Megan E. Shoda

Recovery data for surface water, groundwater and lab reagent samples analyzed by the USGS National Water Quality Laboratory schedule 2437, water years 2013-15

Analytical recovery is the concentration of an analyze measured in a water-quality sample expressed as a percentage of the known concentration added to the sample (Mueller and others, 2015). Analytical recovery (hereafter referred to as recovery ) can be used to understand method bias and variability and to assess the temporal changes in a method over time (Martin and others, 2009). This data set includes two tables: one table of field spike recovery data and one table of lab reagent spike recovery data. The table of field spike recovery data includes results from paired environmental and spike samples collected by the National Water Quality Program, National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Project in surface water and groundwater. These samples were collected as part of the NAWQA Project s National Water Quality Network: Rivers and Streams assessment, Regional Stream Quality Assessment studies and in multiple groundwater networks following standard practices (Mueller and others, 1997). This table includes environmental and spike water-quality sample data stored in the USGS National Water Information System (NWIS) database (https://dx.doi.org/10.5066/F7P55KJN). Concentrations of pesticides in spike samples, while stored in the NWIS database, are not publically available. The calculation of recovery based on these field sample data is outlined in Mueller and others (2015). Lab reagent spikes are pesticide-free reagent water spiked with a known concentration of pesticide. Lab reagent spikes are prepared in the lab and their recovery can be directly measured. The table of lab reagent spike data contains quality control sample information stored in the USGS National Water Quality Laboratory (NWQL) database. Both tables include fields for data-quality indicators that are described in the data processing steps of this metadata file. These tables were developed in order to support a USGS Scientific Investigations Report with the working title Considerations for the Preparation of Pesticide Data Analyzed with National Water Quality Laboratory Schedule 2437 Martin, J.D., Stone, W.W, Wydoski, D.S., and Sandstrom, M.W., 2009, Adjustment of pesticide concentrations for temporal changes in analytical recovery, 1992 2006: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2009 5189, 23 p. plus appendixes. Mueller, D.K., Schertz, T.L., Martin, J.D., and Sandstrom, M.W., 2015, Design, analysis, and interpretation of field quality-control data for water-sampling projects: U.S. Geological Survey Techniques and Methods, book 4, chap. C4, 54 p., https://dx.doi.org/10.3133/tm4C4. Mueller, D.K., Martin, J.D. and Lopes, T.J., 1997, Quality-Control Design for Surface-Water Sampling in the National Water-Quality Assessment Program: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 97-223, 8 p. plus appendixes.

Water-quality trends in U.S. rivers, 2002 to 2012: Relations to levels of concern

Effective management and protection of water resources relies upon understanding how water-quality conditions are changing over time. Water-quality trends for ammonia, chloride, nitrate, sulfate, total dissolved solids (TDS), total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) were assessed at 762 sites located in the conterminous United States between 2002 and 2012. Annual mean concentrations at the start and end of the trend period were compared to an environmentally meaningful level of concern (LOC) to categorize patterns in water-quality changes. Trend direction, magnitude, and the proximity of concentrations to LOCs were investigated. Of the 1956 site-constituent combinations investigated, 30% were above the LOC in 2002, and only six (0.3%) crossed the LOC threshold, either from above or below, indicating that waterquality conditions are not substantially improving, nor are they degrading, in relation to the LOCs. The concentrations of ammonia, nitrate, sulfate, chloride, and TDS tended to be below the LOC, and in cases where the trend was increasing (concentrations approached the LOC from below), the increases were varied and small in magnitude. In contrast, concentrations of TN and TP tended to be above the LOC, and where the trend was decreasing (concentrations approached the LOC from above), the decreases were larger in magnitude and more consistent. These results indicate that if water-quality conditions continue to trend in the same direction, at the same rate, for all sites and constituents studied, elevated concentrations are more likely to drop below an LOC before low concentrations will exceed an LOC.

Replicate surface water and groundwater data analyzed by USGS National Water Quality Laboratory schedule 2437, 2013-15

Replicate water-quality samples are collected and prepared in the field and analyzed in the laboratory in identical ways so that they are considered to be the same in composition and analysis (Mueller and others, 2015). This data set includes one table of duplicate National Water-Quality Assessment Project (NAWQA) surface water and groundwater samples collected between October 1, 2012 and September 30, 2015 and analyzed by the USGS National Water Quality Laboratory (NWQL) using direct aqueous-injection liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (Schedule 2437; Sandstrom and others, 2015) for the determination of 225 pesticides at 288 sites. Mueller, D.K., Schertz, T.L., Martin, J.D., and Sandstrom, M.W., 2015, Design, analysis, and interpretation of field quality-control data for water-sampling projects: U.S. Geological Survey Techniques and Methods, book 4, chap. C4, 54 p., https://dx.doi.org/10.3133/tm4C4 Sandstrom, M.W., Kanagy, L.K., Anderson, C.A., Kanagy, C.J., 2015, Determination of pesticides and pesticide degradates in filtered water by direct aqueous-injection liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry: U.S. Geological Survey Techniques and Methods, book 5, chap. B11, 54 p., https://dx.doi.org/10.3133/tm5B11

Prediction of Pesticide Toxicity in Midwest Streams

The occurrence of pesticide mixtures is common in stream waters of the United States, and the impact of multiple compounds on aquatic organisms is not well understood. Watershed Regressions for Pesticides (WARP) models were developed to predict Pesticide Toxicity Index (PTI) values in unmonitored streams in the Midwest and are referred to as WARP-PTI models. The PTI is a tool for assessing the relative toxicity of pesticide mixtures to fish, benthic invertebrates, and cladocera in stream water. One hundred stream sites in the Midwest were sampled weekly in May through August 2013, and the highest calculated PTI for each site was used as the WARP-PTI model response variable. Watershed characteristics that represent pesticide sources and transport were used as the WARP-PTI model explanatory variables. Three WARP-PTI models-fish, benthic invertebrates, and cladocera-were developed that include watershed characteristics describing toxicity-weighted agricultural use intensity, land use, agricultural management practices, soil properties, precipitation, and hydrologic properties. The models explained between 41 and 48% of the variability in the measured PTI values. WARP-PTI model evaluation with independent data showed reasonable performance with no clear bias. The models were applied to streams in the Midwest to demonstrate extrapolation for a regional assessment to indicate vulnerable streams and to guide more intensive monitoring.