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Organochlorine Compounds in Fish Tissue from the Connecticut, Housatonic, and Thames River Basins Study Unit 1992-94

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Organochlorine Compounds in Fish Tissue from the Connecticut, Housatonic, and Thames River Basins Study Unit 1992-94 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment Program Organochlorine Compounds in Fish Tissue from the Connecticut, Housatonic, and Thames River Basins Study Unit 1992-94 Water-Resources Investigations Report 98-4075 Connecticut, Housatonic, and Thames River study unit National Water-Quality Assessment Study Unit USGS science for a changing world U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey Organochlorine Compounds in Fish Tissue from the Connecticut, Housatonic, and Thames River Basins Study Unit, 1992-94 By JAMES F. COLES Water-Resources Investigations Report 98-4075 National Water-Quality Assessment Program Marlborough, Massachusetts 1998 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR BRUCE BABBITT, Secretary U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Thomas J. Casadevall, Acting Director For additional information write to: Copies of this report can be purchased from: Chief, Massachusetts-Rhode Island District U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Geological Survey Branch of Information Services Water Resources Division Box 25286 28 Lord Road, Suite 280 Denver, CO 80225-0286 Marlborough, MA 01752 FOREWORD The mission of the U.S. Geological Survey Describe how water quality is changing over (USGS) is to assess the quantity and quality of the time. earth resources of the Nation and to provide informa­ Improve understanding of the primary natural tion that will assist resource managers and policymak- and human factors that affect water-quality ers at Federal, State, and local levels in making sound conditions. decisions. Assessment of water-quality conditions and This information will help support the development trends is an important part of this overall mission. and evaluation of management, regulatory, and moni­ One of the greatest challenges faced by water- toring decisions by other Federal, State, and local resources scientists is acquiring reliable information agencies to protect, use, and enhance water resources. that will guide the use and protection of the Nation's The goals of the NAWQA Program are being water resources. That challenge is being addressed by achieved through ongoing and proposed investigations Federal, State, interstate, and local water-resource of 59 of the Nation's most important river basins and agencies and by many academic institutions. These aquifer systems, which are referred to as study units. organizations are collecting water-quality data for a These study units are distributed throughout the host of purposes that include: compliance with permits Nation and cover a diversity of hydrogeologic settings. and water-supply standards; development of remedia­ More than two-thirds of the Nation's freshwater use tion plans for specific contamination problems; opera­ occurs within the 59 study units and more than two- tional decisions on industrial, wastewater, or water- thirds of the people served by public water-supply sys­ supply facilities; and research on factors that affect tems live within their boundaries. water quality. An additional need for water-quality National synthesis of data analysis, based on information is to provide a basis on which regional- aggregation of comparable information obtained from and national-level policy decisions can be based. Wise the study units, is a major component of the program. decisions must be based on sound information. As a This effort focuses on selected water-quality topics society we need to know whether certain types of using nationally consistent information. Comparative water-quality problems are isolated or ubiquitous, studies will explain differences and similarities in whether there are significant differences in conditions observed water-quality conditions among study areas among regions, whether the conditions are changing and will identify changes and trends and their causes. over time, and why these conditions change from place The first topics addressed by the national synthesis are to place and over time. The information can be used to pesticides, nutrients, volatile organic compounds, and help determine the efficacy of existing water-quality aquatic biology. Discussions on these and other water- policies and to help analysts determine the need for quality topics will be published in periodic summaries and likely consequences of new policies. of the quality of the Nation's ground and surface water To address these needs, the U.S. Congress appropri­ as the information becomes available. ated funds in 1986 for the USGS to begin a pilot pro­ This report is an element of the comprehensive gram in seven project areas to develop and refine the body of information developed as part of the NAWQA National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Pro­ Program. The program depends heavily on the advice, gram. In 1991, the USGS began full implementation of cooperation, and information from many Federal, the program. The NAWQA Program builds upon an State, interstate, Tribal, and local agencies and the existing base of water-quality studies of the USGS, as public. The assistance and suggestions of all are well as those of other Federal, State, and local agencies. greatly appreciated. The objectives of the NAWQA Program are to: Describe current water-quality conditions for a large part of the Nation's freshwater streams, rivers, and aquifers. Robert M. Hirsch Chief Hydrologist CONTENTS Abstract ........................................................................... 1 Introduction ...............................................................................................................................................................^ 2 Background................................................................................................................................................................. 2 Purpose and Scope ...................................................................................................................................................... 3 Selection of Sampling Sites......................................................................................................................................... 3 Results of Previous Study............................................................................................................................................ 5 Data Collection and Analysis................................................................................................................................................ 6 Sample Collection and Processing.............................................................................................................................. 6 Site Characterization................................................................................................................................................... 6 Data Analysis.............................................................................................................................................................. 6 Organochlorine Compounds in Fish Tissue .......................................................................................................................... 8 Total DDT................................................................................................................^ 8 Total Chlordane ........................................ 12 Total PCBs....................................................................................................^^ 14 Comparison With Results of Other Studies ................................................................................................................ 17 Summary and Conclusions.................................................................................................................................................... 20 References Cited ................................................................................................................................................................... 21 FIGURES 1. Map showing sampling sites where fish were collected for contaminants analyses in tissue, Connecticut, Housatonic, and Thames River Basins NAWQA study unit...................................................................................... 4 2. Graph showing concentrations of DDT and related compounds in fish tissue of sampled fish................................. 11 3. Box plots showing distribution of total DDT concentrations in the drainage-basin population density categories.......................................................................^ 12 4. Graph showing concentrations of chlordane and related compounds in fish tissue of sampled fish ......................... 13 5. Box plots showing distribution of total chlordane concentrations in the drainage-basin population density categories.......................................................................^ 14 6. Graph showing concentrations of total PCBs in fish tissue of sampled fish.............................................................. 15 7. Box plots showing distribution of total PCB concentrations in the drainage-basin population density categories........................................................................ 16 8. Box plots showing distribution of total PCB concentrations in the drainage-basin size categories........................... 17 TABLES 1. National guidelines for maximum organochlorine concentrations in fish tissue ....................................................... 2 2. Sites where fish samples were collected for organochlorine compound analysis in the Connecticut, Housatonic, and Thames River Basins
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