New Jersey Water Science Center
Organic Compounds, Trace Elements, Suspended Sediment, and Field Characteristics at the Heads-of-Tide of the Raritan, Passaic, Hackensack, Rahway, and Elizabeth Rivers, New Jersey, 2000-03Prepared in cooperation with the New Jersey Department of Environmental ProtectionBy Jennifer L. Bonin and Timothy P. WilsonData Series 123 |
This publication is downloadable in PDF format.
To view or print PDF files, the freely downloadable Adobe Acrobat Reader® may be used.
Data tables not included in the PDF report are also available for download as a ZIP archive.
Concentrations of suspended sediment, particulate and dissolved organic carbon, trace elements, and organic compounds were measured in samples from the heads-of-tide of the five tributaries to the Newark and Raritan Bays during June 2000 to June 2003. The samples were collected as part of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Toxics Reduction Workplan/Contaminant Assessment Reduction Program. Samples of streamwater were collected at water-quality sampling stations constructed near U.S. Geological Survey gaging stations on the Raritan, Passaic, Hackensack, Rahway, and Elizabeth Rivers. Sampling was conducted during base-flow conditions and storms. Constituent concentrations were measured to determine the water quality and to calculate the load of sediment and contaminants contributed to the bays from upstream sources.
Water samples were analyzed for suspended sediment, dissolved organic carbon, particulate organic carbon, and specific conductance. Samples of suspended sediment and water were analyzed for 98 distinct polychlorinated biphenyl congeners, 7 dioxins, 10 furans, 27 pesticides, 26 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and the trace elements cadmium, lead, mercury, and methyl-mercury. Measurements of ultra-low concentrations of organic compounds in sediment and water were obtained by collecting 1 to 3 grams of suspended sediment on glass fiber filters and by passing at least 20 liters of filtered water through XAD-2 resin. The extracted sediment and XAD-2 resin were analyzed for organic compounds by high- and low-resolution gas chromatography mass-spectrometry that uses isotope dilution procedures. Trace elements in filtered and unfiltered samples were analyzed for cadmium, lead, mercury, and methyl-mercury by inductively coupled charged plasma and mass-spectrometry.
All constituent concentrations are raw data. Interpretation of the data will be completed in the second phase of the study.
Abstract
Introduction
Purpose and Scope
Description of Study Area
Description of data
Methods of Sample Collection and Analysis
Field Methods
Sampling-Station Equipment
Sampler Configuration
Quality-Assurance Samples
Sample Handling
Laboratory Methods
Organic Compounds, Trace Elements, Suspended Sediment, and Field and Other Selected Characteristics
Organic Compounds and Trace Elements
Qualifiers and Detection Limits
Co-elutions of Polychlorinated Biphenyls
Quality Assurance and Quality Control Samples
Suspended Sediment, Organic Carbon, and Nitrogen
Field Characteristics
Calculation of Concentrations from Analytical Results
Normalized Concentrations
Particulate Organic Carbon Normalized Concentrations in Sediment
Concentrations in composite samples
Trace-element concentrations in sediment from grab samples
Data Evaluation
Analysis of Standard Reference Materials Results
Estimation of Uncertainty in Concentrations
Error in the Calculation of Dissolved Concentrations
Error in the Calculation of Constituent Concentrations in the Particulate Phase
Limitations of the Data
Summary
Acknowledgments
References Cited
Download: PDF of DS-123 (1.7Mb)
Download: ZIP archive of select data tables for DS-123 (613Kb)
AccessibilityFOIAPrivacyPolicies and Notices | |
U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey
Persistent URL: http://pubs.water.usgs.gov/ds123 Page Contact Information: USGS Publishing Network Last modified: Thursday, March 29 2007, 02:16:51 PM |