title: Riverbank filtration potential of pharmaceuticals in a wastewater-impacted stream.
abstract: Pharmaceutical contamination of shallow groundwater is a substantial concern in effluent-dominated streams, due to high aqueous mobility, designed bioactivity, and effluent-driven hydraulic gradients. In October and December 2012, effluent contributed approximately 99% and 71%, respectively, to downstream flow in Fourmile Creek, Iowa, USA. Strong hydrologic connectivity was observed between surface-water and shallow-groundwater. Carbamazepine, sulfamethoxazole, and immunologically-related compounds were detected in groundwater at greater than 0.02 μg L(-1) at distances up to 6 m from the stream bank. Direct aqueous-injection HPLC-MS/MS revealed 43% and 55% of 110 total pharmaceutical analytes in surface-water samples in October and December, respectively, with 16% and 6%, respectively, detected in groundwater approximately 20 m from the stream bank. The results demonstrate the importance of effluent discharge as a driver of local hydrologic conditions in an effluent-impacted stream and thus as a fundamental control on surface-water to groundwater transport of effluent-derived pharmaceutical contaminants.
authors.affiliation: USGS, 720 Gracern Rd, Columbia, SC 29210, USA. Electronic address: pbradley@usgs.gov.
authors.forename: Paul M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Bradley
authors.affiliation: USGS, 3215 Marine St, Boulder, CO 80309, USA. Electronic address: lbbarber@usgs.gov.
authors.forename: Larry B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Barber
authors.affiliation: USGS, 6520 Mercantile Way, Lansing, MI 48911, USA. Electronic address: jwduris@usgs.gov.
authors.forename: Joseph W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Duris
authors.affiliation: USGS, Denver Federal Center, Lakewood, CO 80225, USA. Electronic address: wforeman@usgs.gov.
authors.forename: William T
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Foreman
authors.affiliation: USGS, Denver Federal Center, Lakewood, CO 80225, USA. Electronic address: efurlong@usgs.gov.
authors.forename: Edward T
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Furlong
authors.affiliation: USGS, 8505 Research Way, Middleton, WI 53562, USA. Electronic address: lhubbard@usgs.gov.
authors.forename: Laura E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Hubbard
authors.affiliation: USGS, 400 S Clinton St, Iowa City, IA 52240, USA. Electronic address: khutchin@usgs.gov.
authors.forename: Kasey J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Hutchinson
authors.affiliation: USGS, 3215 Marine St, Boulder, CO 80309, USA. Electronic address: shkeefe@usgs.gov.
authors.forename: Steffanie H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Keefe
authors.affiliation: USGS, 400 S Clinton St, Iowa City, IA 52240, USA. Electronic address: dwkolpin@usgs.gov.
authors.forename: Dana W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Kolpin
mesh_terms: D018712:Analgesics, Non-Narcotic / Q000032:analysis*; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000032:analysis*; D002220:Carbamazepine / Q000032:analysis*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005374:Filtration; D060587:Groundwater / Q000032:analysis*; D007484:Iowa; D013420:Sulfamethoxazole / Q000032:analysis*; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry; D062065:Wastewater / Q000737:chemistry*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D018712:Analgesics, Non-Narcotic; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D002220:Carbamazepine; D013420:Sulfamethoxazole; D062065:Wastewater; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Bank filtration; Groundwater; Hydrologic transport; Pharmaceuticals; Surface water; Wastewater contamination