Published Reports CONTAMINANTS ASSESSMENT OF THE CORPUS CHRISTI BAY COMPLEX, TEXAS 1988-1989 Teresa A. Barrera, Lawrence R. Gamble, Gerry Jackson, Thomas Maurer, Stephen M. Robertson, and M. Clare Lee U.S. Fish And Wildlife Service Corpus Christi Ecological Services Field Office Campus Box 338, 6300 Ocean Drive Corpus Christi, TX 78412 September 1995 CONTAMINANTS ASSESSMENT OF THE CORPUS CHRISTI BAY COMPLEX, TEXAS 1988-1989 Teresa A. Barrera, Lawrence R. Gamble[SUP]1, Gerry Jacksoný, Thomas Maurer[SUP]3, Stephen M. Robertson[SUP]4 and M. Clare Lee Edited by Thomas W. Schultz Senior Contaminants Ecologist http://orion.cr.usgs.gov/dec_reports/103/report.html (1 of 65) [10/17/2000 1:14:55 PM] Published Reports Under the Supervision of Rogelio Perez Field Supervisor U.S. Fish And Wildlife Service Corpus Christi Ecological Services Field Office Campus Box 338, 6300 Ocean Drive Corpus Christi, TX 78412 September 1995 [sup]1 National Biological Service Division of Inventory and Monitoring [sup]3 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Biomonitoring of Environmental Status and Trends Sacramento Field Office P.O. Box, 25486 Contaminants Division Denver Federal Center 2800 Cottage Way E-1803 Denver, CO. 80225 Sacramento, CA 95025 ýU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service [sup]4 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service North Pacific Coast Ecoregion Region 2- Environmental Contaminants Division 911 NE 11th Ave 500 Gold Avanue, SW Portland, OR 97232-4181 Albuquerque, NM 87103-1306 1 ABSTRACT The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service-Ecological Services, Corpus Christi Field Office conducted baseline contaminants assessments of sediments and biota from the Corpus Christi Bay Complex in 1988-1989. The approximately 900 sq km study area was comprised of Corpus Christi, Redfish, Nueces, Oso and Baffin Bays, the Upper Laguna Madre, the Nueces River and the Corpus Christi Inner Harbor. Two hundred and eighty- two sediment samples and 80 biota samples were collected. Biota included composite samples of shoalgrass (Halodule wrightii), eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica), blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus), calico crabs (Eriphia gonagra), toadfish (Opsanus beta), and hardhead catfish (Arius felis). Samples were analyzed for polycyclic aromatic http://orion.cr.usgs.gov/dec_reports/103/report.html (2 of 65) [10/17/2000 1:14:55 PM] Published Reports hydrocarbons (PAHs), organochlorines (OCs), polychiorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and twenty-three trace elements. Six biota samples were also analyzed for the dioxin 2,3,7,8 TCDD. The results of organic analyses revealed levels of PAHs, OCs, and PCBs either below detection (lower limit of detection was 0.01 ppm wet weight) or at very low levels in sediments. All biota samples analyzed for dioxins were below detection (lower limit of detection ranged from 0.25 to 0.64 picograms per gram, or parts per trillion). OCs were below FDA levels of concern in all biota except for one Corpus Christi Bay hardhead catfish sample, which had 3.8 ppm PCBs (wet weight). However, an overall trend toward biomagnification of PCBs and p,p'-DDE was observed. Total PCBs were detected in 45% of the biota samples and DDE was detected in 86%. Twenty-two out of 23 trace elements were above detection in sediments (ppm dry weight). Geometric means of the following trace elements were considered elevated above background levels: Cr (17.13 ppm), Cu (16.82 ppm), Pb (36.01 ppm), Hg (0.205 ppm), and Zn (179.5 ppm) from the Inner Harbor; Zn (55.59 ppm) from Nueces Bay; As (4.39 ppm) and Zn (56.8 ppm) from Corpus Christi Bay; and Cr (13.14 ppm), Cu (9.99 ppm), and Pb (17.84 ppm) from Baffin Bay. In addition, the following trace elements were also detected at elevated levels in individual sediment samples: Hg (0.43 ppm) from the Nueces River; As (27.8 ppm), B (343 ppm), Cr (31 ppm), Cu (52.2 ppm), Pb (79.8 ppm), Ni (18.5 ppm), and Zn (248 ppm) from the Laguna Madre, and Cr (38.5 ppm), Cu (53.1 ppm), Pb (87.3 ppm), and Ni (18.3 ppm) from Baffin Bay. Sediments from the Inner Harbor, Corpus Christi Bay and Nueces Bay have apparently been contaminated as a result of industrial discharges, dredging and dredge material disposal. The sources of elevated trace elements in Baffin Bay and Upper Laguna Madre sediments are unknown, but may be related to oil and gas production in the bays. Trace element geometric means were also above levels of concern in some biota, particularly oysters. Oysters from Nueces Bay had elevated geometric means of As (5 ppm), Cd (12.3 ppm), Cu (280 ppm), Se (4.46 ppm), and Zn (6006 ppm). Residues of As (8.69 ppm), Cd (8.76 ppm), Cu (1330 ppm), Pb (3.5 ppm), Se (4.72 ppm), and Zn (11600 ppm) were also above levels of concern in Inner Harbor oysters. Cu and Zn were i of particular concern in oysters because of the alarmingly high residues. Elevated residues of trace metals, including Zn residues exceeding 100 ppm, were detected in blue crab samples from Corpus Christi Bay, Inner Harbor, Nueces River, and Baffin Bay. The geometric mean of As in Laguna Madre blue crabs (27.85 ppm) was elevated, as was the Hg residue in blue crabs from the Nueces River (0.411 ppm). Hardhead catfish from http://orion.cr.usgs.gov/dec_reports/103/report.html (3 of 65) [10/17/2000 1:14:55 PM] Published Reports Baffin Bay had an elevated geometric mean of As (17.68 ppm), and Zn was elevated in hardhead catfish from Nueces Bay, the Nueces River, and the Inner Harbor. Five hardhead catfish samples from Corpus Christi Bay had mercury residues greater than I ppm Hg. Mercury is wide-spread in Corpus Christi Bay sediment at low levels and appears to be biomagnifying in biota within the study area. High sediment levels of copper and zinc were apparently caused by the historic contamination are the source for ongoing copper and zinc contamination of oysters in Nueces Bay and the Inner Harbor. Keywords: Corpus Christi Bay, Baffin Bay, Nueces Bay, Laguna Madre, Corpus Christi Inner Harbor, Redfish Bay, Gulf of Mexico, contaminants, sediments, blue crabs, eastern oysters, hardhead catfish, dioxins, PAHs, PCBs, OCs, trace elements, As, Cd, Cu, Hg, Zn. Regional Study ID's: 88-2-040; 88-2-040B; 90-2-051; 2254. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT............................................................. i TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................... iii LIST OF TABLES....................................................... v LIST OF FIGURES...................................................... vi INTRODUCTION......................................................... 1 STUDY SITE........................................................... 2 REDFISH BAY...................................................... 5 CORPUS CHRISTI BAY............................................... 6 NUECES BAY....................................................... 6 INNER HARBOR..................................................... 7 NUECES RIVER..................................................... 7 OSO BAY.......................................................... 7 LAGUNA MADRE..................................................... 8 BAFFIN BAY....................................................... 9 MATERIALS AND METHODS................................................ 9 SEDIMENT......................................................... 9 BIOTA............................................................ 10 http://orion.cr.usgs.gov/dec_reports/103/report.html (4 of 65) [10/17/2000 1:14:55 PM] Published Reports DATA ANALYSIS.................................................... 17 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION............................................... 17 DIOXINS.......................................................... 17 ORGANOCHLORINES.................................................. 18 DDT and Metabolites.......................................... 18 Total PCBs................................................... 20 POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS................................. 21 OIL and GREASE................................................... 23 TRACE ELEMENTS................................................... 24 Arsenic..................................................... 31 Boron....................................................... 33 Cadmium..................................................... 34 Chromium.................................................... 36 Copper...................................................... 37 Lead........................................................ 39 Mercury..................................................... 40 Nickel...................................................... 42 Selenium.................................................... 43 iii Zinc................................................................ 44 SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS.................................................. 47 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS............................................................. 54 LITERATURE CITED............................................................. 55 APPENDIX A: Analyses, detection limits, and laboratories used for sediment and biota samples collected from the Corpus Christi Bay Complex, Texas, 1988-1989............................................. i - appendix A APPENDIX B: Biota sample sites and numbers of samples collected from each bay................................................... iii - appendix B APPENDIX C: The results of dioxin analysis for 2,3,7,8-TCDD in biota samples collected from the Corpus Christi Bay Complex, 1989. v - appendix C APPENDIX D: Raw data for organochlorines, PAHs, oil and grease, and trace http://orion.cr.usgs.gov/dec_reports/103/report.html