Mercury in Sediment, Water, and Biota of Sinclair Inlet, Puget Sound, Washington, 1989–2007 Open-File Report 2009–1285 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey Mercury in Sediment, Water, and Biota of Sinclair Inlet, Puget Sound, Washington, 1989–2007 By Anthony J. Paulson, Morgan E. Keys, and Kelly L. Scholting Open-File Report 2009–1285 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Department of the Interior KEN SALAZAR, Secretary U.S. Geological Survey Marcia K. McNutt, Director U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2010 For more information on the USGS—the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment, visit http://www.usgs.gov or call 1-888-ASK-USGS For an overview of USGS information products, including maps, imagery, and publications, visit http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod To order this and other USGS information products, visit http://store.usgs.gov Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. Although this report is in the public domain, permission must be secured from the individual copyright owners to reproduce any copyrighted materials contained within this report. Suggested citation: Paulson, A.J., Keys, M.E., and Scholting, K.L., 2010, Mercury in sediment, water, and biota of Sinclair Inlet, Puget Sound, Washington, 1989–2007: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2009-1285, 220 p. iii Contents Abstract ...........................................................................................................................................................1 Introduction.....................................................................................................................................................1 Purpose and Scope .......................................................................................................................................2 Site Description .............................................................................................................................................2 History of Remediation and Environmental Investigations Related to Mercury .................................8 Mercury in the Sediment of Sinclair Inlet ................................................................................................10 Site Investigation (1990) .....................................................................................................................11 Remediation Investigations (1993–95) .............................................................................................14 Pier Dredging off Naval Base Kitsap Bremerton (1994–95) and Monitoring (1994–97) ...........28 Studies in Preparation for Navigation and Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act Dredging .......................................................................30 Closure of Confined Aquatic Disposal Pit .......................................................................................36 Long-Term Monitoring Program .......................................................................................................41 Sinclair Inlet Outside of Bremerton Naval Complex ............................................................44 Operable Unit B Marine Grid ...................................................................................................50 Cap of the Confined Aquatic Disposal Pit and Apron Surrounding the Pit ......................59 Sediment Transport Studies ..............................................................................................................63 Puget Sound Ambient Monitoring Program ..................................................................................69 Temporal Trends .........................................................................................................................69 Embayment Studies ...................................................................................................................74 Environment Investment (ENVVEST) Dated Cores and Sediment Traps ...................................78 Dated Cores ................................................................................................................................78 Particles Settling in Sediment Traps .......................................................................................78 Summary of Mercury in the Sediment of Sinclair Inlet ................................................................80 Mercury in Marine Waters of Sinclair Inlet ............................................................................................84 Summary of Mercury in Marine Waters of Sinclair Inlet .............................................................94 Mercury in Biota of Sinclair Inlet ..............................................................................................................94 Composite Samples ............................................................................................................................96 English Sole.................................................................................................................................96 Rockfish .....................................................................................................................................101 Salmon .......................................................................................................................................101 Sea Cucumber ..........................................................................................................................101 Geographical Comparison of Mercury Concentrations in Biota Using Individual Specimens ............................................................................................................................101 Rockfish .....................................................................................................................................101 English, Rock, and Sand Sole ................................................................................................103 Graceful Crab............................................................................................................................103 Staghorn Sculpin .....................................................................................................................103 Ratfish .......................................................................................................................................109 Surf Perch .................................................................................................................................110 Sea Cucumber ..........................................................................................................................110 Caged Mussel ...........................................................................................................................111 Summary of Mercury in the Biota of Sinclair Inlet ......................................................................113 iv Contents—Continued Observations to be Considered for Future Sampling Efforts ..............................................................115 Sediment, Settling Particles, and Suspended Solids ..................................................................115 Water ................................................................................................................................................116 Biota ................................................................................................................................................117 Summary......................................................................................................................................................117 Acknowledgments .....................................................................................................................................118 References Cited........................................................................................................................................119 Appendix A. Evaluation of the Quality of Available Data for Marine Sediment, Marine Water, and Biota ...........................................................................................................................123 Appendix B. Listings of Sediment Data Examined .............................................................................133 Appendix C. Relations Between Ancillary Sediment Parameters ....................................................161 Appendix D. Core Profiles from the Operable Units A and B Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Studies from the Confined Aquatic Disposal Pit for the Long-Term Monitoring Program, from the Special Transport Study, and from the Environment Investment (Envvest) Project ...........................................................................................................................................177 Appendix E. Residuals for Long-Term Monitoring Program .............................................................201 Appendix F. Listings of Biological Data Examined ...............................................................................209 Figures Figure 1. Maps showing locations of Sinclair Inlet, water bodies adjacent to Sinclair Inlet, and site locations outside the Bremerton naval complex boundary from previous studies, Puget Sound, Washington ………………………………………