Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2010WA308B

Water Quality Parameters Controlling the Photodegradation of Herbicides in Surface Waters in the Columbia Basin, Washington

Institute: Washington
Year Established: 2010 Start Date: 2010-03-01 End Date: 2011-02-28
Total Federal Funds: $28,000 Total Non-Federal Funds: $56,109

Principal Investigators: Olha Furman, Jeremy Rentz, Jeffrey Ullman, Rick Watts

Project Summary: Pesticides are applied to crop lands at various times throughout the year. Although the benefits of pesticide use are undisputed, runoff of these xenobiotics into surface water can result in threats to public health and aquatic organisms. Pesticide transformation processes include abiotic oxidation and reduction, hydrolysis, photolysis, and biodegradation. Photolysis of pesticides is one of the primary transformation pathways in the surface waters. Atrazine and 2,4-D are the most frequently detected herbicides in surface waters in the Central Columbia Basin of Washington State. The proposed research will elucidate which of three water quality parameters (nitrate-nitrogen concentration, dissolved organic matter, and transition metal oxide concentrations) control the photolysis rate of atrazine and 2,4-D in the surface waters of the Columbia Basin. The rationale of this study is that a fundamental understanding of herbicide transformation will provide a foundation to predict herbicide fate in the Columbia Basin, and provide the potential to manage irrigation runoff to maximize rates of photolysis in surface waters.