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4: Environmental Health and Degradation

Adam L. Foster1 and Brian Katz2

1 U.S. Geological Survey, Florida Integrated Science Center, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
2 U.S. Geological Survey, Florida Integrated Science Center, Tallahassee, Florida

Pharmaceuticals and other organic wastewater compounds present in treated wastewater discharged to the land surface in Miami-Dade County may be transported to the highly transmissive Biscayne aquifer, and may ultimately enter water-supply wells or sensitive coastal and surface-water ecosystems. Furthermore, pharmaceuticals and other wastewater organics that potentially have been transported to ground water from surface-water sites or through direct treated wastewater injection may not be completely removed by drinking water treatment facilities (WTFs), and therefore, may be present in the drinking water supply for Miami-Dade County. The current study will assess 1) the occurrence of pharmaceuticals and other wastewater organics in treated wastewater, finished drinking water, ground water, and surface-water in Miami-Dade County, and 2) the removal efficiencies of these compounds through drinking WTFs and wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in the county.

Water samples will be collected from the influent and effluent of four WWTPs, as well as from five locations within a wastewater treatment pilot plant located at one of these facilities. Within the pilot plant, samples will be collected from deep bed filter influent, deep bed filter effluent, membrane filter/ultrafiltration (MF/UF) effluent, reverse osmosis (RO) product, and RO concentrate. These samples will be analyzed to determine which pharmaceuticals and other wastewater organics are present, and to determine the removal efficiencies of the various processes. Samples will be collected once during the rainy season and once during the dry season to document any seasonal differences in constituent occurrence.

Water samples have been collected from the raw and finished waters at seven drinking WTFs and analyzed for pharmaceuticals and other wastewater organics. These data will provide information about the removal of these constituents through the drinking water treatment process and their presence, persistence, and distribution in the drinking water supply.

The water samples will be analyzed for approximately 220 constituents, including pharmaceuticals, pesticides, antibiotics, hormones, semivolatile compounds, 1,4-dioxane, and other wastewater organics.

Contact Information: Adam L. Foster, U.S. Geological Survey, Florida Integrated Science Center, 3110 SW 9th Avenue, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33315; phone: 954-377-5911; email: alfoster@usgs.gov

Leo G. Nico1, Howard L. Jelks1, William F. Loftus2, and Duane Chapman3

1 U.S. Geological Survey, Florida Integrated Science Center, Gainesville, Florida
2 U.S. Geological Survey, Florida Integrated Science Center, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
3 U.S. Geological Survey, Columbia Environmental Research Center, Columbia, Missouri

The Galapagos Archipelago of Ecuador, a World Heritage site, is located in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Despite conservation efforts, native species and habitats of the Galapagos have been subjected to an increased number of diverse threats. One of the most significant has been the introduction and establishment of non-native species. In 2006, Galapagos National Park (GNP) personnel discovered introduced Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in Laguna El Junco, a natural crater lake (4.9 hectares) on the island of San Cristobal. The largest body of freshwater in the Galapagos, El Junco, was naturally devoid of fishes. We were invited by the International Affairs Office, U.S. Department of the Interior and the office of U.S. Agency of International Development in Ecuador to assist GNP personnel in developing a plan to eradicate the tilapia. Two of us (LGN and DC) visited the site in August 2007 to verify the identity and status of the tilapia population and survey surrounding areas for other tilapia populations. Surveys indicated that tilapia were reproducing but likely restricted to El Junco Lake and, following months of detailed planning, a decision was made by GNP to eradicate the population by application of rotenone, a commonly used fish poison. Eradication was justified for a number of reasons. Predation by tilapia probably changed composition and abundance of the lake’s native invertebrate community. Moreover, if any tilapia escaped or were moved by humans from El Junco, they were capable of invading other freshwater and marine environments, thereby endangering other aquatic organisms and habitats. The longer the tilapia population persisted in El Junco, the greater the likelihood of dispersal and further adverse impacts. In early 2008, three of us (LGN, WFL, and HLJ) traveled to the Galapagos, and on 25 January 2008, assisted GNP in applying liquid rotenone (5 ppm) to Laguna El Junco. Following rotenone treatment, approximately 40,000 dead and dying tilapia, consisting of a wide range of juvenile and adult sizes, were removed from the lake. Prior to application of rotenone, aquatic invertebrates were collected and held in nearby refuge tanks. After removal of the tilapia and once all residual rotenone in the lake had degraded sufficiently, captive invertebrates were released back into El Junco to speed recovery of invertebrate communities that might have been impacted by the chemical. The renovation project was declared a success because no live tilapia have been collected or observed since 31 January 2008.

Contact Information: Leo G. Nico, U.S. Geological Survey, Florida Integrated Science Center, 7920 NW 71st Street, Gainesville, Florida 32653; phone: 352-264-3501; email: lnico@usgs.gov

Brian G. Katz1, Dale W. Griffin1, Peter B. McMahon2, Richard W. Hicks3, Edgar Wade3, Harmon S. Harden4, and Jeffrey P. Chanton4

1U.S. Geological Survey, Florida Integrated Science Center, Tallahassee, Florida
2U.S. Geological Survey, Colorado Science Center, Lakewood, Colorado
3Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Tallahassee, Florida
4Florida State University, Department of Oceanography, Tallahassee, Florida

Effluent from about 18,000 septic tanks is a potential source of nitrogen loading in the Woodville Karst Plain (WKP), an area in northern Florida where numerous sinkholes and a thin veneer of sands and clays overlying the Upper Floridan aquifer (UFA) make ground water vulnerable to contamination. Water samples were collected from three septic-tank systems in the WKP during dry and wet periods to investigate the subsurface movement of chemical constituents [nutrients, organic wastewater compounds (OWCs), pharmaceutical compounds] and microbiological indicators (bacteria and viruses) to the UFA. Each sampled system included septic tank effluent (STE), shallow and deep lysimeters, a drainfield well, and a background well. In addition, water extracts of core material from the unsaturated zone from various depth intervals beneath each drainfield were analyzed for nitrate, chloride, ammonium, OWCs, and pharmaceuticals. Of the 64 OWCs analyzed, 24 were detected in STE samples in low micrograms per liter (mg/L) concentrations; whereas only six OWCs (flame retardants and fragrance compounds) were detected in water samples from lysimeters or drainfield wells. Concentrations (in mg/L) of caffeine (42-130), paraxanthine (7-30), acetominaphen (0.4-3.5), and cotinine (0.03-1.1) in the STE were higher than sporadic detections of these compounds in water samples from lysimeters and drainfield wells (<0.1 mg/L). Sulfamethoxazole was detected in two drainfield wells, but not in their corresponding STE samples. Wastewater indicator bacteria and human enteric viruses were detected in STE samples from each site and intermittently in the lysimeter and drainfield samples. Nitrogen loading rates to ground water were highly variable (3 to 25 kg/yr) at each site along with different nitrogen and chloride profiles with depth in the unsaturated zone. Movement of contaminants to ground water beneath each septic-tank system was related to differences in water use, soil characteristics, depth to ground water, and chemicals used at each site.

Contact Information: Brian G. Katz, U.S. Geological Survey, Florida Integrated Science Center, 2010 Levy Avenue, Tallahassee, FL 32310; phone: 850-942-9500; email: bkatz@usgs.gov

Michael R. Rochford1, Michael S. Cherkiss1, Matthew L. Brien1, Skip Snow2, Kenneth Rice3, Michael E. Dorcas4, Alexander Wolf1, Brian Greeves1, Laurie Wilkins5, Gordon Rodda6, Robert Reed6, Kristen Hart3, and Frank Mazzotti1

1 University of Florida, Fort Lauderdale Research & Education Center, Davie, Florida
2 South Florida Natural Resources Center, Everglades National Park, Homestead, Florida
3 U.S. Geological Survey, Florida Integrated Science Center, Gainesville, Florida
4 Department of Biology, Davidson College, Davidson, North Carolina
5 Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville, Florida
6 U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, Colorado

Native to Southeast Asia, Burmese pythons (Python molurus bivittatus) are a recently established invasive species in South Florida. Burmese pythons have the potential to adversely affect their new environment. The release of Burmese pythons in South Florida is especially troublesome because they appear to thrive in both disturbed and undisturbed habitats within the Everglades. The purpose of this project is to provide science support to develop control measures for Burmese pythons and to evaluate impacts of pythons on native biological diversity. We are using radio telemetry to determine habitat use, extent and timing of movements, and find aggregations of pythons during the breeding season. Since December 2005, 17 adult pythons have been captured and surgically implanted with VHF radio transmitters in Everglades National Park and on lands owned by South Florida Water Management District. Distances traveled by the pythons varied from shorter movements of several hundred meters associated with breeding, to distances greater than 78 kilometers for pythons that had been relocated. The unique dispersal capabilities of Burmese pythons and affiliation with water indicate that effective management of the rapidly expanding python population in south Florida requires cooperation and involvement of all land managers and relevant agencies.

Burmese pythons are generalist predators that consume a wide variety of mammal and bird species, as well as reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Prey species in the digestive tracts of Burmese pythons were identified by examining hair, bone, and teeth. Fourteen species of mammals, five species of birds, and one species of reptile have been found in the digestive tracts of pythons collected and examined in Florida, including several federally endangered Key Largo woodrats (Neotoma floridana smalli); one threatened species, the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis); and two species of special concern, the limpkin (Aramus guarauna) and the white ibis (Endocemus albus).

Because temperature affects nearly all aspects of the biology of ectotherms, examining patterns of body temperature variation can often provide insight into their activity and behavior. To better understand the ecology of introduced Burmese pythons in ENP, we initiated a radiotelemetry study of pythons within and adjacent to the ENP and monitored their temperatures using surgically implanted micro-dataloggers. We simultaneously monitored environmental temperatures. Using these data, we hope to provide information on python thermal biology, behavior, and activity that will assist in a better understanding of their overall ecology and development of effective population controls.

Trapping is one control method currently under development. The purpose of trapping is to remove pythons from the Everglades system. We are currently testing various trap and trap door designs. We intend to synthesize the knowledge gained from radio-telemetry, diet, and thermal studies to increase trapping success. This multi-faceted approach should increase success in reaching our primary goal of developing control methods for Burmese pythons.

Contact Information: Kristen Hart, U.S. Geological Survey, Florida Integrated Science Center, 3205 College Ave., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33314; phone: 954-577-6304; email: Kristen_hart@usgs.gov

Yvonne E. Stoker1 and Jonathon C. Scott2

1 U.S. Geological Survey, Florida Integrated Science Center, Tampa, Florida
2 U.S. Geological Survey, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) have similar missions to collect and disseminate water-quality data to the Nation. Separate data bases have been created and maintained by each agency, with different public user interfaces. The USGS National Water Information System (NWIS) water-quality data base and the USEPA’s STOrage and RETrieval (STORET) data base have fundamental differences in design that make it difficult for users to combine data from each source into a single format. In the past, USGS and USEPA attempted to resolve this problem by importing a copy of the USGS NWIS water-quality data base into USEPA’s STORET data base. However, copied data are likely to become out-of-date because updates to the original data may not be made to the copied data set and the frequency the data are copied often is less than the frequency that updates are made in the source data base.

USGS and USEPA reached an agreement in 2003 to share water-quality data in a common format in order to resolve the problems caused by incompatibilities between the data bases. This agreement resulted in a project to create water-quality data web services. The goal of this project is to develop and agree upon a common format and terminology for site information and water-quality data, and to provide web services using this common format.

Once the project is completed, the water-quality data will be retrievable on-demand using the web services, and thus the user will be provided immediate, up-to-date information. Therefore, there will be no delay in obtaining the most recent data, nor risk of obtaining information that has been modified in the source data base subsequent to the copy. Use of consistent nomenclature ensures that identification of the measured substance or property, and the units-of-measure, for example, are consistently represented by each of the two web services. In addition, USGS and USEPA have enhanced the metadata describing the measurement results, leading to an improved ability to incorporate data from other agencies into water-quality studies.

The web services project will be completed by the end of 2008 and will be made available to the public. Once implemented, future projects may be developed that include creating a common web portal to access these services, addition of new data types, application development, and other enhancements.

Contact Information: Yvonne E. Stoker, U.S. Geological Survey, The University Center for Business, 10500 University Center Drive, Suite 215, Tampa, FL 35512; phone: 813-975-8620; email: ystoker@usgs.gov