Monitoring of Nitrate and Pesticides in Water in Chickasaw Nation Lands, Southern Oklahoma
In cooperation with the Chickasaw Nation |
Figure 1. Extent of the Chickasaw Nation jurisdictional area, with locations of sampled wells.
This study provided the Chickasaw Nation with new data on the occurrence of nitrate plus nitrite and pesticides in ground water and susceptibility of water resources to contamination by household and agricultural activities in the Nation's jurisdictional area. It also addressed the USGS priority issue (Hirsch, 2001) of water quality by providing information to better define and manage the quality of the Chickasaw Nation's water resources. Furthermore, the study provided information on pesticide occurrence in an area which the USGS has never before sampled for pesticides.
Table 1. Hydrophillic pesticides and
metabolites with reporting limits, USGS Schedule 2001
[reporting limits in parentheses, in micrograms per liter; italics indicate
metabolite or other non-pesticide compound]
2,6-Diethylaniline (0.006) | Acetochlor (0.006) | Alachlor (0.0045) | alpha-HCH (0.0046) |
Atrazine (0.007) | Azinphos-methyl (0.05) | Benfluralin (0.010) | Butylate (0.002) |
Carbaryl (0.041) | Carbofuran (0.020) | Chlorpyrifos (0.005) | cis-Permethrin (0.006) |
Cyanazine (0.018) | Dacthal (0.0030) | Deethylatrazine (0.006) | Diazinon (0.005) |
Dieldrin (0.0048) | Disulfoton (0.021) | EPTC (0.0020) | Ethalfluralin (0.009) |
Ethoprophos (0.005) | Fonofos (0.0027) | Lindane (0.0040) | Linuron (0.035) |
Malathion (0.027) | Metolachlor (0.013) | Metribuzin (0.006) | Molinate (0.0016) |
Napropamide (0.007) | p,p’-DDE (0.0025) | Parathion (0.010) | Parathion-methyl (0.006) |
Pebulate (0.0041) | Pendimethalin (0.022) | Phorate (0.011) | Prometon (0.015) |
Propachlor (0.010) | Propanil (0.011) | Propargite (0.023) | Propyzamide (0.0041) |
Simazine (0.005) | Tebuthiuron (0.016) | Terbacil (0.034) | Terbufos (0.017) |
Thiobencarb (0.0048) | Tri-allate (0.0023) | Trifluralin (0.009) | --- |
Table 2. Hydrophobic pesticides and
metabolites with reporting limits, USGS Schedule 2050
[reporting limits in parentheses, in micrograms per liter; italics indicate
metabolite or other non-pesticide compound]
2-(2,4,5-Trichlorophenoxy)propionic acid (0.025) | 2,4,5-T (0.07) | 2,4-D (0.16) |
2,4-DB (0.25) | 3-Hydroxycarbofuran (0.11) | 4,6-Dinitro-2-methyphenol (0.25) |
Acifluorfen (0.05) | Aldicarb (0.21) | Aldicarb sulfone (0.20) |
Aldicarb sulfoxide (0.027) | Bentazon (0.05) | Bromacil (0.09) |
Bromoxynil (0.07) | Carbaryl (0.08) | Carbofuran (0.15) |
Chloramben, methyl (0.21) | Chlorothalonil (0.25) | Clopyralid (0.42) |
Dacthal monoacid (0.07) | Dicamba (0.11) | Dichlobenil (0.09) |
Dichlorprop (0.12) | Dinoseb (0.09) | Diuron (0.12) |
Fenuron (0.07) | Fluometuron (0.06) | Linuron (0.06) |
MCPA (0.20) | MCPB (0.26) | Methiocarb (0.07) |
Methomyl (0.47) | Neburon (0.07) | Norflurazon (0.042) |
Oryzalin (0.28) | Oxamyl (0.16) | Picloram (0.09) |
Propham (0.22) | Propoxur (0.12) | Trichlopyr (0.07) |
Table 3. Additional hydrophobic
pesticides and metabolites with reporting limits, USGS Schedule 2060
[reporting limits in parentheses, in micrograms per liter; italics indicate
metabolite or other non-pesticide compound]
2,4-D methyl ester (0.0086) | 2-Hydroxyatrazine (0.008) | 3(4-Chlorophenyl)-1-methyl urea (0.024) |
3-Ketocarbofuran (1.5) | Bendiocarb (0.025) | Benomyl (0.0038) |
Bensulfuron-methyl (0.015) | Caffeine (0.0096) | Chlorimuron-ethyl (0.0096) |
Cycloate (0.013) | Deethyldeisopropylatrazine (0.01) | Deisopropylatrazine (0.044) |
Diphenamid (0.026) | Flumetsulam (0.011) | Imazaquin (0.016) |
Imazethapyr (0.017) | Imidacloprid (0.0068) | Metalaxyl (0.02) |
Metsulfuron methyl (0.025) | Nicosulfuron (0.013) | Propiconazole (0.021) |
Siduron (0.016) | Tribenuron-methyl (0.0088) | --- |
Table 4. Field and laboratory
water-quality measurements for ground-water wells in the Chickasaw Nation
jurisdictional area
[< = less than reporting limit; E = estimated at a
concentration less than reporting limit]
Field ID | Date sampled | Time | Specific conductance (microsiemens per centimeter at 25°C) | pH (standard units) | Water temperature (Celcius degrees) | Dissolved oxygen (milligrams per liter) | Dissolved oxygen saturation (percent) | Nitrate plus nitrite, dissolved (milligrams per liter as nitrogen) | Detected pesticides |
C14MS | 7/22/2002 | 1700 | 476 | 6.60 | 18.7 | 3.5 | 37.6 | 2.27 | None |
ADAW2K2 | 7/30/2002 | 1400 | 221 | 5.98 | 19.9 | 1.3 | 14.7 | <0.05 | 2-4-DB |
ADAW1BP | 7/30/2002 | 1000 | 196 | 6.13 | 18.7 | 1.7 | 18.3 | 0.58 | Carbaryl, Tebuthiuron |
C107JB | 7/25/2002 | 1400 | 747 | 7.04 | 18.7 | 1.1 | 8.0 | 2.73 | None |
C106TP | 7/25/2002 | 1000 | 1,291 | 7.08 | 18.6 | <0.1 | 0.3 | 0.28 | Deethylatrazine |
C5CB | 7/22/2002 | 1500 | 510 | 7.20 | 18.4 | 1.0 | 11.1 | 0.46 | None |
C13JU | 7/22/2002 | 1100 | 744 | 7.01 | 19.1 | 3.0 | 34.0 | 1.10 | None |
C2DK | 7/26/2002 | 1100 | 757 | 7.05 | 19.9 | 0.2 | 26.1 | 0.12 | Prometon |
C16PGJ | 7/24/2002 | 1700 | 709 | 8.03 | 17.4 | <0.1 | <0.1 | E0.04 | None |
C108SF | 7/25/2002 | 1700 | 736 | 7.73 | 19.4 | <0.1 | <0.1 | 0.85 | None |
C8CM | 7/23/2002 | 1100 | 1,196 | 9.31 | 18.9 | <0.1 | <0.1 | <0.05 | None |
C105DS | 7/24/2002 | 1400 | 1,683 | 8.83 | 18.5 | 0.4 | 5.4 | 0.08 | None |
C11SM | 7/23/2002 | 1300 | 2,160 | 8.87 | 18.2 | 0.1 | 1.1 | <0.05 | None |
C12MH | 7/24/2002 | 1100 | 1,711 | 8.82 | 18.4 | <0.1 | <0.1 | <0.05 | None |
C17DB | 7/23/2002 | 1600 | 1,151 | 9.34 | 19.4 | <0.1 | <0.1 | <0.05 | None |
C109VM | 7/26/2002 | 1200 | 1,683 | 7.18 | 18.6 | 0.1 | 1.2 | 0.82 | None |
C15MR | 7/25/2002 | 1200 | 2,956 | 6.97 | 18.0 | 0.1 | 1.1 | 46.85 | None |
Figure 2. Wells sampled in Garvin and McClain Counties. Click on a red box for a larger, more detailed map of the area.
Figure 3. Wells sampled in Pontotoc County. Click on the red box for a larger, more detailed map of the area.
Figure 4. Frequency of detection of pesticides in water from wells in Chickasaw Tribal Lands, July 2002.
Specific Conductance | Dissolved Oxygen |
pH | Nitrate plus Nitrite |
Figure 5. Boxplots of field measurements and nitrate plus nitrite concentration.
Table 5. Summary of pesticide field spike recovery for USGS schedules 2001 and 2050
Analysis of Pesticide Field Spike Recovery (%) | ||
USGS Schedule 2001 | USGS Schedule 2050 | |
MAXIMUM | 128.9 | 85.3 |
75th PERCENTILE | 100.8 | 71.1 |
MEDIAN | 88.8 | 59.2 |
25th PERCENTILE | 71.2 | 50.8 |
MINIMUM | 10.0 | 12.7 |
Table 6. Individual pesticide field spike recoveries for USGS schedules 2001 and 2050
USGS pesticide schedule 2001 | USGS pesticide schedule 2050 | ||
Name | Recovery, in percent |
Name | Recovery, in percent |
2,6-Diethylaniline | 97.3 | 2-(2,4,5-Trichlorophenoxy)propionic acid | 70.3 |
Acetochlor | 127.3 | 2,4,5-T | 65.2 |
Alachlor | 102.2 | 2,4-D | 82.1 |
alpha-HCH | 81.4 | 2,4-DB | 58.4 |
Atrazine | 90.1 | 3 Hydroxycarbofuran | 19.8 |
Azinphos-methyl | 65.3 | 4,6-Dinitro-2-methylphenol | 54.0 |
Benfluralin | 75.8 | Acifluorfen | 76.5 |
Butylate | 103.4 | Aldicarb | 51.0 |
Carbaryl | 32.4 | Aldicarb Sulfone | 32.8 |
Carbofuran | 75.1 | Aldicarb Sulfoxide | 48.4 |
Chlorpyrifos | 94.2 | Bentazon | 78.2 |
cis-Permethrin | 73.4 | Bromacil | 66.8 |
Cyanazine | 99.7 | Bromoxynil | 85.3 |
Dacthal | 92.9 | Carbaryl | 13.4 |
Deethylatrazine | 42.4 | Carbofuran | 50.6 |
Diazinon | 96.7 | Chloramben, methyl | 19.0 |
Dieldrin | 85.3 | Chlorothalonil | 22.6 |
Disulfoton | 14.6 | Clopyralid | 67.6 |
EPTC | 92.2 | Dacthal monoacid | 72.0 |
Ethalfluralin | 80.8 | Dicamba | 76.3 |
Ethoprophos | 72.6 | Dichlobenil | 51.5 |
Fonofos | 20.6 | Dichlorprop | 76.5 |
Lindane | 79.1 | Dinoseb | 78.2 |
Linuron | 111.0 | Diuron | 68.4 |
Malathion | 31.1 | Fenuron | 55.3 |
Metolachlor | 101.9 | Fluometuron | 65.3 |
Metribuzin | 68.1 | Linuron | 70.0 |
Molinate | 96.0 | MCPA | 65.1 |
Napropamide | 118.9 | MCPB | 57.3 |
p,p'-DDE | 56.8 | Methiocarb | 12.7 |
Parathion | 90.0 | Methomyl | 64.4 |
Parathion-methyl | 85.3 | Neburon | 59.2 |
Pebulate | 92.0 | Norflurazon | 58.1 |
Pendimethalin | 73.6 | Oryzalin | 38.6 |
Phorate | 10.0 | Oxamyl | 53.0 |
Prometon | 88.8 | Picloram | 77.1 |
Propachlor | 126.6 | Propham | 54.2 |
Propanil | 107.6 | Propoxur | 48.3 |
Propargite | 54.5 | Triclopyr | 80.4 |
Propyzamide | 106.0 | --- | --- |
Simazine | 48.4 | --- | --- |
Tebuthiuron | 117.5 | --- | --- |
Terbacil | 128.9 | --- | --- |
Terbufos | 117.3 | --- | --- |
Thiobencarb | 96.2 | --- | --- |
Tri-allate | 87.9 | --- | --- |
Trifluralin | 69.8 | --- | --- |
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