WATER QUALITY: Briefing papers on organic substances in water


                                                 October 23, 1975

QUALITY OF WATER BRANCH TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM NO. 76.05

Subject: WATER QUALITY: Briefing papers on organic substances in 
                        water

The Geological Survey has been engaged in water quality activities 
since early in this century, beginning with the inorganic analysis 
of stream and lake waters in Oregon in 1911. For the next 50 
years, chemical quality programs were concerned almost exclusively 
with inorganic constituents, except for organic nitrogen, phenols, 
color, and oils. There were two main reasons for this lack of 
concern for organics in water: (l) Insufficient appreciation by 
both the scientific and lay communities of the importance of 
dissolved and suspended organic materials; (2) Lack of available 
instrumentation and methodology to determine organic substances in 
water at low levels of concentration and at costs that were 
acceptable.

The era of complacency ended in 1962 with the publication of 
"Silent Spring," by Rachel Carson. Either as a direct result of 
this book or its coincidental reinforcement of a growing awareness 
of environmental degradation, there has come about a literal 
explosion of concern for all forms of environmental pollution. The 
manufacturers of analytical instrumentation have not been slow to 
recognize the potential, and have produced an ever-increasing 
variety of instruments capable of detecting organic substances at 
very low concentration levels.

In view of the almost universal recognition of the dangers of 
irresponsible environmental contamination and the resulting 
extensive recent environmental legislation, it seems unnecessary 
to justify at great length the involvement of the Geological 
Survey in studies of organic substances in water. The rapid 
increase, both in number and complexity, of such studies in the 
Division's program has produced a need for a series of briefing 
papers on organic substances in water that is similar in nature to 
the series of briefing papers on aquatic biology that was 
introduced by Quality of Water Branch Memorandum No. 75.23. These 
informal reports will consider sources of organics in water, their 
classification, transport in the hydrologic system, and other 
topics of interest. A tentative list of topics to be covered is 
attached to this memorandum. Also attached are the first three 
briefing papers of the series, "Why Study Organic Substances in 
Water," by R. J. Pickering, "Taste and Odor in Water," by R. A. 
Baker, and "Classification and Fractionation of Organic Solutes in 
Natural Waters," by J. A. Leenheer. Additional papers will be 
transmitted in the near future.


                              R. J. Pickering

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