Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2013MT279B

Do Sediments in the Warm Springs Ponds Operable Unit Act as A Sink for Organic Wastewater Compounds?

Institute: Montana
Year Established: 2013 Start Date: 2013-03-01 End Date: 2014-02-28
Total Federal Funds: $13,835 Total Non-Federal Funds: $27,671

Principal Investigators: Katie Hailer, Stephen Parker

Project Summary: Organic wastewater chemicals (OWCs) originate from human or animal wastewater discharges to the environment. A study done by the USGS in 1999-2000, found OWCs in 80% of streams that were sampled. Surface and groundwater studies have received the most attention by researchers studying OWC occurrences and effects on the environment. Fewer studies have focused on storage and/or movement of these chemicals in lake or pond sediment, and the determination of the levels of antibiotics and steroids in soils are poorly documented. This study proposes to include an assessment of distribution of OWCs along Silver Bow Creek below the waste water treatment plant to the Warm Springs Pond Operable Unit (WSPOU). This study will determine the level of representative selection of 11 OWCs in surface water of Silver Bow Creek as well as in sediment from the WSPOU. The chemicals to be identified and quantified are the steroids 17-thynylestradiol and 17-stradiol; the antibiotics ciprofloxacin, sulfamethoxazole, and triclosan; the pharmaceuticals carbamazepine, gemfribrozil, and naproxen; the fungicides miconazole and thiabendazole; and finally the insect repellent DEET. Samples will be analyzed following EPA protocol 1694 using HPLC-MS/MS to identify and quantify compound levels. From this information it will be possible to estimate the potential for long range dispersal of OWCs and determine the extent that the WSPOU is acting as a reservoir/sink for these contaminants.