U.S. Department of the InteriorU.S. Geological Survey

Evaluations of Heavy Metal Listings on the State of Massachusetts

Integrated List of Waters

Assabet and Concord RiversMarch 2008 – January 2009

Project PersonnelAndrew MasseyKim Campo

Cooperating AgencyU.S. EPA Mass. DEP

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Objective“...to document current water quality conditions and assess

whether or not the original listing remains appropriate or alternatively to support delisting if appropriate.”

Assabet R. below Rt. 9, 8/25/2008

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Progress Last Quarter

Sample Analysis

• Dissolved metals and total metals results received from EPA

• All laboratory analysis is complete Data Compilation

• Data from five monthly-lab reports compiled

• Plotting and validation of results nearly complete Results Interpretation

• Field QC (blanks and reps.) is excellent; 25% of samples

• Lab QC (dups., spikes and reagent blanks) good for dissolved, less good for totals

• 300 site-specific hardness-dependent metals criteria

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6 Impaired Segments, 12 Monitoring Sites6 Impaired Segments, 12 Monitoring Sites• Sampled monthly June-October, 2008 (fixed frequency)Sampled monthly June-October, 2008 (fixed frequency)• Wade and bridge sampling; 10 points per cross-section Wade and bridge sampling; 10 points per cross-section • USGS Clean-hands/dirty-hands methodsUSGS Clean-hands/dirty-hands methods

Approach

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Approach (continued)

Samples and AnalysisSamples and Analysis

• Total & Dissolved metals*Total & Dissolved metals* EPA LabEPA Lab• Total Suspended SolidsTotal Suspended Solids EPA LabEPA Lab• Dissolved Organic Carbon Dissolved Organic Carbon Alpha Labs Alpha Labs (EPA contract lab)(EPA contract lab)

• Field Parameters: 3 points at each transect**Field Parameters: 3 points at each transect**

*Detection limits less than EPA Recommended Water Quality Criteria standards; *Detection limits less than EPA Recommended Water Quality Criteria standards; Includes Calcium and Magnesium to determine Hardness Dependent CriteriaIncludes Calcium and Magnesium to determine Hardness Dependent Criteria

**To confirm well-mixed water throughout the cross-section **To confirm well-mixed water throughout the cross-section

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A cross-sectional flow-integrated sample obtained by the EWI method will produce a water sample volume that is proportional to the amount of flow at each of several, equally spaced, predetermined verticals in the stream cross section.

Equal Width Increment-wade sampling

Concord R. below River Meadow Bk. @Lowell, 8/28/2008

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Sampled Flows

USGS 01097000 ASSABET RIVER AT MAYNARD, Metals Sample Dates 2008 (provisional data)

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

6/30

7/14

7/28

8/11

8/25 9/8

9/22

10/6

10/2

0

11/3

Date

Dis

char

ge

(cfs

)

Daily Mean (66yrs)

Discharge

Sampled Flows

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Hardness-Dependent Water Quality Criteria

Several Metals’ toxicities are a function of hardnessSeveral Metals’ toxicities are a function of hardness• Increasing hardness has the effect of decreasing toxicityIncreasing hardness has the effect of decreasing toxicity• Water quality criteria to protect aquatic life calculated at different Water quality criteria to protect aquatic life calculated at different

concentrations of hardness (measured as mg/L CaCOconcentrations of hardness (measured as mg/L CaCO33))• Cadmium, Chromium, Copper, Lead, Nickel, Silver and ZincCadmium, Chromium, Copper, Lead, Nickel, Silver and Zinc

CMC: Criteria Maximum Concentration is an estimate of the highest concentration of a material in surface water to which an aquatic community can be exposed briefly without an unacceptable effect.

CCC: Criterion Continuous Concentration is an estimate of the highest concentration of a material in surface water to which an aquatic community can be exposed indefinitely without an unacceptable effect.

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Assabet and Concord Rivers, 2008Hardness-dependent dissolved metals

Summary statistics

All concentrations are micrograms per liter

Chromium Copper Lead Nickel Zinc

Min: 0.5 1.6 0.2 1.4 2.5

Mean: 0.59 2.91 0.68 2.66 8.83

Median: 0.59 2.45 0.75 2.20 7.00

Max: 0.8 12 1.1 14 21

CCC Range: 47-95 5-12 1-4 31-67 70-152

Total n: 60 60 60 60 60

NA's : 46 2 9 1 42

Std Dev.: 0.08 1.77 0.29 1.74 5.62

DRAFT- SUBJECT TO CHANGE

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Boxplots of hardness-dependent Dissolved metals concentrations

DRAFT- SUBJECT TO CHANGE

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Site-specific Water-Quality Criteria

Copper results, 2008

0

5

10

15

20

AR @Rt 9

, Wes

tbor

o

AR @Sch

ool St,

North

boro

ugh

AR @ R

obin

Hill Rd,

Nor

thbo

roug

h

AR @ C

ox S

t, Hud

son

AR @ M

aynar

d

AR @ R

t 62,

Act

on

CR @ R

t 225,

Car

lisle-

Bedfor

d

CR @ R

iver S

t, Bille

rica

CR @ P

ollar

d St,

Billeric

a

CR @ L

owell (

Lawre

nce

St)

CR bl R

. Mea

dow B

rook,

@ L

owell

CR @ C

hurc

h St.,

Lowell

CO

PP

ER

, IN

MIC

RO

GR

AM

S P

ER

LIT

ER

June

July

August

September

October

June standard(CCC)June standard(CMC)

DRAFT- SUBJECT TO CHANGE

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Site-specific Water-Quality Criteria

Lead results, 2008

0

1

2

3

4

5

AR @Rt 9

, Wes

tbor

o

AR @Sch

ool St,

North

boro

ugh

AR @ R

obin

Hill Rd,

Nor

thbo

roug

h

AR @ C

ox S

t, Hud

son

AR @ M

aynar

d

AR @ R

t 62,

Act

on

CR @ R

t 225,

Car

lisle-

Bedfor

d

CR @ R

iver S

t, Bille

rica

CR @ P

ollar

d St,

Billeric

a

CR @ L

owell (

Lawre

nce

St)

CR bl R

. Mea

dow B

rook,

@ L

owell

CR @ C

hurc

h St.,

Lowell

LE

AD

, IN

MIC

RO

GR

AM

S P

ER

LIT

ER June

July

August

September

October

June standard(CCC)June standard(CMC)

DRAFT- SUBJECT TO CHANGE

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Looking forward…

Data transfer• Transmit results to Massachusetts DEP and U.S. EPA for their evaluation

• No USGS Report planned at this time

Submit proposal for state-wide assessment of metals-impaired segments• Larger effort addressing impaired reaches in watersheds statewide

• Year-round sampling (what’s happening during other time frames?)

• Focus on Total metals; 2008 results to show 1:1 relation; where deviations occur, total-metals concentrations are higher and therefore protective

(conserves time and equipment by eliminating sample filtration during on-site sample processing)