Kansas Water Science Center
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Herbicides in Surface Waters of the Midwestern United States: The Effect of Spring FlushBy E.M. Thurman, D.A. Goolsby, M.T. Meyer, and D.W. Kolpin IntroductionApproximately three-fourths of all preemergent herbicides used in the United States are applied to row crops over a 12-state area, called the "corn belt". The application of these compounds may cause widespread degradation of water quality. Because herbicides are water soluble, there is the potential for leaching into groundwater and surface water, as well as aerial transport and occurrence in precipitation. Monitoring studies in the Midwest have shown widespread detection of herbicides in groundwater and in surface water; however, little is known about the regional impact of herbicide application. The objective of our research was to assess the magnitude and persistence of herbicide runoff in the spring flush at the regional scale. Additional information about the Organic Geochemistry Research Laboratory can be found at: http://ks.water.usgs.gov/studies/reslab/Thurman, E.M., Goolsby, D.A., Meyer, M.T., and Kolpin, D.W, 1991, Herbicides in Surface Waters of the Midwestern United States: The Effect of Spring Flush [abst.]: Environmental Science & Technology, v. 25, p. 1794-1796. To request a paper copy of this journal article, email: scribner@.usgs.gov |
U.S. Department of the Interior |
U.S. Geological Survey
URL: /pubs/abstracts/est.v25.1991.html
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The USGS has collected hydrologic information in Kansas since 1895 with the first USGS Cooperative
Water Program funding agreement for 6 streamflow gages with the Kansas Water Board. USGS collects streamflow
and gage-height data; reservoir content; water-quality and water-quantity data; suspended-sediment data;
and groundwater levels. Hydrologic studies are conducted on national, regional, statewide, and local levels.
The USGS in Kansas works cooperatively with 31 Federal, State, and local agencies, such as the Kansas Water Office, the U.S.Army Corps of Engineers, and the City of Wichita