indicator of the quantity of cyanazine relative to atrazine. Cyanazine
was detected in 73%, cyanazine amide in 63%, deethylcyanazine in 36%, and deisopropylatrazine
in 52% of the samples collected during the  first storm runoff after herbicide application in a
reconnaissance study of stream water from 150 sites in the midwestern United States. Except for
deisopropylatrazine, these compounds were detected in 5 to 30% of the samples collected in the
spring before planting and in the fall during  low streamflow. In addition, both the storm-runoff
and herbicide reconnaissance studies show that the cyanazine amide-to-cyanazine ratio (CA/CR)
increased throughout the  summer, indicating that the cyanazine amide  is more  stable than
cyanazine. Finally, the CA/CR may  be an indicator of the length of time cyanazine resided in the
soil relative to its application in the spring.
                                           21

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  BIODEGRADATION OF PESTICIDES IN SUBSURFACE SAMPLES
                                     FROM THREE MTOCONTINENT SITES
James L. Sinclair and Tony R. Lee, ManTech Environmental Technology, Inc.,
Robert S. Kerr Environmental Research Laboratory, Ada, Oklahoma


Little information is currently available concerning the biodegradability of pesticide contaminants
in the subsurface. Pesticide contamination of ground water .is. a particular problem in  the
midcontinent region of the  United States. To investigate pesticide biodegradatton in soil and
sediments from this region, subsurface drill core-samples were obtained from agricultural fields
which had received applications of pesticides near Iowa City,  Iowa, Princeton, Minnesota, and
south-central  Ohio.  Cores  were handled with  aseptic technique  to minimize  microbial
contamination. Samples were taken from the surface to slightly below the water table from the
Iowa and Minnesota sites, and only from below the water table from the Iowa and Minnesota sites,
and only from below the water table at the Ohio site. Microcosms were made from the sediments
and spiked with 100 ppb 14C-ring labeled atrazine,  alachlor, carbofuran or 2,4-D. Experiments
were run on the mineralization  of the four pesticides and on the breakdown of atrazine and
formation of atrazine breakdown products.

Preliminary results indicate that the rate of mineralization of pesticides followed patterns based on
the type of pesticide, the nature of the soil or sediment used, and the different sites that sediments
were obtained from. Generally, 2,4-D was mineralized much more readily than the other pesticides
with 25 to 50% of the amount added being mineralized after 146  days of incubation. More 2,4-D
was mineralized in the saturated zone sediment microcosms from both the Iowa and Minnesota
sites than was mineralized in the surface soil or the unsaturated zone sediments. Usually about 10
to 15% of added carbofuran was mineralized in most sediments by day 146 of the experiment. The
greatest amount of carbofuran mineralization occurred in the Iowa surface soil, and slightly more
mineralisation occurred in the saturated zone than in the unsaturated zone sediments. For most
samples, about 5 to slightly more than  10% of added alachlor was mineralized by 146 days. The
largest amount  of alachlor mineralization observed in this  experiment,  21.8% of the added
alachlor,  occurred  in the  saturated  zone  sediments  from the  Iowa  site.  More alachlor
mineralization occurred in the saturated zone sediments of the Iowa and Minnesota sites than in
the unsaturated zone sediments or even the surface soil. Atrazine was mineralized the least of any
of the four pesticides tested. About 4 to 15% of the amount of added atrazine was mineralized in
the different soils or sediments tested by  146 days of incubation. As with the other pesticides,
more atrazine mineralization occurred in the saturated zone sediments than in the unsaturated
zone sediments.  Slightly more atrazine was mineralized in the surface soil than in the saturated
zone sediments  of the Iowa site, but more atrazine  was mineralized  in the  saturated zone
sediments than in the surface soil of the Minnesota site.

The distribution of 14C activity between water soluble, chloroform extractable, and bound residue
fractions varied with the chemical nature of the different pesticides. Generally, the largest amount
of 14C activity occurred in the soil bound fraction. Most sediment  types yielded a mass balance of
                                                                   C  activity added to the
the total of all  14C activity from all fractions of 70%  or more of the
microcosms.
14,
This work demonstrated that significant biodegradation of pesticides can occur in subsurface
sediments. It also showed that differences occur between subsurface sediment types and between
sites at different geographical locations.
                                           22

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            INCIDENCE OF CERTAIN CANCERS AND EXPOSURE TO
            AGRICULTURAL HERBICIDES: MEASURES TO REDUCE
                                                                         THE RISK
Robert J. Robel, Kansas State University Division of Biology, Manhattan, Kansas,
Frederick F. Holmes and Cathy D. Boysen, University of Kansas Medical Center,
Kansas City, Kansas

A case-control study in Kansas of soft-tissue sarcoma,  Hodgkin's disease, and non-Hodgkin's
lymphoma found farm herbicide use associated with the incidence of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma,
but not soft-tissue sarcoma or Hodgkin's disease. Cases were newly diagnosed white males over 20
years of age with soft-tissue  sarcoma, Hodgkin's disease, or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, whereas
controls were white males from the general Kansas population matched to each case by age and
vital status. The  incidence  of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma  increased  significantly with days  of
reported herbicide exposure per year and years of exposure. Male farmers exposed to herbicides
more than 20 days per year had a sixfold increase in the risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
compared to  nonfarmers. Farmers who  used herbicides frequently and mixed or applied the
herbicides themselves had an eightfold increased risk compared to nonfarmers. Exposure data
were more abundant for phenoxyacetic acids (2,4-D, and 2,4,5-T), triazines (atrazine, cyanazine,
propazine, etc.), and uracils than for amides, benzoics, carbamates, and trifluralin. All herbicides
showed significant increased risk  of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma except the uracils; however, the
assessments of risk were stronger for the phenoxyacetic acids and triazines because of the number
of cases involved. Farmers using protective equipment (rubber gloves, masks, etc.) had a lower risk
than those who did not.

A follow-up case-control study in eastern Nebraska looked at additional types of cancer (multiple
myeloma and chronic lymphocyte leukemia) and included women as well. Cases were white males
and females over 20 years old with  various cancers, whereas control subjects were, residents of the
same area matched to the cases by age, sex, and vital  statistics. As in the Kansas study, the
Nebraska study also showed increased risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma associated with 2,4-D
exposure  for males aged 20 years or older. Men  who mixed or applied 2,4-D had an additional
increased risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and that risk  increased  further with time spent in
contaminated clothing.

Results from these two studies provide justification for reducing human exposure to agricultural
herbicides and suggest possible ways of doing so.
                                           23

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                                      HAZARD ASSESSMENT OF ATRAZINE
 Darrell D. Sumner, Charles B. Breckenridge, and James T. Stevens, Ciba Plant Protection,
 Greensboro, North Carolina


 Atrazine is a chloro-s-triazine herbicide that has been used for weed control in corn for over three
 decades. It exerts herbicidal activity by inhibition of photosynthesis. It is not particularly toxic in
 acute administration to animals (LD50 in rats about 3,000 mg/kg). Atrazine is not a reproductive
 toxin, not a teratogen, not a mutagen (evaluated in over 50 tests), and probably not a carcinogenic
 in humans. Evidence indicates that a carcinogenic response in female Sprague-Dawley rats is a
 strain  and  species  specific  response.   Therefore,  low-level  exposures do  not  constitute
 unreasonable risk to humans.

 Atrazine was not carcinogenic to three strains of mice in three different studies, not carcinogenic
 in Fischer-344 rats, and not carcinogenic to male Sprague-Dawley rats. But, female Sprague-
 Dawley rats fed atrazine in their diet showed an increased incidence and/or earlier onset of
 mammary tumors, this was the only tumor response observed in these studies. This response was
 manifest as an increase in the incidence of mammary tumors, which is highly spontaneous in this
 strain of rat (incidence ranging to as high as 70% of aged females). Female Sprague-Dawley rats
 have an estrogen-dependent hormone cycle that is  progressively unstable with age.  Increased
 estrogen is thought to lead to the biological processes that produce tumors in these animals.

 Ciba has conducted  numerous special studies with atrazine. These studies have confirmed  that
 large doses atrazine (100 mg/kg) administered for short intervals (2 weeks) or lower feeding levels
 (400 ppm or about 20 mg/kg/day) for a period of several months results in a prolongation of the
 duration of estrous cycle in the female Sprague-Dawley rat. This response is accompanied by more
 days in estrus  (tissue under estrogen influence) as well as  an elevation of circulatory estrogen
 levels.  This enhanced exposure to estrogen establishes an environment for appearance of these
 already highly spontaneous mammary tumors in this strain of rat.

 The mechanism by which atrazine affects the estrus cycle in Sprague-Dawley rats is thought to be
. .associated with its ability to  interfere with estrogen binding and to exert an anti-estrogenic
 response. This effect interferes with the normal control mechanisms for the estrus cycle. Receptor
 binding studies, in vivo and in vitro, have revealed that the overwhelming concentrations of
 triazine must be available at unoccupied estrogen receptor sites before the interferences can occur.
 Binding .constants indicate that  the  concentration  of  atrazine  required to interfere with  the
 estrogen receptor is 10;000 - 100,000 times more than that ofestrogen. Analysis of the mammary
 tumor responses for the six studies  conducted in female  Sprague-Dawley rats  suggests  that
 lifetime exposure to feeding levels in excess of 400 ppm would be required for tumor production. In
 addition, the mechanism by which this highly varied  strain and species-specific  response is
 produced has a receptor-mediated threshold; therefore; risk assessment for this tumor should be
 conducted using the traditionally safety factor approach.
                                             24

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              ECOLOGICAL IMPACTS OF HERBICIDES--A REVIEW
Donald Huggins, Aquatic Ecotoxicology Program, Kansas Biological Survey,
Lawrence, Kansas
                     (Abstract not received in time for publication)
                                      25

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  WEED-CONTROL OPTIONS FOR REDUCING ATRAZINE IMPACT
David L. Regehr, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas


Atrazine herbicide remains an important component of weed management in Kansas, where it is
applied  to 71 and 74% of sorghum and corn acres, respectively. This widespread use reflects the
efficacy, favorable economics, and risk avoidance that com and sorghum producers seek for weed
management.

Vulnerability of atrazine to field loss via" surface-water runoff is a function of the .field's erosion
potential and plant-residue cover. In environmentally vulnerable areas, we recommend switching
from higher rates of soil-applied atrazine, to rates of 1 Ib/acre  or less soil-applied, followed by
foliar-applied herbicides  that contain about 0.5  Ib/acre atrazine. This atrazine use provides
superior control of tough broadleaf weeds like velvetleaf, cocklebur, and sunflower and has been
adopted by many corn and sorghum producers. It does require field scouting to determine weed
pressure and size, and additional application and herbicide costs.

Recent changes in the atrazine label prohibit application in certain "set-back" areas where field-
surface  runoff  enters streams, ponds, and tile-outlet terraces. Crop producers who want to
continue atrazine use near those areas are encouraged to establish vegetated buffer zones that
delay entry of field runoff into drainage ways. Or, producers may choose to rely more heavily on
alternatives to atrazine for weed control.

Dicamba and 2,4-D have limited potential as substitutes for atrazine because of their potential for
sorghum and corn injury. Several new herbicide alternatives to atrazine are being developed by the
agrichemical industry. These compounds appear to be environmentally benign but are based on a
mode of action that appears highly vulnerable to selection of resistant weed biotypes.

A key to reducing dependence on atrazine is integrated weed management where crop rotation,
highly competitive crops, and a vigorous weed-management effort, including tillage and herbicides,
combine to reduce weed pressure. Once weed pressure is reduced, low rates of foliar-applied
atrazine and band-applying herbicides at planting and cultivation become more attractive options.
                                           26

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                 IMPACT OF CONSERVATION TILLAGE SYSTEMS ON
                                                      AGRICULTURAL RUNOFF


D.W. Rushing, Monsanto Agricultural Company, Des Moines, Iowa


During the past several years, ground water has received most of the attention when the issue of
water quality has been discussed. However, surface water is actually far more vulnerable and often
more contaminated. More than half of the .U.S. population drinks surface water, including many
larger cities. Wells contaminated by herbicides have often been traced to point, sources at mixing
and disposal sites or from accidental spills. But  contamination  of .surface, water is largely a
nonpoint-source problem. As soil erodes and water runs off fields,  herbicides are carried with it,
either adsorbed to the soil particles or dissolved in the water. Some commonly used soil-applied
herbicides runoff  with water rather than attaching to soil sediment. Reducing soil erosion alone
will not entirely solve the problem of surface-water contamination. Most soil conservation practices
slow or reduce water runoff, explaining why herbicide detections are reduced by practices such as
conservation tillage, filter strips, and waterways.

Midwestern university results Indicate conservation tillage significantly reduces herbicide runoff.
Long-term no-tillage sometimes totally eliminated water and herbicide runoff by allowing greater
water infiltration.  Averaging all natural rainfall studies, no-till reduced herbicide runoff by 70%.
Ridge till and chisel plowing also  reduced runoff. Reducing soil erosion will often protect surface-
water supplies from herbicide runoff. A 15-foot wide grass filter strip reduced atrazine runoff from
a conventionally tilled field by 78% compared to a tilled field without a filter strip. Other best-
management practices currently in place should also aid in protecting water supplies.  These
include "no spray zones" around  points of entry into water bodies and tile inlet drains, limits on
early preplant applications, application restrictions near lakes and reservoirs, and herbicide rate
reductions.

There are a number of Federal, State, and industry supported programs that encourage farmer
adoption of best-management practices. One such program is Monsanto's Operation Green Stripe,
which, along with local FFA chapters, provides incentives for farmers to establish vegetative filter
strips along streams, rivers, lakes, and around sinkholes. The project will involve over 500 farmers
in seven states in  1993.
                                           27

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              PESTICIDE INCORPORATION AND TILLAGE AFFECTS
                                      ATRAZINE AND ALACHLOR LOSSES
James Steichen, Philip Barnes, Hirozumi Watanabe, Kansas State University, Manhattan,
Kansas, Elbert Dickey, David Shelton, Paul Jasa, and Nathan Watermeier, University of
Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska


The effect of tillage practice and the method of chemical application on atrazine and alachlor losses
through runoff and erosion were evaluated on five treatments—no-till and pre-emergent (N.P), disk
and pre-emergent (D.P), plow and pre-emergent (P.P), disk and pre-plant incorporated (D.I), and
plow and pre-plant incorporated  (P.I) treatments. A rainfall simulator was used to create 63.5
mmhr'1 for 15 minutes. Rainfall simulation occurred 24-36 hours after chemical application. The
concentration of herbicides in the water decreased with time. No-till treatments had the highest
concentration, and disk treatments were  higher  than plow treatments. The  pre-emergent
treatment showed higher concentration than incorporated. Total herbicide loss of atrazine ranged
from 0.08 kg ha'1  (5.2% of applied mass for N.P treatment) to 0.007 kg ha'1 (0.4% of applied mass
for P.I treatment)  and that of alachlor ranged from 0.14 kg ha"1 (6.1% of applied mass for N.P
treatment) to 0.01 kg ha'1 (0.4% of applied  mass for D.I treatment).  No-till,  pre-emergent
treatments had the highest loss. For no-till, 98% of atrazine loss and 97% of alachlor loss occurred
in the runoff water. Reducing both runoff and erosion contributes to reducing herbicide losses.
                                          28

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     IMPACT OF CONSERVATION PRACTICES ON AGRICULTURAL
                                               NONPOINT CONTAMINATION


Philip L. Barnes, Kansas State University, Topeka, Kansas Mike Pope, and Andy Foster,
U.S. Geological Survey, Lawrence, Kansas


The U.S. Department of Agriculture has developed conservation practices to reduce soil loss to
surface runpff. The practices include terracing, crop-residue management, and contour fanning.
During the development and testing of terrace designs, the water that was caught by the terrace
was moved off the field by grassed waterways. It was felt that .if erosion could be reduced that
nutrient and pesticide losses would  also be reduced. Recent government programs have allowed
the grass waterways used to channel water away from terraces to be replaced by tile outlets. These
tile outlets hold the water in the terrace channel long enough to deposit sediments and then the
water is rapidly transported off the field through the tile.

A majority of the herbicides used today are  relatively soluble  in water. When  rainfall causes
surface runoff from fields, it is carrying both sediments and herbicides. In the past, terraces
drained into grass waterways that filtered the herbicides in the runoff water. Research would
indicate that the tile-outlet terrace system may be a new source of nonpoint contamination.
                                          29

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      FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL COOPERATION TO IMPROVE
        SURFACE-WATER AND GROUND-WATER QUALITY: A CASE
  STUDY FROM RECHARGE LAKE IN YORK COUNTY, NEBRASKA
Robert A. Dunlevy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Kansas City, Kansas


Several Federal, State, and substate water-resource agencies are working together to reduce the
impact of  pesticide  residue  on ground-water  quality at the  York Groundwater Recharge
Demonstration Project near York, Nebraska. This work is being .performed while continuing  to
demonstrate the feasibility of recharging the ground water. The York Project is one of the Bureau of
Reclamation's original 21 projects in the High Plains States Groundwater Recharge Demonstration
Program.

Recharge Lake, a reservoir constructed to provided a supply of active and passive recharge water,
is surrounded by ground-water monitoring wells. The monitoring wells are used to evaluate the
success of the ground-water  recharge efforts through the measurement  of the ground-water
elevations and to sample the ground-water quality.

Sampling of the lake water following 1991 and 1992 spring storm-runoff events indicated several
pesticides,  particularly atrazine, exceeded their Maximum Contaminant  Level (MCL)  in the
reservoir. Samples from the ground-water monitoring wells also indicated higher pesticides levels,
several above their MCL. Currently, there are no recharge activities at the project; any pesticides
entering the ground water is from the seepage through the lake bottom.

The concern is that the lake is recharging the ground water with pesticides, and this process may
be occurring in other impoundments throughout the Midwest and could affect the beneficial uses
of ground water. Federal, State, and substate agencies along with private industry are combining
their efforts and resources to study the surface and subsurface hydrodynamics. The information
gathered  will be used to develop a plan to  reduce  the pesticides in the surface runoff and
subsequently the ground water.
                                          3O

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                 MANAGEMENT OF HERBICIDES IN THE DELAWARE
                                                                    RIVER BASIN
Jane Niehues, Steering Committee for the Non Point Pollution Plan for the Delaware River
Basin, Goff, Kansas


Atrazine concentrations in Perry Lake, a reservoir within the Delaware River drainage basin, have
become a concern to farmers, water suppliers, and regulators. As a result, a Pesticide Management
Area was formed and a Non Point Source Pollution Plan has been developed. The committee that
developed the plan consists of one member of each Conservation District Board from Nemaha,
Brown, Atchison, Jefferson, and Jackson Counties, and a representative from the Kansas Rural
Center. The effort is being coordinated by the Glacial Hills RC&D.

This presentation will describe the atrazine problem within the  Delaware Drainage Area, the
formation of the Pesticide Management Area, and discuss the Non Point Source Pollution Plan. The
discussion  will include proposed methods  to decrease atrazine  runoff,  such  as: terraces,
waterways, contouring farming, conservation tillage, integrated crop management, watershed
dams, and application methods. A monitoring program is now in place and development of a
proposed geographic information system also will be discussed.
                                          31

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                                  WEST LAKE WATER QUALITY PROJECT
Alan Teel, Iowa State University of Science and Technology, Osceola, Iowa


The West Lake Water Quality Protection Project began in November of 1990 and will continue until
the fall of 1995. Planning for the project started in 1988. Funding for the project is through the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency section 319 funding. Cooperating agencies are the Iowa
Department of Agriculture  and  Land  Stewardship,  Division  of Soil Conservation;  the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency; the Clark County Soil and Water Conservation District; and the
Iowa State University Extension Service.

The West Lake Water Quality Project's primary objective is to preserve, protect, and improve the
West Lake reservoir for use as a municipal, industrial, and rural water  supply, and as a fish,
wildlife, and recreational resource. Additionally, we want to achieve a level of project participation
and practice adoption  that will result in significant water-quality protection within the 5-year
project period and to demonstrate the technical and economic feasibility and the effectiveness of
the resource management practices being used as  part of this project in hope that these practices
will be adopted as permanent practices in the cooperator's farming operation.

The project will market pre-packaged basic conservation systems that reduce soil loss to T."
Financial incentives paid up-front to producers who enter into a 5-year compliance agreement will
help to secure producer participation. An integrated crop-management program will be provided
for each cooperating producer. Additionally, an informational program will be put in place to
include field days and educational meetings.

Eleven hundred and thirty-six (1,136) acres are now under contract agreement, and an additional
575 acres have been designated  as "volunteer  compliance" acres. These volunteer compliance
acres are being managed in compliance with project guidelines but are not under an agreement
and are not receiving any payments. Thirteen educational classes have been conducted, 1 field
day, 7  news articles, 1  television interview, and 15 radio programs have been generated via this
project.

Providing "up front" funding for producers appears  to be a viable way to attract the participation of
producers in the West  Lake watershed in soil conserving practices. The inclusion of Integrated
Crop Management practices has  helped in  facilitating the soil conserving  practices. Active
ififorniatibnal and educational programs have increased the public's awareness of the project and
have helped to support  producers in the decision-making process.
                                           32

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INFLUENCE OF MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ON WATER QUALITY
                                            IN WALNUT CREEK WATERSHED


J.L. Hatfield1, R.C. Buchmiller2, P.J. Soenksen2, and D.B. Jaynes1

1USDA - Agricultural Research Service, National Soil Tilth Laboratory, Ames, Iowa.
2U.S. Geological Survey, Iowa City, Iowa.


Influence of farming practices on both surface- and ground-water quality is difficult to quantify on
a field and watershed scale; however, it is apparent that a linkage exists between different fanning
practices and their potential effect on water quality. To evaluate the impact of different farming
practices, a study was designed in a large agricultural watershed to investigate the seasonal and
positional variations in water quality.

Walnut Creek watershed is a 5,400-hectare watershed located south of Ames, Iowa, on the Des
Moines landform region. This  region is  characterized by a relatively level surface with poorly-
defined surface-runoff features and an extensive number of prairie potholes. These potholes are
poorly drained, and to remove the water from the soil profile, tile drain lines are placed throughout
the watershed in a network. These drain lines remove water from, the fields and route it to the
stream. Walnut Creek as a stream empties into the Skunk River. There are a wide range of soils
within the watershed ranging from moderately  well-drained to poorly drained  soils and a
topography that varies from nearly level, e.g., less than 2% slope, to 5-7% slope in the lower
reaches of the watershed.

The watershed.is extensively farmed as a corn-soybean rotation system with field sizes that range
from 20 to 150 hectares. Nearly 90% of the land area within the watershed is cultivated as a row
crop. The inputs of chemical fertilizers and herbicides within the watershed are typical of the Corn
Belt.

In 1991 a study began within the watershed  to evaluate the current farming practices on water
quality. Three stream-monitoring stations where installed to measure the stream discharge, water
quality, and  sediment load. Eight tile-monitoring  locations  were installed to measure both the
discharge and the water quality. Surface-runoff flumes were installed in three fields. Over 40 well
nests were placed around individual fields and subbasins to measure the quality of the ground
water .at  depths from 2.5 to. 15 meters.  The  agricultural  chemicals being measured within the
watershed include: atrazine, alachlor. cyanazine.  metribuzin, metolachlor, and nitrate-nitrogen.
These analytes are measured in stream,  tile,  well samples, and rainfall, as well as soil samples
collected from individual fields.

There is a large seasonal variation in the concentrations of herbicides detected  in the stream and
tile drainage. This variation is related to the occurrence of surface runoff from the edge of fields or
entry of surface water into the  tile inlets. Base-flow concentrations in the tile and stream for the
herbicides did not exceed the EPA limits. Nitrate-nitrogen values, however, ranged from 10 to  20
ppm throughout the year in the tile and  surface water but did not exceed 5 ppm at well depths
below 2.5 m.  The seasonal variation in the nitrate-nitrogen concentrations is related to the rate of
mineralization within these  organically rich soils and  has not shown an effect of the fertilizer
application times. The different farming practices that are being examined  will provide an insight
into the loadings that are resulting from current practices and will be used to determine the extent
to which  improvements in water quality can be achieved.
                                            33

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                UTILIZING FERTILIZER AND CHEMICAL DEALERS
                                            TO MANAGE PESTICIDES
Duane Sand, Director, Long Range Planning and Research, Iowa Natural Heritage
Foundation
                   (Abstract not received in time for publication)
                                   34

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          Posters on Display during Tuesday Social Hour
        Coordinator: Hyde Jacobs, Kansas State University
 Water-Quality Characteristics of Stormwater Runoff in Davenport, Iowa
 Bryan Schaap and Keith J. Lucey, U.S. Geological Survey

 Isocratic Separation ofAlachlor Ethane Sutfonic Acid, Alachlor Oxacetic Acid, and
 Hydroxatrazine by Reversed-Phase Liquid. Chmmatography
 Michael L. Pomes and E.M. Thurman, U.S. Geological Survey

 Chromatographic  Applications   of  Solid-Phase  Extraction   in  Developing
 Immunoassay Methods for Herbicides and their Metabolites:  An Example for
 Alachlor and Atachlor-EthanesuJfonic Acid
 Diana S. Aga and E.M. Thurman, U.S. Geological Survey

 Use of a Geographic Information System Procedure to Estimate Atrazine Impact
 John Hickman, Ray E. McDonald, H.L. Seyler, and Michel D. Ransom, Kansas
 State University

 Estimating Pollutant Soil Ratings
 John Hickman,  P.R. Finnell,  and R.L. Schlepp, Kansas State University and
 U.S. Soil Conservation Service

 Reconnaissance Data for Herbicides and their Metabolites in Surface Water of the
 Midwestern  United States: Immunoassay and Gas  Chjomatography/Mass
 Spectrbmetry
 Elisabeth A. Scribner, E.M. Thurman, and Donald A.  Goolsby, U.S. Geological
 Survey

 Atrazine Management  to Meet Water-Quality Criteria
 David L. Regehr, Dallas E. Peterson, and John S.  Hickman, Kansas State
 University                 .    •          •  .-  .

 Effects of Pore-Size Distribution and Saturation Cycles  on Atrazine and Bromide
 Transport through Soil                                         • •
 E.A. Smith, P.J. Shea, W.L. Powers,  and D.R. Tupy,  University of Nebraska-
 Lincoln

 Selected Herbicides in  Bottom Sediments of Water-Supply Reservoirs in Iowa
 Stephen J. Kalkhoff, U.S. Geological Survey; Jack Kennedy, University of Iowa
 Hygenic Laboratory; Ubbo  Agena, Iowa Dept. of Natural Resources;  George
 Breuer, University of Iowa Hygenic Laboratory

 The Comprehensive Environmental  Economic  Policy  Evaluation  System: An
Application to Atrazine and Water Quality
Aziz Bouzaher,  Center for Agricultural and  Rural Development and Andrew
 Manale, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
                                   35

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           WATER-QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS OF STORMWATER
                                              RUNOFF IN DAVENPORT, IOWA


Bryan D. Schaap and Keith J. Lucey, U.S. Geological Survey, Iowa City, Iowa


To comply .with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations to obtain a permit for
stormwater discharges, the City of Davenport, Iowa, conducted an urban stormwater-runoff study
in cooperation with the U.S. Geological  Survey during the  summer and  fall of 1992. Five
monitoring sites were selected to characterize the water quality of storm runoff from the following
land-use types:  agricultural, residential, commercial, industrial, and undeveloped areas. Three
sets of stormwater-runoff samples were collected at each of the open-channel monitoring sites.
Stormwater samples for a particular site were collected at least 30 days apart and after a 72-hour
period had elapsed with less than 0.1 inch of rain. Rainfall totals  for the events sampled varied
from 0.09 to 0.48 inch from the beginning of the storm to the time  the last sample was collected.
Each set of samples consisted of both grab and composite samples. Grab samples were collected
within the, first hour of the runoff event and were analyzed for oil  and grease, cyanide, bacteria,
total phenols, and volatile organic carbons. Discrete samples, collected about every 15 minutes for
the first 3 hours of the event, were used to produce flow-weighted composites that were analyzed
for many constituents, including biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen  demand, total
 organic  carbon, major  ions,  metals, acid/base-neutral organics, polyaromatic hydrocarbons,
nutrients, and organo-chlorine pesticides.

Total  nitrogen  and  nitrate  concentrations were greatest  at  the  agricultural site.   Metal
concentrations (Ni, Pb, Zn) were greatest at. the industrial site. Pesticide concentrations were less
than the minimum reporting levels for single samples collected at the agricultural and residential
sites and for two samples collected at the industrial site.
                                           36

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     ISOCRATIC SEPARATION OF ALACHLOR ETHANE SULFONIC
    ACID, ALACHLOR OXACETIC ACID, AND HYDROXYATRAZINE
                  BY REVERSED-PHASE LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY


MX. Pomes, D.F. Holub, and E.M. Thurman, U.S. Geological Survey, Lawrence, Kansas


The polar nature of two alachlor metabolites, alachlor ethane sulfonic acid and alachlor oxacetic
acid,  makes their detection by gas chrbmatography/mass spectrometry impossible without
derivatization.  Enzyme-linked  irnmunosorbent-assay  techniques  cannot distinguish alachlor
metabolites  from alachlor; thus, reversed-phase  high-pressure liquid chromatography  with
photodiod array detection is required for the separation and spectral detection of these analytes.
Use of an isocratic methanol/10 mM (millirnolar) Na2HPO4 buffer mixture as the mobile phase
with reversed-phase (C18)  high-pressure liquid chromatography allows for the separation and
detection of alachlor ethane  sulfonic acid, alachlor  oxoacetic acid,  and hydroxyatrazine  at
concentrations greater to or equal to 0.1 (ig/L using 100-milliliter water samples. The buffer in the
methanol mixture provides cations that tori pair with the alachlor metabolite anions to decrease
polarity and promote nonpolar interactions between the analytes and the reversed-phase column.
Enhanced chromatographic resolution results from injecting samples in a matrix that contains
proportionally less methanol than the mobile phase. The disparity between methanol contents of
the sample matrix and  mobile  phase focuses the analytes at the head of the  chromatographic
column to produce sharper peaks because the analytes are less soluble in the sample matrix than
in the mobile phase. Results by reversed-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography show that
alachlor ethane sulfonic acid is frequently found in surface water, with lesser concentrations  of
alachlor oxoacetic acid and hydroxatrazine.
                                          37

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            CHROMATOGRAPHIC APPLICATIONS OF SOLID-PHASE
   EXTRACTION IN DEVELOPING IMMUNOASSAY METHODS FOR
      HERBICIDES AND THEIR METABOLITES: AN EXAMPLE FOR
              ALACHLOR AND ALACHLOR-ETHANESULFONIC ACID


D.S. Aga and E.M. Thurman, U.S. Geological Survey, Lawrence, Kansas


The  resolving property  of solid-phase extraction (SPE)  and the sensitivity of enzyme-linked
immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were combined to produce a highly  selective  and ultra-sensitive
analytical technique for the analysis  of ultra-trace  levels of the herbicide alachlor arid  its
metabolite, alachlor-ethane sulfonic  acid (ESA). The  high  cross reactivity of the  anti-alachlor
antibody towards ESA was used as a positive feature, rather than a drawback, for developing a
method for both the parent compound and the metabolite. Alachlor and ESA were separated using
SPE  by sequential elution with ethyl acetate followed  by methanol.  The ethyl acetate effectively
elutes the alachlor while leaving the ESA adsorbed in the C18 resin.  The succeeding elution with
the more polar solvent methanol removes more than 95% of the ESA from the resin. The extracts
were evaporated to dryness and re-dissolved in water/methanol (80/20) for analysis by ELISA. The
method has a detection limit of 0.01 ng/L for alachlor and 0.05 \ig/L  for  alachlor-ESA, with a
precision of + 10%. Results obtained from the analysis of surface- and ground-water samples were
confirmed by high-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection and gas
chromatography/mass spectrometry, and results agreed to within + 10%.
                                        38

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  USE OF GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM PROCEDURE TO
                                                ESTIMATE ATRAZINE IMPACT
 John S. Hickman, Ray E. McDonald, H.L. Seyler, and Michel D. Ransom, Kansas State
 University, Manhattan, Kansas


 Kansas is the first State in the Nation to form a Pesticide Management Area to address elevated
 pesticide concentrations in surface waters. A Pesticide Management Area was formed for atrazine
 in  the  Delaware River  watershed  in  northeast Kansas.. Atrazine management practices,
 conservation practices, arid .riparian management are considered as pollutionrcontrol practices to
 reduce atrazine runoff. A geographical information system procedure is being used to  evaluate
 data for atrazine impact analysis in the Delaware River watershed. Important data layers include
 soils, land cover, and hydrology.

 The  study  area  consists  of three subwatersheds within  the Delaware  River  watershed
 {Grasshopper Creek, Coal Creek, and Cedar Creek). Three digitized data layers and accompanying
 data bases (soils, land cover, and hydrology) were combined using ARC/INFO. The soils data layer
 is being digitized at  the Kansas State University GISSAL (GIS Spatial Analysis Laboratory) at a
 1:24,000 scale.  Soil  digitization  is part of a separate  project to complete digitization of soils in
 Kansas. Atrazine loss potential was estimated using hydro-logic groups, with hydrologic  group D
 soils having the most  severe solution-loss potential and  hydrologic group A soils the least.
 Hydrologic group has proven to be a good indicator of pesticide solution-loss potential. Highly
 erodible land status was  also determined for each soil  mapping  unit. It should be noted that
 mapping highly erodible land status by soil mapping units is not representative since actual status
 is determined on a field basis.

 The land-cover data  layer  was digitized at the Kansas Applied Remote Sensing laboratory at the
 University of Kansas. Land cover was determined from 30-meter LANDSAT images taken in 1988.
 Five classes of land-cover data were considered:  cropland, grassland, woodland, water, and other.
 The hydrology data layer was  traced from 7.5-minute U.S. Geological Survey quadrangles.
 Information was scanned and imported into ARC/INFO. Twenty and four (24)-meter buffers were
 created around hydrology features.

 The geographic information system procedure proved valuable in estimating potential impact of
 atrazine loss to  surface water. There were some discrepancies between the soil, hydrology, and
 land-cover data, especially relative to  water features. Also, the digital land-cover data contained
 some polygons that had too many arcs for PC ARC/INFO version 34d.  This information had to be
 read and clipped using a workstation version of ARC/INFO.

 Digitized soil information  enabled  rapid display of atrazine  loss potential. Addition of digitized
 land-cover information identified cropland,  the  land cover most likely to receive applications of
 atrazine. Soil credibility status provided  information on practices that can be  used to reduce
 atrazine runoff. Highly erodible soils have conservation  requirements needed to meet the
 conservation compliance provision of the 1985 Farm Bill. Such soils rely on structural and residue
 management practices to meet soil-erosion goals. Such practices also help reduce atrazine runoff
 losses. There was some non-highly erodible  cropland identified with a severe atrazine runoff loss
 potential. Non-highly erodible  soils have  additional tillage and incorporation options to reduce
 atrazine  runoff losses. Buffering hydrologic features in a  GIS format provided information on
 atrazine  loss potential in  riparian areas. Ground  truth has not been completed to determine
whether 30-meter LANDSAT images accurately reflect land cover in the riparian area.

This project was funded in part from a  grant  from the National  Agricultural Pesticide Impact
Assessment Program (NAPIAP).
                                           39

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                                 ESTIMATING POLLUTANT SOIL RATINGS
John S. Hickman, Paul R. Finnell, and Richard L. Schlepp, Kansas State University and
U.S. Soil Conservation Service, Manhattan, Kansas


Estimating soil potential for pesticide loss is an important consideration in planning for nonpoint-
source pollution control. Several screening procedures have been developed by the USDA to group
soils into severe, moderate, or slight utensils for pesticide runoff and leaching. The objective of this
study was to evaluate soil-screening procedures for solution, adsorbed, and  leaching loss of
pesticide using the GLEAMS model.            ..                             .          .   ..

Pesticide loss was simulated for soil mapping units from five Kansas counties using the GLEAMS
model  (version 1.8.55). The counties represent vastly different geographic and climatic regions.
Thirty-year simulations were completed for continuous grain sorghum under dryland and irrigated
conditions. The pesticides atrazine, glyphosate, and aldicarb were simulated to represent solution,
adsorbed, and leaching loss, respectively. Evaluation of screening procedures was completed by
comparing^to simulated pesticide loss values.

GLEAMS predicts runoff based on a curve-number approach, which Is significantly affected by
hydrologic soil group (HSG) but not by slope. An improved soil-screening procedure was developed
that uses HSG as an initial variable to group soils. Slight-rated soils are HSG A, moderate-rated
soils are HSG B, and severe-rated soils are HSG C and D. Differences in climate were considered
by  lowering  HSG C soils (dryland only) one class if in a Ustic moisture regime.  Further
modifications for flooding were added to reflect soils in an occasional or frequent flooding class.

None of the existing screening procedures did a good job of grouping soils for adsorbed loss. These
procedures did not account for important factors such as slope, slope length, soil credibility, and
climate. The improved soil-screening procedure  uses the RKLS factor  in Universe Soil Loss
Equation to group soils for adsorbed loss. Values of RKLS of 20 and 40 were chosen to group soils
into rating classes. All soils with a RKLS > 40 are considered highly erodible due to sheet and rill
erosion for the conservation compliance  provision  of the 1985 Farm Bill and are rated severe for
pesticide absorbed loss. Soils with an RKLS factor between  20 and 40 are rated moderate, while
those below 20 are rated slight. As in solution-loss ratings, further modifications for flooding were
considered.

Existing pesticicie-leaching screening procedures  use HSG, surface-horizon depth, and surface
organic-matter content to initially categorize soils for leaching loss. Further modifications are
made for  climate, slope, water table, depth to  highly  permeable material, and bedrock. The
GLEAMS model did not predict lower amounts of  percolation or leaching on highly sloping soils.
An  improved soil-screening procedure  was developed  that  did  not  consider  slope and only
considered apparent water tables not perched water tables. Type of water table and permeability of
bedrock are important variables and need careful evaluation in the soil data base.

This project was funded in part  from grants received from the U.S.  Environmental  Protection
Agency, the  Kansas Department of Health and Environment,  and  the  State Conservation
Commission.
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           RECONNAISSANCE DATA FOR HERBICIDES AND THEIR
       METABOLITES IN SURFACE WATER OF THE MIDWESTERN
                            UNITED STATES: IMMUNOASSAY AND GAS
                         CHROMATOGRAPHY/MASS SPECTROMETRY
Elisabeth A. Scribner, E. Michael Thunnan, and Donald A. Goolsby, U.S. Geological
Survey, Lawrence, Kansas, and Lakewood, Colorado


Chemical data were collected during 1989-90 for an assessment of. preemergent herbicides and
their metabolites from 147 rivers and streams located  in 10 states in the midwestem United
States. All water samples were  collected using depth-integrating techniques at three to five
locations across each stream.  Sites were sampled three times  in 1989—before application  of
herbicides, during the first runoff event after application of herbicides, and in the fall during a
base-flow period when most of the streamflow was derived from ground water. Fifty sites were
resampled with a stratified random procedure for both pre- and post-application in 1990 to verify
the 1989 results. Samples were analyzed by enzyme-linked  immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and
confirmed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry  (GC/MS). The  results proved useful  in
studying herbicide transport, comparing the spatial distribution of the concentrations of  10
herbicides and 2 metabolites (deethylatrazine and deisopropylatrazine) in streams and rivers after
their application on a regional scale,  examination of the persistence of herbicides and their
metabolites in surface water, and usefulness of atrazine metabolites as indicators of surface- and
ground-water interaction.
                                         41

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ATRAZINE MANAGEMENT TO MEET WATER-QUALITY CRITERIA


David L. Regehr, Dallas E. Peterson, and John S. Hickman, Kansas State University,
Manhattan, Kansas


Atrazine is  the pesticide  most frequently exceeding the Environmental  Protection Agency's
proposed Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) in Kansas surface waters. Northeast Kansas, a
region that .depends heavily on surface waters for  public water supplies, is the most severely
impacted. Atrazine concentrations above the 3 ppm MCL are common in many streams during the
summer months and may occur year around below major reservoirs.

Pesticides in surface-water runoff are partitioned into either the adsorbed (sediment) or solution
(water) phase, depending on their solubility and partition coefficient. About 90% of atrazine lost in
surface runoff is in the  solution phase. Atrazine loss is highest in the first runoff event after
application, with the first runoff having the highest atrazine concentrations. Most of the atrazine
lost in runoff comes from the "mixing zone," the top half inch of soil.

Thirty years of northeast Kansas weather data were used to predict atrazine losses associated with
different application practices. Atrazine applied in early April  is less than half as susceptible to
runoff loss as that applied in late May and June,  due to differences in rainfall amounts and
intensities. Soil  incorporation  of atrazine decreases runoff losses by  about 65%, compared to
surface  application.  Reducing atrazine rates through banding or foliar applications decreases
runoff losses dramatically. These factors can be used to formulate atrazine-use programs with the
aim of reducing atrazine concentrations in surface waters by 50%.
                                           42

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       EFFECTS OF PORE-SIZE DISTRIBUTION AND SATURATION
                  CYCLES ON ATRAZINE AND BROMIDE TRANSPORT
                                                                 THROUGH SOIL
EJL Smith, P. J. Shea, W.L. Powers, and D.R. Tupy, University of Nebraska-Lincoln,
Lincoln, Nebraska


Recent research in Nebraska revealed  a relationship between soil pore-size distribution (PSD),
reflected in a PSD index,  and atrazine transport through surface soil.  Atrazine and bromide
transport through a Crete silt loam from a corn producing area was related .to PSD and bulk
density. Undisturbed soil cores were collected to a depth of 7 cm from wheel traffic and non-wheel
traffic locations and within rows in a conventionally tilled continuous com field. Atrazine and
bromide were applied at 4.9 kg a.i. ha"1 (approximately twice the field  rate) and 66 kg ha"1,
respectively, to each core and allowed to equilibrate 72 h. Leachate was  collected at increasing
water potentials between 10 and 1,000 cm during multiple desaturation cycles. The Brooks and
Corey equation was used to calculate PSD from relative soil-water content and matric tension. A
significant positive association between total bromide eluted and PSD index and a significant
negative  association  between total atrazine eluted and PSD index  suggested  more bromide
transport and less  atrazine transport  in  soils with  a larger fraction  of larger sized pores.
Observations indicated that pore-size distribution may be a more sensitive indicator of atrazine
transport than  bulk density. Relatively equal amounts of bromide  eluted  in the first three
desaturations, while decreasing amounts of atrazine eluted after  each desaturation. First-order
degradation can explain the atrazine reduction after desaturation  two, while the reduction in
atrazine eluted during the third desaturation may be due, in part, to other physical and chemical
processes.
                                          43

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                 Selected Herbicides in Bottom Sediments and Water
                                               of Water-Supply Lakes in Iowa


 1S.J. Kalkhoff, 2J. Kennedy, ^V. Agena and 2G. Breuer

 1 U.S. Geological Survey, Iowa City, Iowa
 2 University of Iowa Hygenic Laboratory, Des Moines, Iowa
 3 Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Des Moies, Iowa


 A cooperative study to investigate the occurrence of several common herbicides in 15 water-supply
 lakes in Iowa was conducted by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, the University of Iowa
 Hygienic Laboratory, and the U.S. Geological Survey. The study was conducted in February and
 March 1993 when the lakes were ice covered to ensure minimal input of sediment from runoff and
 minimal sediment resuspension due to wave action. The lakes sampled ranged from  12 to about
 5,700 acres in size, with drainage  areas of about 500  to  15,000  acres. Land use within the
 watersheds is  primarily row-crop agriculture. Samples were collected  from  12 lakes in the
 southern Iowa and three natural lakes in northwestern Iowa and analyzed for alachlor, atrazine,
 butylate, cyanazine, metolachlor, metribuzin, and trifluralin.  Bottom-sediment and water samples
 were collected at a site in shallow water near the primary inflow and at a site in the deepest part of
 the lake; on two lakes, samples were collected only from the inflow site.

 Three of the seven herbicides were detected (detection limit varied from 3 to 5 ng/kg) in sediment
 samples. Atrazine was detected in the sediment samples from eight lakes, cyanazine in two lakes,
 and alachlor in two lakes. Atrazine  was detected in 46% of all sediment samples, cyanazine in
 14%, and alachlor in 14%. Metolachlor,  metribuzin, butylate, and trifluralin were not detected.
 Atrazine  concentrations ranged from less  than the  detection  limit to  16 ng/kg;  cyanazine
 concentrations ranged from less than the detection limit to 14 ng/kg; and alachlor concentrations
 ranged from  less than the  detection  limit  to  90 |ig/kg. Atrazine  concentrations in sediment
 samples from the deep sites were not significantly different (p>0.05) at the 95% confidence level
 than in  sediment samples from the  shallow sites,  even though atrazine was detected more
 frequently in sediment at the deep sites (62%) than at the shallow sites (33%).

 Four of the seven herbicides were detected (detection limit 0.1 |ig/L) in water samples. Atrazine
 was  detected in the water samples from 14 lakes, cyanazine in 8 lakes, metolachlor in 3 lakes, and
 trifluralin in  1  lake. Atrazine was detected in 89%  of all  water samples,  cyanazine in 50%,
 metolachlor in 14%, and trifluralin in 4%. Alachlor, metribuzin, and butylate were not detected.
 The  atrazine  concentrations in water ranged from less  than the detection limit to 2.3 pg/L;
 cyanazine concentrations ranged from  less than the detection limit to 1.2 fig/L; and metolachlor
.concentrations ranged from less than  the detection limit to 0.19 |ig/L. Atrazine and cyanazine
 concentrations in the water were not significantly different (p>.0.05) between the shallow and deep
 sampling sites.

 Atrazine concentrations in the bottom  sediment were determined to  have  a weak but significant
 relation (r^O.S?; p=0.0005)  to the atrazine  concentrations  in the overlying water. This  relation
 could not be tested for the remaining  herbicides studied  because of the lack of detectable
 concentrations in the sediment, water, or both.
                                           44

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    THE COMPREHENSIVE ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMIC POLICY

      EVALUATION SYSTEM: AN APPLICATION TO ATRAZINE AND

                                                                   WATER QUALITY



Aziz Bouzaher, Center for Agricultural Rural Development, Ames, Iowa, and Andrew
Manale, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C.


The Comprehensive Environmental Economic Evaluation  System  (CEEPES) is an  analytical
framework designed to  generate trade-offs  for regulating nonppint source reduction. Its current
configuration is set up to evaluate herbicide policies centered on the use., of atrazine and 15 other
chemicals in the midwestern region of the United States (Corn Belt, Lake States, Northern Plains,
Kansas).

CEEPES is a system of linked physical and economic models. The key components of the system are
(i) a mathematical programming model of agricultural decision making used  to simulate producer
responses to alternative  agricultural and environmental policies, (ii) physical process models used to
simulate weed competition, herbicide weather impact,  and herbicide fate and  transport in multiple
environmental media. The system is based on a novel approach of linking models and aggregating
their outcomes using response function methodology (metamodeling).

CEEPES evaluation includes (i)  assessment of producers' substitution responses and their market
consequences, (ii) simulation of fate and transport  processes which lead to herbicide concentrations
in environmental  media,  (iii) valuation  of  human risks  and  other  damages caused by  those
concentrations, and (iv) comparison of quantitative measures of the policies.

The  economic indicators generated by CEEPES. for each policy option, at the producing area (PA),
state, and  USDA region levels,  include producer net return, cost of production, crop mix, tillage
practices, conservation  practices,  relations,  weed control strategies, herbicide use, fertilizer use,
erosion, and commodity  program participation.

The  environmental indicators generated by CEEPES, for each policy option, by crop, tillage system,
soil series, county, P.A.  state, and region, include groundwater concentrations at (1.2 meters,  7.0
meters,  and 15 meters), surface water concentrations, air concentrations, and both surface  water
and groundwater exposures (relative risk).

Atrazine is the most widely used herbicide for corn and sorghum, and one of the most commonly
encountered in surface  and ground water.  In addition to water quality problems, atrazine  poses
hazards .through air transport, food residue, and the exposure of applicators, and wildlife. If atrazine
us'e is 'restricted, substitute herbicides will come into wider use, imposing different environmental
stress, cost or efficiency  penalties,  and shifts in production and resource use patterns.

The preliminary results generated are for .an atrazine ban and a triazine ban and for an atrazine post-
application (timing restriction).. We estimate that overall the  benefits of an  atrazine  ban  are
questionable since this option results in decreased producer and consumer surplus, increased risk
from other herbicides, and increased erosion. In addition, restricting application rates of atrazine to
1.5 pounds of active ingredients would not produce significant environmental benefits. A triazine ban
(atrazine, cimazine, and  cyanazine) results in larger decreases in net return, increased soil erosion,
and  increased risk from other  herbicides,  in particular the sulfonylureas. (under specific model
assumptions).

One of  the most important aspects of CEEPES  is  a detailed characterization of weed control
technology which,  in addition to standards  of control measures like  bans, rato restrictions, and
timing restrictions, can lend itself to  the  evaluation of  incentive-based options such as best
management practices, and tax on  chemical inputs.

Finally, we note that CEEPES framework has also been used in assessing the  carbon sequestration
impacts of row crop agriculture and is being extended to produce nutrient loadings from agricultural
activity, including confined livestock operations.
                                            45

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                                   PRESENTER ADDRESSES
 Diana S. Aga
 U.S. Geological Survey, WRD
 4821 Quail Crest Place
 Lawrence, KS 66049-3839
Donald A, Goolsby
U.S. Geological Survey, WRD
MS 406, Box 25046
Bldg. 25, Denver Federal Center
Lakewood, CO 80225
Jane Nieuhues
NFS Pollution Plan for the
  Delaware Drainage Area
RR 2, Box 55
Goff, KS 66428
 Philip A. Banks
 MARATHON-Agricultural and
  Environmental Consulting,
  Inc.
 2649 Navajo Road
 Las Cruces, NM 88005
Jerry Hatfield
U.S. Department of Agriculture
National Soil Tilth Laboratory
2150 Pammel Drive
Ames, IA50011
Michael L. Pomes
U.S. Geological Survey, WRD
4821 Quail Crest Place
Lawrence, KS 66049-3839
 Philip L. Barnes
 Kansas State University
 6347 NW 17th
 Topeka, KS 66618
John Hickman
Kansas State University
Department of Agronomy,
 Crop, Soil, & Range Science
Throckmorton Hall
Manhattan, KS 66506
Stephen J. Randtke
Civil Engineering Department
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS 66045
 Aziz Bouzaher
 Center for Agricultural and
   Rural Development
 Ames, IA 50011
Donald Huggins
Kansas Biological Survey
Nichols Hall
University of Kansas, Campus West
Lawrence, KS 66045
David Regehr
D.W. Rushing, Monsanto
 Agricultural Company
Des Moines, IA
 Aron Cromwell
 U.S. Geological Survey, WRD
 4821 Quail Crest Place
 Lawrence, KS 66049-3839
Stephen Kalkhoff
U.S. Geological Survey, WRD
P.O. Box 1230
Iowa City. IA 52244
Robert J. Robel
Kansas State University
Division of Biology
Ackert Hall
Manhattan, KS 66506
 Robert Dunlevy
' U.S.'Environmental Protection
  Agency Region VII
 726 Minnesota
 Kansas City, KS 66101
Gerard J. Kluitenberg
Kansas State Department of Agronomy
Throckmorton Hall
Manhattan. KS 66506
Duane Sand
Iowa Natural Heritage
 Foundation
 James D. Fallon
 U.S. Geological Survey, WRD
 4821 Quail Crest Place
 Lawrence, KS 66049-3839
Ralph Langemeier
U.S. Environmental Protection
 Agency. Region VII
Drinking Water Division
726 Minnesota Ave.
Kansas City. KS 66101
Bryan Schaap
U.S. Geological Survey, WRD
P.O. Box 1230
Iowa City, IA 52244
 Terry L. Gloriod
 St. Louis County Water Co.
 535 North New Ballas Road
 St. Louis, MO 63141
Michael T. Meyer
U.S. Geological Survey. WRD
4821 Quail Crest Place
Lawrence. KS 66049-3839
Elisabeth A. Scribner
U.S. Geological Survey, WRD
4821 Quail Crest Place
Lawrence, KS 66049-3839
                                                      46

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 J L. Sinclair
 Robert S. Kerr Environmental
  Research Laboratory
 P.O. Box 1198
 Ada, OK 74821
Sharon K. Widmer
University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Dept. of Agronomy
103 Natural Resources Hall
Lincoln, NE 68583-0844
 Elizabeth Smith
 364 Plant Science
 University of Nebraska - Lincoln
 Lincoln, NE 68583
Donald H. WilMson
U.S. Geological Survey, WRD
MS 200,
1400 Independence Road
Rolla, MO 65401
 Daniel D. Snow
 University of Nebraska - Lincoln
 103 Natural Resources Hall
 Lincoln, NE 68583-0844
Roy Spalding
University of Nebraska - Lincoln
103 Natural Resources Hall
Lincoln, NE 68583-0844
John K. Stamer
U.S. Geological Survey, WRD
4821 Quail Crest Place
Lawrence, KS 66049-3839
James Steichen
Kansas State University
Agricultural Engineering
 Department
Manhattan, KS 66506
Darrell Sumner
Ciba-Geigy Corporation
P.O.'Box 18300
Greensboro, NC 27419-8300
Alan Teel
Iowa State University of
 Science and Technology
117 1/2 S. Main
Oceola, IA55213
E. Michael Thurman
U.S. Geological Survey, WRD
4821 Quail Crest Place
Lawrence, KS 66049-3839
                                                       47

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