Water-Resources Investigations Report 97-4192
Trace Elements and Synthetic Organic Compounds in Biota and Streambed
Sediment of the Western Lake Michigan Drainages, 1992-1995
By Barbara C. Scudder, Daniel J. Sullivan, Faith A. Fitzpatrick
and Stephen J. Rheaume
Abstract
Sampling was conducted in 1992, 1994, and 1995 to determine the occurrence of
a broad suite of trace elements and sythetic organic compounds in biota and
streambed sediment in selected streams in the Western Lake Michigan
Drainages--a study unit of the National Water-Qualtiy Assessment (NAWQA)
Program of the U.S. Geological Survey. Sediment was sampled at 31 sites for
trace elements and 23 sites for synthetic organic compounds; biota were
collected at a subset of sites. Some of the variability in trace elements and
sythetic organic compounds was related to land use, and many differences in
trace element concentration by land use category were statistically
significant. The spatial distribution of some trace elements was related to a
combination of land use and suficial deposits and (or) bedrock type. Urban
land use was likely the dominant factor influencing high sediment
concentrations of Cd, Cu, Hg, and Pb. Forested land use was related to high
concentrations of As in sediment and biota and high Se in sediment; however,
bedrock type was an additional factor for As and surficial deposits type was a
factor for Se. Land use, surficial deposits, and bedrock type appeared to
influence Ni and Zn concentrations, and Cr concentrations did not directly
reflect any of these factors. Most occcurrences of organochlorine compounds in
sediment and biota were related to urban land use. DDT and related compounds
were detected at sites spanning all land uses. PCBs were detected in sediment
at large-river sites and at one urban site in the Milwaukee area; the highest
concentrations of PCBs in fish were found at two of four large river sites. A
larger number of SVOCs were detected at urban sites and large river sites
compared to agricultural and forested sites.