National Pesticide Survey : Fact Sheet


               U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
                     NATIONAL PESTICIDE SURVEY

                             FACT SHEET
Introduction to the Survey

     Fifty percent of all Americans get their drinking water from
wells supplied by ground water.

     In rural areas, the figure is closer to 90%.

     It is therefore important that we know as much as possible
about the quality of that well water.

     Since 1985, EPA has been verifying reports from the States
on the presence of pesticides in their ground water.  This
information has been pesticide-specific and limited to particular
geographic areas.  In order to provide a national assessment, EPA
has initiated a National Survey of Pesticides in Drinking Water
Wells.

Survey Goals

     EPA's National Pesticide Survey (NPS) is the first national
study of pesticides in drinking water wells.

     The Survey will determine the frequency and concentration of
127 frequently used agricultural chemicals in 1350 statistically
selected wells.  It will also examine how pesticide usage and
ground-water vulnerability relate to the contamination process.

     A joint project of EPA's Office of Drinking Water and Office
of Pesticide Programs, the Survey will cost approximately $11
million and will take two years to complete sampling and testing.

     NPS is one of the most comprehensive statistical studies
conducted by the Agency and its results will constitute a key
component in EPA's strategy for understanding and regulating the
use of agricultural chemicals as they may impact ground water.

     NPS information will aid EPA in meeting its responsibilities
for protecting our drinking water under the Safe Drinking Water
Act (SDWA) and regulating the use of agricultural chemicals under
the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act  (FIFRA).

     The Survey is a national study and is not intended to
provide a statistically valid assessment of pesticide
contamination of wells in any particular locality.

-------
2
Survey Operations - Sampling
NPS began sampling 750 domestic (private) wells and 600
wells in community (public) water system sampling in April 1988.
Sampling is expected to be complete in early winter 1990.
The wells have been selected to constitute a statistically
representative sample of the nation’s 13 million domestic wells
and 51,000 community water systems that use ground water.
Wells were selected, at random, to represent areas with
varying patterns of pesticide use and ground-water
vulnerability. None of the wells, systems, or counties were
selected because of any knowledge or suspicion of problems with
their drinking water quality.
Community well sampling is being done by State water supply
agencies. Domestic wells are sampled by the Survey’s
implementation contractor.
Some sampling will be done in every State.
Survey Operations - Testing
Chemical analyses will be done by five contract labora-
tories. EPA labs will provide quality control.
NPS will be testing for 127 different pesticides (including
breakdown products) and nitrates. New laboratory techniques have
been developed that can detect as many as 40 contaminants in a
single test. These “multi—residue methods” are expected to have
widespread use in future public and private research efforts.
For 55 “priority pesticides” with a high potential for
leaching into ground water, EPA has prepared scientific,
pesticide—specific health advisories which discuss chemical
properties, potential health implications,and treatment options
applicable to each substance.
Brief, non-technical health advisory summaries have also
been developed by NPS for these 55 contaminants as part of the
Survey’s extensive public information program.
Testing and quality control reviews require about 16 weeks
from the time samples are taken.

-------
3
Survey Operations - Findings
States are assisting EPA in notifying community water
systems and private wells owners of the results of their well
analyses. If a contaminant is found, owner-operators receive an
official notification letter and a packet of health advisory
information on the specific pesticide(s) found in their well
water.
Private well owners whose drinking water contains a
contaminant are encouraged to seek more information on retesting
and treatment, and will be provided with names and telephone
numbers of appropriate local, State, and Federal agencies to
contact for more information.
In cooperation with the States, EPA has developed procedures
for releasing domestic well results while still protecting
individual privacy, consistent with State and Federal laws.
community water sampling results are public information and will
be made available accordingly.
Preliminary results will be available in Fall 1990.A final
Survey report will be prepared in late 1990.
Regulatory Implications
Possible Agency actions that may be influenced by Survey
findings include the following:
o If high pesticide usage combined with vulnerable ground
water does increase the likelihood of contamination,
EPA’S Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) will know more
about which pesticides to monitor and where.
o Where Survey data indicates a contaminant appearing
frequently at levels of health concern, OPP may require
registrants to do more monitoring in areas of high
vulnerability.
o Pesticide compounds that appear frequently at levels of
health concern may become candidates for regulation by
EPA’S Office of Drinking Water (ODW) through the maximum
contaminant level process.
o The range of pesticide concentrations found in drinking
water wells will help ODW in its assessments of water
treatment systems.

-------
4
Cooperating Agencies
State and local governments play a key part in implementing
the National Pesticide Survey.
In addition to their role in water sampling and notification
of results, State water supply agencies are collecting pertinent
community well engineering and construction data.
State agriculture departments are to helping NPS to obtain
pesticide usage data and to keep the agricultural community
informed of Survey progress.
At the County level, extension agents are assisting in
gathering crop and pesticide usage data. County health
departments are being provided with health advisories and other
appropriate information as part of the Survey’s public
information efforts.
Both the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S.
Department of Interior’s Geologic Survey are working closely with
EPA on this project.
More Information about the Survey
For general information on the Survey, call EPA’s Safe
Drinking Water Hotline toll—free at 1-800-426-4791 (in
Washington, D.C., call 382—5533) from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
E.S.T., Monday through Friday.
For information on the health advisories and health advisory
summaries call the Hotline.
To be placed on the Survey mailing list, call the Hotline or
write to Jeanne Briskin, Director for the National Pesticide
Survey (WH-550), 401 M Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20460.
For specific information about pesticides included in the
Survey, call EPA’s National Pesticide Telecommunications Network,
seven days a week, 24 hours a day, at 1-800—858-7378.
#
October 10, 1988

-------
Pesticides Included in the EPA National Pesticide Survey
Acifluorfefl* Dinoseb* Oxa y1*
AtachlCr Dtp terta id’
. .d1 .carb* DisuLfo on* Pebulace
A .dLcarb s Lfon e* Disulfoeon st 1.fane cts•Pe ethrLr1
. LdLcarb su.].Løzida* D isulfotott suLf3zide cra s - Perm. cz t
ALdr n Diuron Piclora *
Pt O etoTt*
Atracot Ex dosuLfan I Fromecr yn
Acrazine* Ertdosulfart II
Atrazine, deaLkytated Endosulfaxt suLfate Pronaeid. metabolize
Barb an Endrin* Propachlor*
Baygon* Endr .n aldehyde Propanil
Bencazon* EPTC Propazinet
Bromaci l* Ethoprop Propham*
Bucachior Etridiazole Simaztns*
Bu tyLace* ETU* Simetryit
Carbary].* Fena iphos* Scirofas
Carbofuran Fena iphos suLforL Siu ep
Carbofu.ran ph.nct Fena iphos sui.fexid. 2,4 ,5.T*
Cbofuran ph.n@L-3KET FeTtari oL T.bhiur o
Carbofuran-30)4 F1u maturon* rerbacilt
Carboxin* Fluridøne Terbufos*
Chtoraaben* HCR-alpha
Ch lordane-aLpha ICR-beta 2, ,5.TP*
ChLordar . g m * HCH. delta Triadam. fon
Chlorneb MCM-gaa Tricyclazo]e
Chlorobenzilace Mep cachtor Triflural in*
Chtorothalonit* 14.pcachlor .paxide* V.rnotacs
ChLorpropb a He tach]arabenzu **
Cya ’taz ine* Hexazthon.*
Cyc loats 5-Hydroxy Dica ba
2.4.D* Linuzon
Dalapon* tt.rphos
2, .-DB Methtocaxb
DBCP* Metho.yl*
DCPA 1etboxychlor*
DCPA diacid m.tabolirs PI.thy] paraoxon
‘..‘ -DDD 1.to lachlor*
4 ,(e’ -DDE t’tstribuzin
4, -DDT Metribtizin DA
De mecon-S Mstribuzin DADE
Diazinon* Meribuzin DX
D ica ba* (epttos
3.S-Dichlorob.nzoLc acid MGK 264
I ,2-DLch]oroprapan. Molinac.
cis-l, 3-Dichloroprop.n. Naptop a ide
cranz-l.3 •Dichtoroprop.n.* ’ N.buron
Dichlorprcp Nitrae .a/NLtrt .tei
Dichiorvos 4-Nicroph.nol .
Die ldrth* orflurazon rtL 14,19U
* Priority p.sttcidas which have a high potentiaL for Leaching into gxo dw&tet.
For inforutton on Health Advisories, contact the Safe Dtii’iking Water
Hocline. 1-800-426-4791, colt-fr.. Mon-Fri 8:30 .4:30 E.S.T. (In Washington. D.C..
call 382-5533).

-------