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NAWQA findings in the Hudson River Basin represented a broader
array of analyses using lower detection limits than data previously
available to the State of New York. The New York State
Department of Environmental Conservation applies the NAWQA
pesticide information and protocols in its statewide pesticide
monitoring, as required under the New York State Pesticide
Reporting Law, to improve decisions regarding pesticide registration
(Environmental Conservation Law Section 33-0714). A part of
the monitoring program investigates the occurrence of pesticides
and their breakdown products in public-water supply reservoirs,
including the New York City network, the Finger Lakes-Great
Lakes network, and the western New York reservoir network.
Collaborative efforts with USGS were expanded beyond the Hudson
River Basin to other parts of the State, sparked by public
concerns over pesticides in New York State waters and their
possible relation to the incidence of breast cancer. The project,
which is based largely on NAWQA protocols and sampling, has
resulted in a better understanding of the occurrence of pesticides
throughout the state, such as the occurrence of dieldrin and
other organochlorine compounds in the sole source aquifer
on Long Island.
The Hudson River Basin NAWQA program has provided the
Department with crucial information and a solid monitoring
foundation to create our own statewide pesticide-monitoring
program. It is our expectation that expansion of the NAWQA
work to include other important areas of New York State
will enable us to successfully meet all State and Federal
monitoring requirements and provide the Department with
the data we need to make responsible pesticide registration
decisions (Larry Rosenmann, New York State Department
of Environmental Conservation, U.S.
Geological Survey Circular 1165).
The Nevada Division of Agriculture, responsible for
registering pesticides and protecting ground water, uses ground-water
data collected by NAWQA in the Nevada Basin and Range to make
decisions on registering pesticides. The agency historically
used a network of deep supply wells for monitoring pesticides
in agricultural areas of Nevada and no pesticides were detected
by the State during 1993-1997 in these wells. However, the
NAWQA Program reported the relatively frequent occurrence
of pesticides, such as atrazine and simazine, on the basis
of lower detection limits and shallower wells. These findings
are incorporated in the Nevada registration process for pesticides.
The NVBR NAWQA study detected pesticides in shallow
ground water beneath urban and agricultural areas in Nevada.
These results are being used by the Nevada Division of Agriculture
to evaluate pesticide registrations in Nevada (Charles
Moses, Nevada Department of Business and Industry, Agricultural
Division, U.S.
Geological Survey Circular 1170).
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