Wastewater Chemicals in Colorado’s Streams and Ground Water

Back to Fact Sheet 2004–3127

By Lori A. Sprague and William A. Battaglin

Figure 4. Caffeine, DEET, nonylphenol, and triclosan were four of the more commonly detected chemicals at each site type. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is developing aquatic-life criteria for nonylphenol because of its potential for endocrine disruption, and triclosan is of concern because it may increase the antibiotic resistance of bacteria in the environment.