Using Risk Assessment to Develop Remedial Goals for a Pesticide Contaminated Canal. L. Block, Parsons Engineering Science, Orlando, FL
Chlorinated pesticides were identified as contaminants of concern at a central Florida industrial site. The source of the pesticides was a wash rack where pesticide spray trucks and tanks were cleaned. Wash water drained into swales, contaminating soil and groundwater. Pesticides were found in sediment and surface water in an adjacent drainage canal, including unusually high concentrations in surface water. Potential sources of canal contamination included groundwater discharge or soil erosion from the swales. A screening level ecological risk assessment identified chlordane, DDD, delta BHC, and endrin in sediment and surface water as chemicals potentially impacting aquatic species and fish-eating birds. A site-specific bioconcentration factor (BCF) was developed by collecting and analyzing fish from the canal. Literature-derived and site specific BCFs were compared to assess the predictability of the literature-derived values. The risk assessment model was used to evaluate contributions from sediment versus surface water, so that remedial actions could be focussed more effectively.
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