Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2009DC101B

Clam Active Biomonitoring and POM Passive Monitoring for Anacostia Watershed Contaminant Point Sources

Institute: District of Columbia
Year Established: 2009 Start Date: 2009-03-01 End Date: 2010-02-28
Total Federal Funds: $14,732 Total Non-Federal Funds: $45,343

Principal Investigators: Harriette Phelps

Abstract: This is a proposal for intensive upstream active biomonitoring with clams in highly contaminated Anacostia River watershed streams to identify point sources of PAHs, PCBs and Chlordane. The sites would include upstream Lower Beaverdam Creek where active biomonitoring has found a 12X Aroclor (PCB) increase in clams over a 400 yard stream reach; PAH analysis of runoff from three Industrial Parks along Lower Beaverdam Creek; suspect upstream sites in Riverdale East where clam total chlordane is 18X NAS standards, and clam biomonitoring of a subtributary at Poplar Point associated with a PCB hot spot in the lower Anacostia that has never been examined. This clam active biomonitoring will include collaboration with Dr. Upal Ghosh at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), to compare monitoring freshwater organic contaminants by plastic polyoxymethylene (POM) strips. The known Anacostia watershed sites with high contaminants provide an excellent opportunity to compare passive POM monitoring with active clam biomonitoring. POM monitoring will also be studied when water temperature is below ten deg C and active clam biomonitoring is not possible. This research will determine if POM could become a technique for year-round monitoring of bioavailable organic contaminants in urban watersheds.