C O O K I N L E T

ALASKA

Selected Organic Compounds and

Trace Elements in Streambed Sediments and 

Fish Tissues, Cook Inlet Basin, Alaska

Water-Resources Investigations Report 00-4004

National Water-Quality Assessment Program

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey
Selected Organic Compounds and 

Trace Elements in Streambed Sediments and 

Fish Tissues, Cook Inlet Basin, Alaska

By Steven A. Frenzel

__________________________________________________________________

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

Water-Resources Investigations Report 00-4004

Prepared as part of the

National Water-Quality Assessment Program

 Anchorage, Alaska

2000
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

BRUCE BABBITT, Secretary

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

Charles G. Groat, Director

Use of trade names in this report is for identification 

purposes only and does not constitute endorsement

by the U.S. Geological Survey.

For additional information: Copies of this report may be purchased from:

District Chief U.S. Geological Survey

U.S. Geological Survey Branch of Information Services

4230 University Drive, Suite 201 Box 25286

Anchorage, AK 99508-4664 Denver, CO 80225-0286

Internet URL’s:

Alaska Water Resources: http://ak.water.usgs.gov

Cook Inlet Basin NAWQA: http://ak.water.usgs.gov/Projects/Nawqa/

National NAWQA: http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/nawqa_home.html
FOREWORD

The mission of the U.S. Geological Survey 

(USGS) is to assess the quantity and quality of the 

earth resources of the Nation and to provide information that will assist resource managers and policymakers at Federal, State, and local levels in making sound 

decisions. Assessment of water-quality conditions and 

trends is an important part of this overall mission.

One of the greatest challenges faced by waterresources scientists is acquiring reliable information 

that will guide the use and protection of the Nation’s 

water resources. That challenge is being addressed by 

Federal, State, interstate, and local water-resource 

agencies and by many academic institutions. These 

organizations are collecting water-quality data for a 

host of purposes that include: compliance with permits 

and water-supply standards; development of remediation plans for specific contamination problems; operational decisions on industrial, wastewater, or watersupply facilities; and research on factors that affect 

water quality. An additional need for water-quality 

information is to provide a basis on which regionaland national-level policy decisions can be based. Wise 

decisions must be based on sound information. As a 

society we need to know whether certain types of 

water-quality problems are isolated or ubiquitous, 

whether there are significant differences in conditions 

among regions, whether the conditions are changing 

over time, and why these conditions change from 

place to place and over time. The information can be 

used to help determine the efficacy of existing waterquality policies and to help analysts determine the 

need for and likely consequences of new policies.

To address these needs, the U.S. Congress appropriated funds in 1986 for the USGS to begin a pilot program in seven project areas to develop and refine the 

National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program. In 1991, the USGS began full implementation of 

the program. The NAWQA Program builds upon an 

existing base of water-quality studies of the USGS, as 

well as those of other Federal, State, and local agencies. 

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.

• Describe how water quality is changing over 

time.

• Improve understanding of the primary natural 

and human factors that affect water-quality

conditions.

This information will help support the development 

and evaluation of management, regulatory, and monitoring decisions by other Federal, State, and local 

agencies to protect, use, and enhance water resources. 

The goals of the NAWQA Program are being 

achieved through ongoing and proposed investigations 

of 60 of the Nation’s most important river basins and 

aquifer systems, which are referred to as study units. 

These study units are distributed throughout the 

Nation and cover a diversity of hydrogeologic settings. 

More than two-thirds of the Nation’s freshwater use 

occurs within the 60 study units and more than twothirds of the people served by public water-supply systems live within their boundaries.

National synthesis of data analysis, based on 

aggregation of comparable information obtained from 

the study units, is a major component of the program. 

This effort focuses on selected water-quality topics 

using nationally consistent information. Comparative 

studies will explain differences and similarities in 

observed water-quality conditions among study areas 

and will identify changes and trends and their causes. 

The first topics addressed by the national synthesis are 

pesticides, nutrients, volatile organic compounds, and 

aquatic biology. Discussions on these and other waterquality topics will be published in periodic summaries 

of the quality of the Nation’s ground and surface water 

as the information becomes available.

This report is an element of the comprehensive 

body of information developed as part of the NAWQA 

Program. The program depends heavily on the advice, 

cooperation, and information from many Federal, 

State, interstate, Tribal, and local agencies and the 

public. The assistance and suggestions of all are 

greatly appreciated.

Robert M. Hirsch

Chief Hydrologist

CONTENTS

Abstract . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Purpose and Scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Description of Study Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Streambed Sediment Sampling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Fish Tissue Sampling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Analytical Methods. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Standards and Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Discussion of Organic Compound Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Streambed Sediment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Fish Tissue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Discussion of Trace Element Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Streambed Sediment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Fish Tissue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Mercury Pilot Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Summary and Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

References Cited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Appendix 1. Cook Inlet NAWQA Map Numbering System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Appendix 2. Organochlorine Compounds, Semivolatile Organic Compounds, and Trace

Elements Not Detected. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

FIGURES

1-3. Maps showing:

 1. Location of streambed-sediment and fish-tissue sampling sites, Cook Inlet Basin, Alaska . . . . . 3

 2. Land ownership in the Cook Inlet Basin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

3. Ecoregions in the Cook Inlet Basin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

 4. Graph showing comparison of 1998 streamflow to normal streamflow in four rivers in the

Cook Inlet Basin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

5. Photograph showing streambed samples being collected from a depositional area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

 6. Map showing location of sampling sites in the Anchorage area and graph showing summed 

concentration of selected semivolatile organic compounds in streambed sediments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

7-9. Photographs showing:

7. Slimy sculpin collected from a Cook Inlet Basin site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

8. Electrofishing technique used to collect fish samples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

9. Deshka River in a vast area of wetlands and mixed forests. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

10-12. Graphs showing:

10. Comparison of population density and SVOC detections among selected NAWQA study units21

11. Concentrations of arsenic, chromium, copper, and nickel in streambed sediments with 

comparison to PEL and national median concentrations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

 12. Concentrations of cadmium, lead, selenium, and zinc in streambed sediments and 

background levels for the Cook Inlet Basin with comparison to PEL and national median

concentrations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
TABLES

1. Streambed-sediment and fish-tissue sampling sites in the Cook Inlet Basin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

2. Ecoregion and vegetation classes for sites in the Cook Inlet Basin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

3. Guidelines for ranking sites based on semivolatile organic compounds in streambed sediment . . . . 14

4. Detection frequency for organochlorine compounds in whole slimy sculpin and semivolatile 

organic compounds in streambed sediments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

 5. Concentrations of semivolatile organic compounds and total PCBs exceeding minimum 

reporting limits in streambed and pond sediments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

6. Quality-assurance data for organochlorines in whole slimy sculpin, Chester Creek at Arctic Blvd., 

May 13, 1998. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

7. Organochlorine compounds detected in streambed sediments and whole fish. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

8. Comparison of population densities and SVOC detections among selected NAWQA study units. . . 21

 9. Trace element concentrations in streambed sediments and scores relative to national 

median values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

 10. Trace element concentrations in whole slimy sculpin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

 11. Mercury partitioning at five sites in Cook Inlet Basin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

CONVERSION FACTORS, ABBREVIATIONS, MAP NUMBERS, AND VERTICAL DATUM

Multiply by To obtain

inch (in.) 25.4 millimeter 

foot (ft) 0.3048 meter

mi (mi) 1.609 kilometer

square mile (mi2

) 2.590 square kilometer

cubic foot per second (ft3/s) 0.02832 cubic meter per second

Abbreviations:

Certain biological measurements used in this report are given only in metric units: 

mL, milliliter

mm, millimeter

μm, micrometer

g, gram

μg/g, microgram per gram

μg/kg, microgram per kilogram

Map Numbering System:

The map numbers of sampling sites on the tables and figures in this report generally follow the map numbering system 

for stream-gaging stations in the NAWQA environmental setting report (Brabets and others, 1999). Because data in 

this streambed sediment/fish tissue report were not collected at all of the stream-gaging stations numbered in the environmental setting report, this report contains gaps in the map numbers. 

Vertical Datum:

In this report, “sea level” refers to the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929—A geodetic datum derived from a 

general adjustment of the first-order level nets of the United States and Canada, formerly called Sea Level Datum of 

1929.
Introduction 1

Selected Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in 

Streambed Sediments and Fish Tissues, 

Cook Inlet Basin, Alaska

by Steven A. Frenzel

ABSTRACT

Organochlorines, semivolatile organic

compounds (SVOCs), and trace elements were

investigated in streambed sediments and fish

tissues at selected sites in the Cook Inlet Basin,

Alaska, during 1998. At most sites, SVOCs and

organochlorine compounds were either not

detected or detected at very low concentrations.

Chester Creek at Arctic Boulevard at Anchorage, which was the only site sampled with a

significant degree of development in the watershed, had elevated levels of many SVOCs in

streambed sediment. Coring of sediments from

two ponds on Chester Creek confirmed the

presence of elevated concentrations of a variety

of organic compounds. Moose Creek, a stream

with extensive coal deposits in its watershed,

had low concentrations of numerous SVOCs in

streambed sediment. Three sites located in

national parks or in a national wildlife refuge

had no detectable concentrations of SVOCs. 

Trace elements were analyzed in both

streambed sediments and tissues of slimy

sculpin. The two media provided similar evidence for elevated concentrations of cadmium,

lead, and zinc at Chester Creek. In this study,

“probable effect levels “(PELs) were determined from sediments finer than 0.063 millimeters, where concentrations tend to be

greatest. Arsenic and chromium concentrations

exceeded the PEL at eight and six sites respectively. Zinc exceeded the PEL at one site. Cadmium and copper concentrations were smaller

than the PEL at all sites. Mercury concentrations in streambed sediments from the Deshka

River were near the PEL, and selenium concentrations at that site also appear to be elevated

above background levels. At half the sites

where slimy sculpin were sampled, selenium

concentrations were at levels that may cause

adverse effects in some species.

INTRODUCTION

Background

Streambed sediments and fish tissues are

analyzed for concentrations of organic compounds and trace elements as part of the U.S.

Geological Survey (USGS) National WaterQuality Assessment (NAWQA) Program. The

primary objectives of the NAWQA Program

are to (1) describe the current status of the

Nation’s water quality, (2) describe water-quality trends, and (3) increase understanding about

the natural and human factors that affect water

quality. Data from each of about 60 study units

are compiled at a national level so that particular constituents of regional or national concern

may be identified (Gilliom and others, 1998). 

Streambed sediments and fish tissues

were analyzed because many compounds of

interest tend to concentrate in these media relative to water and because sediments and tissues
2 Selected Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Streambed Sediments and Fish Tissues, Cook Inlet Basin, Alaska

represent long-term exposure to the environment. Organochlorines were detected less frequently in streambed sediments than in fish

tissues during the study of the 20 initial

NAWQA study units (Gilliom and others,

1998). Several of the compounds analyzed,

such as the organochlorine pesticide DDT, have

been banned for use in the United States but

persist in the environment. Lipophilic compounds, such as the organochlorines, tend to

bioaccumulate in a food chain with possible

adverse effects on the reproductive success at

the top trophic levels. However, organochlorine concentrations in fish tissues show a generally decreasing trend at sites across the

country and the one site in the Cook Inlet Basin

sampled in 1973 for the National Contaminant

Biomonitoring Program had undetectable organochlorine concentrations in fish (Schmitt and

others, 1990). To reduce costs per site for the

Cook Inlet Basin study, organochlorines generally were analyzed in fish tissues and not in

streambed sediments. 

Distribution of synthetic organic compounds in the environment has been shown to

be related to land uses that included significant

areas of agricultural or urban land (Munn and

Gruber, 1997; Dennehy and others, 1998; Land

and others, 1998). In the Cook Inlet Basin, agricultural and urban land uses each account for

less than one percent of the total area (Frenzel,

1997). Yet organochlorines have been detected

in remote arctic environments far from areas of

possible use (Wilson and others, 1995). Semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs)—polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), for

example—result from anthropogenic sources

such as incomplete combustion of fossil fuels

and wood, or from natural sources such as wetlands, oil, and coal deposits (Lopes and others,

1998).

Trace elements are derived from natural

sources, but may be redistributed in the environment by human activities such as mining

and urbanization. Some trace elements are

essential micronutrients, yet at elevated concentrations may be harmful to organisms

exposed to them. For example, elevated levels

of selenium in irrigation return flows have been

tied to abnormal development of birds and elevated levels of cadmium are deleterious to egg

survival in salmonids (U.S. Department of the

Interior, 1998).

Purpose and Scope

This report describes the occurrence of

organochlorines, SVOCs, and trace elements in

streambed sediments and fish tissues at 15 sites

in the Cook Inlet Basin in southcentral Alaska,

during 1998 (fig. 1; table 1). Organochlorines

were analyzed in streambed sediments at six

sites and in fish tissues at 12 sites. SVOCs were

analyzed in streambed sediments at all 15 sites.

Trace elements were analyzed in streambed

sediments at 14 sites and in fish tissues at 12

sites. About half of the sites were located along

the road system, but seven sites were located in

more remote areas including three national

parks. 

The map numbers of sampling sites on

the tables and figures in this report generally

follow the map-numbering system for streamgaging stations in the NAWQA environmental

setting report (Brabets and others, 1999).

Because data for streambed sediments and fish

tissue were not collected at all of the streamgaging stations numbered in the environmental

setting report, this report contains gaps in the

map numbers (appendix 1).
Introduction 3

57 58

44

41

50

23 27

56

16 55 53

54

52 7

51

7

63o

152o

63o

146o

60o

154o

149o

60o

Kenai 

River

Susitna R

Kasilof

 River

Knik River

Matanuska R

Susitna R

Chulitna R

Chuitna R

Paint R

Russian

 River

Costello Cr

Colorado Cr

Kamishak R

Moose Cr

Talkeetna R

Deshka R

Ninilchik R

Johnson R

Palmer

Willow

Talkeetna

Anchorage (fig.6)

Cooper

Landing

Soldotna

Ninilchik

Homer

Nikiski

Mt. McKinley

75 100 MILES

100 KILOMETERS

50

75

25

25 50

0

0

EXPLANATION

Roads COOK INLET

Figure 1. Location of streambed-sediment and fish-tissue sampling sites, Cook Inlet Basin, Alaska.

(See table 1 for types of samples collected at each site.)

KENAI NATIONAL

WILDLIFE REFUGE

DENALI NATIONAL PARK AND PRESERVE

LAKE CLARK 

NATIONAL PARK

AND PRESERVE

KATMAI

NATIONAL 

PARK AND

PRESERVE

USGS stream-gaging station

and site number

National Park and 

Wildlife Refuge Boundaries

Cook Inlet Basin 

study area

ALASKA

Swanson R

Glacier

KENAI

FJORDS

NATIONAL 

PARK

Chugach National Forest

CHUGACH

NATIONAL

FOREST
4 Selected Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Streambed Sediments and Fish Tissues, Cook Inlet Basin, Alaska

Table 1. Streambed-sediment and fish tissue sampling sites in the Cook Inlet Basin, Alaska

[mi2, square mile; OC-sed, organochlorines in streambed sediments < 2 mm; OC-fish, organochlorines in whole slimy sculpin; SVOC, semivolatile organic 

compounds in streambed sediments < 2 mm; TE-sed, trace elements in streambed sediments <0.063 mm; TE-fish, trace elements in whole slimy sculpin]

Map 

No.

(fig. 1)

Site name USGS Station No. Latitude

Longitude

Drainage 

area 

(mi2)

Type of samples collected Remarks

7 Ninilchik River at Ninilchik 15241600 60°02'56"

151°39'48"

a

131

a

Drainage area revised from previously published values; new values computed using Geographic Information System (GIS) tools

OC-fish, SVOC, TE-sed, 

TE-fish

Lowland drainage; 

timber harvesting

16 Kenai River at Soldotna 15266300 60°28'39"

151°04'46"

a

1,951 OC-fish, SVOC, TE-sed, 

TE-fish

Records since 1965; 

recreational use

23 South Fork Campbell Creek 

near Anchorage

15274000 61°09'57"

149°46'15"

a

29.4 OC-fish, SVOC, TE-sed, 

TE-fish

Reference for urban 

area

27 Chester Creek at Arctic Blvd. 

at Anchorage

15275100 61°12'19"

149°53'43"

a

27.3 OC-fish, SVOC, TE-sed, 

TE-fish

Urban area

41 Talkeetna River near

Talkeetna

15292700 62°20'49"

150°01'01"

a

1,996 OC-fish, OC-sed, SVOC, 

TE-sed, TE-fish

Records since 1964; 

undeveloped basin

44 Deshka River near Willow 15294100 61°46'05"

150°20'13"

a

591 OC-fish, SVOC, TE-sed, 

TE-fish

Lowland drainage; 

undeveloped

50 Moose Creek near Palmer 15283700 61°41'00"

149°02'36"

a

47.3 OC-fish, SVOC, TE-sed, 

TE-fish

Coal deposits 

upstream

51 Kamishak River near 

Kamishak

5857501541011 58°57'50"

154°10'11"

a

275 OC-sed, SVOC, TE-sed, 

TE-fish

Katmai National Park 

and Preserve

52 Johnson River above Lateral 

Glacier near Tuxedni Bay

15294700 60°05'41

152°54'38"

a

24.8 OC-sed, SVOC, TE-sed Lake Clark National 

Park and Preserve

53 Kenai River below Russian 

River near Cooper Landing

15266010 60°29'07"

150°00'35"

828 OC-fish, OC-sed, SVOC, 

TE-sed, TE-fish

Kenai National

Wildlife Refuge

54 Kenai River at Jim’s Landing 

near Cooper Landing

15266020 60°28'55"

150°06'36"

841 OC-fish, OC-sed, SVOC, 

TE-sed, TE-fish

Kenai National

Wildlife Refuge

55 Kenai River below Skilak 

Lake Outlet near Sterling

15266110 60°28'00"

150°35'56"

a

1,206 OC-fish, SVOC, TE-sed, 

TE-fish

Reference for recreational use

56 Swanson River near Kenai 15267160 60°47'15"

151°00'30"

a

280 OC-fish, SVOC Oil and gas fields 

upstream

57 Colorado Creek near 

Colorado

6316291493520 63°16'29"

149°35'20"

10.6 OC-sed, SVOC, TE-sed Denali National 

Park and Preserve

58 Costello Creek near Colorado 6310181493237 63°16'18"

149°32'37"

23.2 OC-fish, SVOC, TE-sed, 

TE-fish

Denali National 

Park and Preserve
Description of Study Area 5

DESCRIPTION OF STUDY AREA

The 39,325 square-mile Cook Inlet Basin

is largely undeveloped. Population in 1996 was

about 347,000, concentrated in the Municipality of Anchorage (254,000), Matanuska-Susitna Borough (51,000), and the Kenai Peninsula

Borough (42,000) (Glass, 1999). The low population density also equates to few industries

present; only two facilities in the Cook Inlet

Basin are listed in the Toxics Release Inventory

for Alaska (U.S. Environmental Protection

Agency, 1999). However, one of these facilities

near Nikiski (fig. 1) has had aerial releases of

ammonia in the 10 years ending in 1997 from

as much as 205 million pounds in 1988 to 3 million pounds in 1997 (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1999).

The State of Alaska and the Federal government manage the vast majority of land in the

Cook Inlet Basin (fig. 2). State-owned land

accounts for 51 percent of the total area. Federal lands account for 44 percent of the basin

and include parts of four national parks, the

Chugach National Forest, and the Kenai

National Wildlife Refuge (KNWR) (fig. 1)

(Brabets and others, 1999). Lake Clark and

Katmai National Parks and Preserves are

located on the western side of Cook Inlet and

are accessed by aircraft. Denali National Park

and Preserve, located in the northern part of the

study unit is a popular ecotourism destination

accessible by road. However, the areas of

Denali National Park and Preserve that drain to

Cook Inlet are not road accessible. Only a small

part of the Harding Icefield in Kenai Fjords

National Park is within the Cook Inlet Basin

boundaries. The KNWR is one of two National

Wildlife Refuges in Alaska with road access. In

spite of being relatively accessible, more than

70 percent of the refuge is designated as wilderness. The proximity of KNWR to population

centers in Alaska makes it a popular recreational destination.

A wide range of physiographic conditions

exists in the Cook Inlet Basin. Altitude ranges

from sea level to 20,320 ft at Mount McKinley;

this altitude range has a large effect on climate

and vegetation. Mean annual precipitation

ranges from about 20 in. in the lowland areas of

Anchorage to 240 in. in the mountains bordering the basin (Brabets and others, 1999). The

combination of high latitudes, high altitudes,

and high precipitation results in glaciers, snow,

and ice that cover 17 percent of the basin. Six

ecoregions (fig. 3) are present in the basin and

roughly correspond to the altitude and precipitation patterns. The Alaska Range ecoregion

covers nearly half of the Cook Inlet Basin, but

is largely inaccessible. A poorly developed

road system provides access to some areas of

four other ecoregions, but is mostly restricted to

the Cook Inlet and Pacific Coastal Mountains

ecoregions. Combined, those two ecoregions

represent 44 percent of the basin. Sites sampled

during this study represent four of the ecoregions in the Cook Inlet Basin (table 2). Detailed

descriptions of the physical characteristics of

the basin are given by Brabets and others

(1999). 

Glaciers have a profound effect on water

quality, but their effects can be moderated by

the presence of large lakes that trap sediment

(Brabets and others, 1999). Seven sites sampled

in the Cook Inlet Basin have glaciers in their

headwaters (fig. 1). Of those sites, only the

Kenai River has large lakes that serve as efficient sediment traps. Water at the Johnson

River sampling site is greatly influenced by

glaciers a short distance upstream. The Talkeetna and Kamishak Rivers also have glaciers

present in their headwaters.
6 Selected Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Streambed Sediments and Fish Tissues, Cook Inlet Basin, Alaska

63o

152o

63o

146o

60o

154o

149o

60o

75 100 MILES

100 KILOMETERS

50

75

25

25 50

0

0

EXPLANATION

Federal land

Native Corporation land

State land

Federal land selected

for eventual conveyance

to the State or Native

corporations

COOK INLET

Figure 2. Land ownership in the Cook Inlet Basin, Alaska.
Description of Study Area 7

75 100 MILES

100 KILOMETERS

50

75

25

25 50

0

0

63o

146o

63o

152o

60o

154o

149o

60o

Alaska Peninsula Mountains (3%)

Cook Inlet (28%)

Alaska Range (49%)

Copper Plateau (2%)

Pacific Coastal Mountains (16%)

Coastal Forest (2%)

Transitional Areas

EXPLANATION

Figure 3. Ecoregions in the Cook Inlet Basin, Alaska (modified from Gallant and others, 1995).

USGS stream-gaging station

and site number

57 58

44

41

50

23

27

56

16 55

53

54

52 7

51 7
8 Selected Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Streambed Sediments and Fish Tissues, Cook Inlet Basin, Alaska

Few long-term streamflow monitoring

stations exist in the Cook Inlet Basin, so determining whether normal streamflow existed

during sampling from May through August

1998 was problematic. The Kenai River at Soldotna and the Talkeetna River near Talkeetna

have been monitored since the mid-1960’s (fig.

4). Ship Creek near Anchorage and the Little

Susitna River near Palmer are two smaller

streams that were not sampled, but also have

long streamflow records (fig. 4). The interquartile range of streamflow shown in blue on figure 4 represents the central 50 percent of data

for each day. The interquartile range is unaffected by the magnitudes of extremes such as

rare floods. To improve the clarity of the figures, the interquartile range was plotted with a

5-day moving average. By comparing this distribution of daily flows for the period of record

through 1997 to the 1998 streamflows, it was

concluded that 1998 was a year of normal

streamflow in the basin.

Table 2. Ecoregions and vegetation classes for sites in the Cook Inlet Basin

[Data from Alaska Geospatial Data Clearinghouse (1998)]

Map 

No.

(fig. 

3)

Site name Dominant ecoregion 

(percent of total area)

Vegetation class

(percent of total area)

Dominant Sub-dominant 

7 Ninilchik River near Ninilchik Cook Inlet (100) Closed spruce forest (73) Closed mixed forest (21)

16 Kenai River at Soldotna Pacific Coastal Mtns (66) Tall shrub (18) Closed mixed forest (18)

23 South Fork Campbell Creek 

near Anchorage

Pacific Coastal Mtns (95) Alpine tundra (35) Closed spruce forest (25)

27 Chester Creek at Arctic Blvd. at 

Anchorage

Cook Inlet (70) Closed spruce forest (27) Closed mixed forest (23)

41 Talkeetna River near Talkeetna Alaska Range (92) Tall shrub (38) Alpine tundra (27)

44 Deshka River near Willow Cook Inlet (100) Closed broadleaf & closed 

mixed forest (75)

Closed mixed forest (18)

50 Moose Creek near Palmer Cook Inlet (60) Alpine tundra (35) Closed broadleaf & closed 

mixed forest (32)

51 Kamishak River near Kamishak Alaska Peninsula Mtns 

(100)

Alpine tundra (49) Tall shrub (46)

52 Johnson River above Lateral

Glacier near Tuxedni Bay

Alaska Range (100) Alpine tundra (57) Glaciers (42)

53 Kenai River below Russian

River near Cooper Landing

Pacific Coastal Mtns (100) Tall shrub (33) Alpine tundra (23)

54 Kenai River at Jim’s Landing 

near Cooper Landing

Pacific Coastal Mtns (100) Tall shrub (32) Alpine tundra (23)

55 Kenai River below 

Skilak Lake Outlet

Pacific Coastal Mtns (88) Tall shrub (25) Alpine tundra (18)

56 Swanson River near Kenai Cook Inlet (100) Closed mixed forest (45) Low shrub/lichen tundra 

(17)

57 Colorado Creek near Colorado Alaska Range (100) Alpine tundra (69) Tall shrub (31)

58 Costello Creek near Colorado Alaska Range (100) Alpine tundra (53) Tall shrub (30)
Description of Study Area 9

OND

1997

J FMAMJ J AS

1998

100

100,000

1,000

10,000

OND

1997

J FMAMJ J AS

1998

EXPLANATION

1966-97 Interquartile

range

1998 Water Year

1

10,000

10

100

1,000

OND

1997

J FMAMJ J AS

1998

10

10,000

100

1,000

OND

1997

J FMAMJ J AS

1998

EXPLANATION

1949-97 Interquartile

range

1998 Water Year

Kenai River at Soldotna

Talkeetna River near Talkeetna

Ship Creek near Anchorage

Little Susitna River near Palmer

DISCHARGE, IN CUBIC FEET PER SECOND

100,000

10,000

1,000

100

Figure 4. Comparison of 1998 streamflow to normal streamflow for four rivers in the

Cook Inlet Basin, Alaska.
10 Selected Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Streambed Sediments and Fish Tissues, Cook Inlet Basin, Alaska

METHODS

Streambed Sediment Sampling

Streambed sediments were sampled from

several depositional areas at each site (fig. 5).

Sediments were collected from the surface of

the streambed using Teflon tubes or Teflon

coated spoons and composited in glass bowls

(Shelton and Capel, 1994). Three types of samples were obtained from this composite: a sample for SVOCs (and organochlorines when

necessary) was passed through a 2-mm stainless-steel sieve; a sample for particle-size analysis also was passed through the 2-mm sieve;

and a sample for trace elements was passed

through a 0.063-mm Nylon sieve. Up to 250

mL of stream water was used for sieving the

trace-element sample. Samples for SVOCs and

trace elements were chilled after sieving. Water

included in the trace-element sample was

decanted after very fine-grained sediments had

settled. 

Sediment samples also were collected for

a national study of historical trends in water

quality. Those samples were collected from two

ponds on Chester Creek in Anchorage (sites A

and B, fig. 6) and the streambed of a tributary

to Chester Creek upstream from the area of

development (site C, fig. 6). The sample-collection method at the pond sites differed from

that used in streams. At the pond sites, a coring

device was used and compositing was not done

so that discrete layers of the core could be analyzed separately.

Figure 5. Streambed-sediment samples being collected from a depositional area. 
Methods 11

3rd Ave

15th Ave

Merrill

Field

Elmendorf AFB

Bluff Rd

Glenn Highway

Northern Lights Blvd

Point Woronzof

Anchorage

International Airport International Airport Rd

Raspberry Rd

Dimond Blvd

W 100th Ave

Klatt Rd

O'Malley Rd

Huffman Rd

DeArmoun Rd

Rabbit Creek Rd

Potter

Marsh

Abbot Rd

Campbell

Field

E 68th Ave

Dowling Rd

Tudor Rd

36th Ave

DeBarr Ave

Boniface Pkwy

Muldoon Rd

Bragaw St

Lake Otis Pkwy

L St

C St

Jewel Lake Rd

Minnesota Dr

Arctic Blvd

Alaska Railroad

Old Seward Hwy

New Seward Hwy

Golden View Dr

Hillside Dr

Birch Rd

Abbot Loop

0

0

1

1

2

2

3 

3 

MILES

KILOMETERS

Chester Cr

Campbell Cr

Lake

Hood

Lake

Spenard

Sand

Lake

Jewel

Lake

Campbell Lake

Rabbit Cr

Little Rabbit Cr

Westchester Lagoon

Hillstrand

Pond

Figure 6. Location of sampling sites in the Anchorage area and summed concentration of 

selected semivolatile organic compounds in streambed sediments.

TURNAGAIN ARM

KNIK ARM

South Fork

TUNNEL

Eklutna R Eklutna L

Thunderbird Cr

Peters Cr

CHUGACH

MOUNTAINS

Chugiak

Eagle River

Eagle R

Ship Cr

 Fort

Richardson Elmendorf

 AFB

Rabbit Cr

Indian Cr

Bird Cr

Glacier Cr

150o

61o

15’

61o

05’

149o

45’

Goose

Lake South Branch

Ship Cr

Chester Cr

B

A 27

C

10,000

5,000

2,000

1,000

500

200

100

50

20

10 Hillstrand

 Pond (B)

 Chester Cr.

at Arctic Blvd. (27)

Westchester

Lagoon (A)

Concentrations are the sum of p-cresol, phenol, 

phenanthrene, 2,6-dimethylnapthalene, fluoranthene, 

and pyrene.

SITE

SUMMED CONCENTRATION OF 

SELECTED SEMIVOLATILE ORGANIC 

COMPOUNDS IN STREAMBED SEDIMENT, 

IN MICROGRAMS PER KILOGRAM

 S. Branch

Chester Cr. (C)
12 Selected Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Streambed Sediments and Fish Tissues, Cook Inlet Basin, Alaska

Fish Tissue Sampling

Slimy sculpin, Cottus cognatus (fig. 7),

was chosen as the most appropriate species for

tissue analysis in the Cook Inlet Basin. This

species is nonmigratory and a bottom-feeding

omnivore, which are characteristics necessary

for interpretation of results (Crawford and

Luoma, 1993). Guidelines from Crawford and

Luoma recommend analysis of whole fish for

organic compounds and analysis of fish livers

for trace elements. Because adult slimy sculpin

are small, whole fish were used for analysis of

both organic compounds and trace elements.

Whole sculpin were used for trace-element

samples in both the Willamette River Basin

NAWQA study (Wentz and others, 1998) and

the Puget Sound Basin NAWQA study (MacCoy and Black, 1998). 

Fish typically were collected using a

backpack electrofishing unit and a seine (fig.

8). The seine would be set across a riffle and the

electrofishing would begin about 20 ft

upstream and work down toward the seine.

Sculpin captured on the seine were placed in a

bucket of stream water until sufficient numbers

had been collected to constitute a sample. Fish

tissue samples were composites of a number of

individuals to achieve desired minimum weight

of 30 g. The fewest number of individuals making up a composite sample was four fish and the

largest number was 20 fish. At two sites, no

sculpin were collected. At a third site, most

individual sculpin were much smaller than

were collected elsewhere, so only enough comparably sized sculpins were available for a

trace-element sample and no organics in fish

tissue data were collected at that site. 

Figure 7. Slimy sculpin collected from a Cook Inlet Basin site.
Methods 13

Each fish in the composite sample was

weighed and measured. Fish used for an organics sample were wrapped in aluminum foil and

then placed in a plastic bag, whereas fish used

for trace element samples were double bagged

in plastic. Composited samples were immediately placed on dry ice, or for sites located in

Anchorage, placed on wet ice and taken to a

freezer at the USGS office. At the three sites

without adequate numbers of sculpin, streambed sediments were analyzed for organochlorines as well as SVOCs (table 1). At three other

sites, organochlorines were analyzed in both

streambed sediments and fish tissues. 

Figure 8. Electrofishing technique used to collect fish samples.
14 Selected Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Streambed Sediments and Fish Tissues, Cook Inlet Basin, Alaska

Analytical Methods

Streambed samples were analyzed for

organic compounds at the USGS National

Water-Quality Laboratory (NWQL) in Arvada,

Colo. Details of laboratory methods related to

the analysis of SVOCs in streambed sediments

are described by Furlong and others (1996).

The analytical results for constituents are

expressed as concentration when they exceed a

minimum reporting limit (MRL), detected

when they are detected but are less than the

MRL, and not detected when they are less than

the method detection limit. Streambed samples

were analyzed for trace elements at the USGS

Branch of Geochemistry Laboratory in Denver,

Colo. Arbogast (1990) describes laboratory

procedures followed for processing streambed

samples for trace element analysis. Trace elements in streambed sediments were analyzed

following a total digestion procedure. As such,

these data may be more useful for differentiating source areas of sediments than for detecting

anthropogenic effects, or for determining bioaccumulation in fish.

Whole sculpin were analyzed for organochlorines at the NWQL according to procedures described by Leiker and others (1995).

Whole sculpin also were analyzed for trace elements at the NWQL using methods described

by Hoffman (1996). The NWQL employs rigorous quality assurance procedures in all of its

analytical procedures (Pirkey and Glodt, 1998). 

Analytical results of SVOCs in streambed

sediments collected during the first 20

NAWQA studies were found to have some laboratory contamination (Gilliom and others,

1998). At the NWQL, contamination of the following five SVOCs is unavoidable (E.T. Furlong, USGS, written commun., 1998): bis(2-

Ethylhexyl) phthalate, di-n-butyl phthalate,

butylbenzyl phthalate, phenol, and diethyl

phthalate. Analyses of these compounds in

samples from the Cook Inlet Basin were corrected by subtracting the 95th percentile concentration in laboratory blank samples from the

measured concentrations (Gilliom and others,

1998).

STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES

Guidelines for the protection of aquatic

life have been established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (1996) for only 10

specific SVOCs in streambed sediments. Two

additional SVOCs in streambed sediments

have guidelines proposed by the Canadian

Council of Ministers of the Environment

(1999). These guidelines, as well as data from

198 NAWQA sites (Gilliom and others, 1998)

were used to evaluate streambed sediment

results from the Cook Inlet Basin. Gilliom and

others (1998) developed a ranking system

(table 3) by using three categories of SVOCs

(PAHs, phenols, and phthalates). Each site was

scored by its ratio to the national median concentrations (in micrograms per kilogram, dry

weight) as follows:

If a site had a ratio to the national median

values for the three categories of SVOCs of less

than 0.45, it ranked among the lowest 25 percent of sites nationally. If a site had a ratio to the

national median values for the three categories

of SVOCs of greater than 5.43, it ranked among

the highest 25 percent of sites nationally. A

• PAHS 104

• Phenols 73

• Phthalates 20

Table 3. Guidelines for ranking sites based on 

semivolatile organic compounds in streambed 

sediment

[From Gilliom and others, 1998]

Rank

(1, lowest; 

4, highest)

Percentile

Water-quality score

(ratio to national 

median)

1 ≤25 ≤0.45

2 >25-50 >0.45-1.58

3 >50-75 >1.58-5.43

4 >75 >5.43
Results 15

comparison with previous NAWQA data only

provides a relative ranking of sites in Cook

Inlet Basin. NAWQA sites are not selected randomly; therefore, a similar analysis with a

larger population of water bodies in the country

might result in a different evaluation. 

Organochlorines were analyzed in both

streambed sediment and whole slimy sculpin

samples. However, only the guidelines for the

protection of fish-eating wildlife were used for

comparison (Newell and others, 1987).

Trace-element concentrations in streambed sediments were compared with those of

previous NAWQA studies in the same manner

as was used for comparisons of SVOC data;

however, the values separating the quartiles differ from those used for SVOCs. Gilliom and

others (1998) determined the following

national median concentrations (in micrograms

per grams, dry weight):

Background levels of trace elements in

streambed sediments also were determined

using a technique described by Deacon and

Stephens (1998). The technique involves plotting the cumulative frequency of observed concentrations for a particular element and

determining where the slope of a best fit line

changes abruptly. The point at which the slope

changes is considered the background concentration. If no substantial slope change is

observed, then samples are considered to represent natural conditions.

The Canadian Council of Ministers of the

Environment (1999) has established guidelines

for some trace elements in unsieved streambed

sediment. These guidelines use two assessment

values: a lower value, called the “interim freshwater sediment quality guideline” (ISQG), is

the concentration below which adverse effects

to aquatic organisms are expected to occur

rarely. The upper value, called the “probable

effect level” (PEL), is the concentration above

which adverse effects are expected to occur frequently. Because trace-element samples for the

NAWQA program are from sediments finer

than 0.063 mm where concentrations tend to be

greatest, comparisons with the Canadian guidelines may overestimate the effects on aquatic

organisms (Deacon and Stephens, 1998). However, the PEL may be useful for comparative

purposes when applied to the finer than 0.063-

mm size fraction sediment samples analyzed

for this study.

RESULTS

Discussion of results generally is

restricted to organic compounds as a group and

a subset of trace elements. Streambed sediments were analyzed for 32 organochlorine

pesticides and PCBs at six sites (table 1) and

only a single compound was detected at reportable concentrations. Organochlorine pesticides

and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were

detected in just three samples of slimy sculpin

from a total of 12 samples analyzed (table 1).

Twenty-eight compounds were analyzed and

four were detected. SVOCs were rarely

detected in streambed sediments of the 15 sites

sampled in the Cook Inlet Basin (table 4). A

total of 78 SVOCs were analyzed and 23 were

detected at concentrations greater than the 50

μg/kg MRL, 19 compounds were detected at

concentrations less than the MRL. Thirty-six

SVOCs were never detected (appendix 2). No

individual organic compounds were consistently detected at concentrations greater than

the MRL. No SVOCs in the Cook Inlet Basin

• Arsenic: 6.35

• Cadmium: 0.4

• Chromium: 62

• Copper: 26 

• Lead: 24.3 

• Mercury 0.06

• Nickel: 25 

• Selenium 0.7 

• Zinc 110 
16 Selected Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Streambed Sediments and Fish Tissues, Cook Inlet Basin, Alaska

streambed sediment samples were measured at

concentrations exceeding any aquatic-life criteria described by Gilliom and others (1998).

Chester Creek at Arctic Boulevard in Anchorage had the greatest number of SVOC detections (23) in streambed sediment (table 4), of

which 16 were greater than the minimum

reporting level. With the exception of the two

pond sites in the Chester Creek basin, concentrations also tended to be highest at Chester

Creek compared with other stream sites (table

5). Thirteen of the 23 SVOCs with concentrations greater than 50 μg/kg were found only at

Chester Creek. Most of those concentrations

were estimated because the values were outside

of the instrument calibration range. This was

the only site sampled whose drainage was

largely developed. 

Arsenic concentrations in streambed sediments finer than 0.063 mm exceeded the PEL

at eight sites. Chromium concentrations in

streambed sediments exceeded the PEL at six

sites. Cadmium, lead, and zinc concentrations

were above background levels in streambed

sediments at Chester Creek. Selenium concentrations in slimy sculpin ranged from 1.4 to 8.5

μg/g, dry weight. Six sites had selenium concentrations in the slimy sculpin samples at concentrations that may cause adverse effects in

some species (U.S. Department of the Interior,

1998).

Table 4. Detection frequency for organochlorine compounds in whole slimy sculpin and semivolatile organic 

compounds in streambed sediments

[Ranking is in comparison with 198 NAWQA sites summarized by Gilliom and others (1998) based on summed concentrations of PAHs, phenols, 

and phthalates; a rank of 1 places the site with the lowest 25 percent of sites nationally, a rank of 4 places the site with the highest 25 percent of 

sites; NC, sample not collected]

Map 

No.

(fig. 1) Site name

Mean weight of 

slimy sculpin in 

composite 

sample

 (grams)

Lipid in 

slimy 

sculpin

(percent)

Number of 

organochlorine 

compounds 

detected in whole 

slimy sculpin

Number of 

semivolatile organic 

compounds 

detected in 

streambed 

sediments

Rank for 

summed SVOC 

concentration

7 Ninilchik River 5.1 4.8 0 1 1

16 Kenai River at Soldotna 2.9 2.6 0 9 1

23 South Fork Campbell Creek 6.0 2.8 1 1 1

27 Chester Creek 4.3 2.8 1 23 4

41 Talkeetna River 3.0 4.6 1 0 1

44 Deshka River 2.8 4.2 0 9 2

50 Moose Creek 3.6 5.3 0 14 3

51 Kamishak River 3.6 NC NC 0 1

52 Johnson River NC NC NC 0 1

53 Kenai River below Russian River 3.1 3.1 0 0 1

54 Kenai River at Jim’s Landing 7.2 4.7 0 3 3

55 Kenai River below Skilak Lake Outlet 2.4 4.6 0 2 1

56 Swanson River 2.1 8.1 0 2 3

57 Colorado Creek NC NC NC 10 1

58 Costello Creek 9.4 5.1 0 7 1
Results 17

Table 5. Concentrations of semivolatile organic compounds and total PCBs exceeding minimum reporting limits in 

streambed and pond sediments

[See figures 1 and 6 for site locations; minimum reporting limit 50 micrograms per kilograms (μg/kg) for streambed samples and 5 μg/kg for pond samples; 

concentration in μg/kg dry weight; NA, not analyzed; --, not detected, or detected at concentration less than the minimum reporting limit; Westchester 

Lagoon and Hillstrand Pond data shown only for compounds reportable at other sites, from Peter VanMetre, USGS, written commun., 1999]

Map 

No. Site name

PAHs

1,6-Dimethylnapthalene1-Methyl-9Hfluorene1-Methylphenanthrene2,6-Dimethylnapthalene9,10-

Anathraquinone

Benz[a]-

anthracene

7 Ninilchik River -- -- -- -- -- --

27 Chester Creek -- -- -- 58 a

150

a

Estimated value outside of instrument calibration range

a

130

44 Deshka River -- 62 -- -- --

50 Moose Creek 150 -- 60 70 -- --

A Westchester Lagoon (0-3 cm) 67 42 153 292 NA b

392

bValue exceeds Canadian sediment quality guidelines for the protection of aquatic life (Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (1999)

B Hillstrand Pond (0-2 cm) 36 32 41 173 NA 109

Map 

No. Site name Benzo[a]-pyrene

Benzo[b]-

fluoranthene

Benzo[ghi]-

perylene

Benzo[k]-

fluoranthene Chrysene Dibenzothiophene

27 Chester Creek a200 a240 a180 a190 a150 --

A Westchester Lagoon (0-3 cm) 379 673 a

332 429 850 NA

B Hillstrand Pond (0-2 cm) 107 212 a

107 140 306 NA

Map 

No. Site name Fluoranthene Indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene Naphthalene Phenanthrene Pyrene Total PCBs

7 Ninilchik River -- -- -- -- -- NA

27 Chester Creek a

420 a150 -- 220 a410 NA

44 Deshka River -- -- -- -- -- NA

50 Moose Creek -- -- 80 70 -- NA

54 Kenai River at Jim’s Landing -- -- -- -- -- -- 

56 Swanson River -- -- -- -- -- NA

A Westchester Lagoon (0-3 cm) 1670 302 44 b

781 b1550 147

B Hillstrand Pond (0-2 cm) 261 82 23 178 327 46

Map 

No. Site name

Phenols Phthalates

4-Nitrophenol Phenol p-Cresol bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate

DibutylphthalateDioctylphthalate

7 Ninilchik River -- -- 410 -- -- --

27 Chester Creek -- -- 55 c

2,200

c

Concentration reduced by amount of laboratory contamination described by Gilliom and others (1998) 

a,c86 a

290

44 Deshka River a

86 130 -- -- -- --

54 Kenai River at Jim’s Landing -- 55 650 -- -- --

56 Swanson River -- -- 1,200 -- -- --

A Westchester Lagoon (0-3 cm) NA 282 284 NA NA NA

B Hillstrand Pond (0-2 cm) NA 552 531 NA NA NA
18 Selected Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Streambed Sediments and Fish Tissues, Cook Inlet Basin, Alaska

For quality assurance purposes, triplicate

samples of slimy sculpin were collected at

Chester Creek and were analyzed for organochlorines. Results for the three samples

showed that PCBs were the only compound

detected, but concentrations, surrogate recovery, fish size, and percent lipids varied (table 6).

At Johnson River, duplicate streambed sediment samples were collected for analysis of

trace elements. Concentrations of each element

discussed in this report were within 8 percent

between the two samples. 

The complete data set for all analyses is

expected to be available on the Cook Inlet

Basin NAWQA web page during 2000 at http://

ak.water.usgs.gov/Projects/Nawqa/.

DISCUSSION OF ORGANIC 

COMPOUND DATA

Streambed Sediment

At six sites (Kenai River below Russian

River and at Jim’s Landing, Talkeetna River,

Johnson River, Kamishak River, and Colorado

Creek), organochlorines were analyzed in

streambed sediment samples, either in place of

a fish tissue sample or to supplement the fish

tissue sample. The only detectable concentrations of organochlorines were from streambed

sediments collected at the Talkeetna River

(table 7). Three of 32 compounds were

detected, although only hexachlorobenzene

was above the MRL. The two compounds

detected below the MRL were dieldrin and

p,p’-DDE. Organochlorine compounds that

were not detected in any sample from the Cook

Inlet Basin are listed in appendix 2.

No streambed sediment samples collected in the Cook Inlet Basin contained a

SVOC that exceeds a criterion for the protection of aquatic life. However, core samples

from Westchester Lagoon (0-3 cm stratum) and

Hillstrand Pond (0-2 cm stratum) (sites A and

B, fig. 6) exceeded suggested criteria for protection of aquatic life for benz[a]anthracene,

phenanthrene, and pyrene (table 5). Four sites

Table 6. Quality-assurance data for organochlorines in whole slimy sculpin, Chester Creek at 

Arctic Blvd., May 13, 1998

[μg/kg, microgram per kilogram]

Mean weight 

(grams)

Lipids

(percent)

PCB 

concentration

(μg/kg)

(wet weight)

Surrogate 

recovery

(percent)

4.3 2.80 79 80

10.0 4.25 115 72

8.1 3.95 142 124

Table 7. Organochlorine compounds detected in streambed sediments and whole fish 

[Concentrations in micrograms per kilogram, wet weight; D, detected below minimum reporting limit of 1.0 μg/kg; 

--, less than method detection limit]

Site

Streambed sediment Fish tissue Mean 

weight 

of fish

(grams)

Lipid

(percent) Dieldrin 

Hexachlorobenzene

p,p’-

DDE 

Hexachlorobenzene

PCBs p,p’-

DDE

p,p’-

DDT

South Fork Campbell 

Creek -- -- -- -- -- 9.0 6.1 6.0 2.8

Chester Creek -- -- -- -- 79 -- -- 4.3 2.8

Talkeetna River D 13 D 5.7 -- -- -- 3.0 4.6
Discussion of Organic Compound Data 19

had sufficiently large concentrations of at least

one SVOC to rank them with the upper 50 percent of NAWQA sites sampled for SVOCs during 1992-95 (Gilliom and others, 1998) (table

4). A score of more than 5.43 times the sum of

national median concentrations of PAHs, phenols, and phthalates places a site among the

upper 25 percent of sites in terms of SVOCs

contamination. Chester Creek scored nearly 50

times the national median for PAHs, phenols,

and phthalates. Chester Creek had reportable

concentrations of several PAHs, but was scored

with the upper 25 percent of sites largely

because of a bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate concentration of 2,200 μg/kg (table 5). Lopes and

others (1998) reported median, mean, and standard deviation for bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate

from 431 samples to be 180, 620, and 1,600

μg/kg, respectively. 

Several layers from cores collected at

Hillstrand Pond upstream from the Chester

Creek stream sampling location at Arctic Boulevard, and at Westchester Lagoon downstream

from the sampling site, confirmed results

obtained at the stream site. Although phthalates

were not analyzed from the core samples, phenols and PAHs were larger than national

median values from streambed sediments. PAH

concentrations were particularly large at the

Westchester Lagoon site where the top two layers were 8,880 μg/kg (0-3 cm) and 9,710 μg/kg

(3-6 cm) for the summed PAHs identified by

Gilliom and others (1998) (Peter VanMetre,

USGS, written commun., 1999). The streambed sample from the South Branch Chester

Creek (site C, fig. 6) upstream from development, collected in conjunction with the coring,

had very low levels of SVOCs. Concentrations

generally increased in the downstream direction from the South Branch Chester Creek to

Westchester Lagoon (fig. 6), indicating that

surface runoff and land use, rather than atmospheric deposition or natural sources, were

more likely responsible for SVOCs distribution

in the Chester Creek basin.

Several SVOCs were detected in streambed sediment at Moose Creek, Kenai River at

Soldotna, Deshka River, and the two sites in

Denali National Park and Preserve; few, if any,

detectable SVOCs were detected at the remaining sites (table 4). The drainage of Moose

Creek includes an extensive coal deposit that

may be the source for SVOCs in that basin.

Small concentrations of SVOCs were detected

at remote sites such as the Deshka River, an

undeveloped basin draining vast areas of wetlands (fig. 9), and at Costello and Colorado

Creeks in Denali National Park and Preserve,

which largely drain tundra (table 2). Isolated

coal deposits are know to exist in the part of

Denali National Park and Preserve where Costello and Colorado Creeks are located.

Although the Kenai River is largely undeveloped upstream from the city of Soldotna, a

corridor along the river downstream from

Skilak Lake has become increasingly developed. This localized development may explain

the low-level detections of SVOCs at the Soldotna site. The Kenai River at Soldotna site

(located in the city of Soldotna) is along a midchannel island less than 0.25 mi downstream

from a highway bridge. Samples were collected

from this site in early May, before the annual

influx of recreationalists, minimizing seasonal

influences from highway and boat traffic. Sport

fishing for Kenai River salmon has grown rapidly; in 1997 an estimated 321,000 angler-days

were expended on the Kenai River (Barry

Stranton, Alaska Department of Fish and

Game, oral commun., 1998). Peak use coincides with the peak of sockeye and chinook

salmon returns from late June through July. 

SVOCs generally were less than MRLs at

the sites not mentioned above. No SVOCs were

detected at four sites, including those in Katmai

and Lake Clark National Parks and one site in

the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge (table 4). 

One compound, p-cresol, was measured

at concentrations exceeding the MRL at four

stream sites and the two ponds (table 5). Swan-
20 Selected Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Streambed Sediments and Fish Tissues, Cook Inlet Basin, Alaska

son River had a p-cresol concentration of 1,200

μg/kg. That concentration is much greater than

the median p-cresol concentration of 53 μg/kg

(mean concentration and standard deviation of

210 and 460 μg/kg) from 370 samples

described by Lopes and others (1998). This

phenol compound was detected at 58 percent of

other NAWQA sites in 1992-95 (Lopes and

others, 1998) including rural areas such as the

Upper Snake River Basin (detected in 79 percent of samples; Clark and others, 1998) and

the Red River of the North Basin (detected in

64 percent of the samples; Stoner and others,

1998). Phenols in general, and specifically pcresol, were found to be widespread among

streambed-sediment samples collected by the

NAWQA program from 1992-95, and did not

differ significantly among urban and reference

sites, suggesting possible natural sources

(Lopes and others, 1998). Sediments collected

from the Kenai River at Jim’s Landing had

moderately elevated levels of p-cresol (table 5).

Samples at the Jim’s Landing site were collected from a backwater area.

The number of SVOCs detected in

streambed samples from the Cook Inlet Basin

can be compared with those of other NAWQA

study units that represent areas of both low and

high population density (table 8; fig. 10). Study

units with low population densities tend to have

fewer commonly occurring SVOCs than do

study units with higher population densities.

Although NAWQA sampling sites are not

selected randomly, neither are they selected to

address questions of population density. It

appears that—at the study unit scale—areas of

greater human population and the associated

transportation and energy production infrastructure tend to have greater numbers of

SVOCs in streambed sediments. Lopes and

others (1998) found that at the basin scale, the

correlation between population density and

total PAHs and phthalates was weak, but statistically significant.

Figure 9. Deshka River in a vast area of wetlands and mixed forests.
Discussion of Organic Compound Data 21

Table 8. Comparison of population densities and SVOC detections among selected NAWQA study units

Study unit

Population density 

(number per square 

mile)

Number of SVOCs 

detected in at least 50 

percent of samples1

Cook Inlet Basin: Alaska 8 3

Upper Snake River Basin: Idaho and Wyoming2 11 2

Red River of the North Basin: Minnesota, North and South Dakota3 14 6

Ozark Plateaus: Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma4 48 1

South Platte River Basin: Colorado, Nebraska, and Wyoming5 99 11

Western Lake Michigan Drainages: Wisconsin and Michigan6 122 11

Georgia–Florida Coastal Plain: Georgia and Florida7 145 8

White River Basin: Indiana8 185 14

Lower Susquehanna River Basin: Pennsylvania and Maryland9 201 28

Connecticut, Housatonic, and Thames River Basins: Connecticut, Massachusetts, 

New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont10

285 27

Potomac River Basin: Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and 

District of Columbia11

314 35

1Excluding compounds subject to laboratory contamination

2Clark and others, 1998

3

Stoner and others, 1998

4Peterson and others, 1998

5Dennehy and others, 1998

6

Peters and others, 1998

7Berndt and others, 1998

8Fenelon, 1998

9Lindsey and others, 1998

10Garabedian and others, 1998

11Ator and others, 1998

0

40

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

NUMBER OF SVOCS DETECTED

0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350

POPULATION DENSITY, IN PEOPLE PER SQUARE MILE

EXPLANATION

Number of SVOCs detected in

at least 50 percent of samples

Cook Inlet Basin

r

2=0.86

Figure 10. Comparison of population density and SVOC detections among 

selected NAWQA study units.
22 Selected Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Streambed Sediments and Fish Tissues, Cook Inlet Basin, Alaska

Fish Tissue

Four of a possible 28 organochlorine

compounds were detected, each in only one

sample of whole slimy sculpin collected at 12

sites. Concentrations of those detected organochlorines did not exceed guidelines for the

protection of fish-eating wildlife (Newell and

others, 1987). Hexachlorobenzene was

detected in slimy sculpin at the Talkeetna River

at a concentration of 5.7 μg/kg (table 7). Two

DDT compounds, p,p’-DDE and p,p’-DDT,

were detected in slimy sculpin collected from

South Fork Campbell Creek. PCBs were

detected at one site, Chester Creek. Quality

assurance samples confirmed the presence of

PCBs in slimy sculpin at Chester Creek. 

DISCUSSION OF TRACE ELEMENT 

DATA

Many of the 44 trace elements analyzed

in streambed sediment samples were present at

sites in the Cook Inlet Basin. Neither bismuth

nor gold was detected in either a streambed

sediment or a fish tissue sample (appendix 2).

Nineteen of 22 trace elements were detected in

at least one sample of slimy sculpin. Antimony,

beryllium, and uranium were never detected in

tissue samples. In this report, the discussion is

restricted to those trace elements potentially

toxic to aquatic organisms: arsenic, cadmium,

chromium, copper, lead, mercury, nickel, selenium, and zinc. 

Streambed Sediment

Four trace elements—arsenic, chromium,

copper, and nickel—appear to be at naturally

large concentrations in the Cook Inlet Basin

(table 9, fig. 11). Arsenic concentrations in sediments finer than 0.063 mm exceeded the PEL

developed for unsieved sediment samples at

Ninilchik River, Chester Creek, South Fork

Campbell Creek, Moose Creek, Kenai River

below Russian River and at Soldotna, Colorado

Creek, and Costello Creek. All sites except the

Talkeetna River site had arsenic concentrations

exceeding the national median concentration of

6.35 μg/g. Chromium concentrations in sediments finer than 0.063 mm exceeded the PEL

developed for unsieved sediment samples at

Chester Creek, Deshka River, Kenai River

below Russian River and at Jim’s Landing,

Colorado Creek, and Costello Creek. Chromium concentrations were smaller than the

national median value of 62 μg/g only at the

Ninilchik and Talkeetna Rivers. Copper concentrations tended to be between the ISQG and

PEL at most sites and were smaller than the

national median concentration of 26 μg/g only

at the Ninilchik River. Nickel concentrations

were smaller than the national median value

only at the Ninilchik, Talkeetna, and Johnson

Rivers. The ISQG do not include data for

nickel. 

Four trace elements—cadmium, lead,

selenium, and zinc—show a significant break

in slope in the cumulative frequency curve indicating a break between background levels and

elevated concentrations (fig. 12). Cadmium,

lead, and zinc exceed background concentrations for the Cook Inlet Basin only at Chester

Creek. Relative to NAWQA sites sampled from

1992 to 1995, most sites from the Cook Inlet

Basin ranked within the upper 50 percent

(greater concentrations) using the scoring criteria for trace elements from Gilliom and others

(1998) (table 9). The Deshka River, South Fork

Campbell Creek, Colorado Creek, and Costello

Creek, which are essentially undeveloped

basins, ranked within the upper 25 percent of

sites indicating that surficial rocks and soils

naturally contribute trace elements to streambed sediments. Only the Talkeetna River

ranked with the lowest 25 percent of NAWQA

sites sampled from 1992 to 1995. Brabets and

others (1999) describe the geology of the Cook

Inlet Basin at a broad scale. More detailed

information is available only for selected areas.

These results indicate that the Cook Inlet Basin

contains more expansive areas of mineralized

rock and soils than were sampled in NAWQA

study units from 1992 to 1995.
Discussion of Trace Element Data 23

Chester Creek contained streambed sediments that exceeded the PEL or were greater

than the Cook Inlet Basin background levels for

five of the nine trace elements discussed in this

report. Chester Creek was the only site where

cadmium (1.2 μg/kg), lead (90 μg/kg), or zinc

(600 μg/kg) exceeded those backgrounds (table

9). Brabets (1987) sampled lead and zinc in

streambed sediments from the Chester Creek

basin as part of a water-quality study focused

on urban runoff. In that study, lead concentrations of 230 μg/g and zinc concentrations of

400 μg/g were observed upstream from the

Arctic Boulevard site. At Arctic Boulevard,

lead and zinc concentrations in Chester Creek

decreased to 80 and 40 μg/g (Brabets, 1987).

This indicates substantial input of lead and zinc

to Chester Creek upstream from Arctic Boulevard prior to Brabets’ study, and either dilution

or dispersion of the more contaminated sediments in a downstream direction.

Table 9. Trace-element concentrations in streambed sediments and scores relative to national median 

values

[Score is each element divided by the appropriate national median value and the summed value divided by 9. 

Rank is by quartiles, with 1 as the lowest 25 percent of sites and 4 as the highest 25 percent of sites nationally; 

scores ≤0.85 are rank 1, scores >0.85-1.07 are rank 2, scores >1.07-1.57 are rank 3, scores >1.57 are rank 4. 

Background level for arsenic, chromium, copper, mercury, and nickel could not be determined]

Map No.

(fig. 1) Site name

Trace element (microgram per gram, dry weight) Organic 

carbon 

(percent)

Score Rank

Arsenic Cadmium

Chromium Copper Lead Mercury Nickel Selenium ZInc

7 Ninilchik River a30

a

Concentration is at or greater than PEL, which is determined for bulk sediment samples

0.2 50 15 8 0.05 20 0.4 74 3.57 1.05 2

16 Kenai River at

 Soldotna

a

23 0.3 84 36 15 0.03 42 0.3 85 0.91 1.22 3

23 South Fork 

Campbell Creek

a

32 0.5 78 73 14 0.03 34 0.4 110 2.85 1.59 4

27 Chester Creek a

23 b1.2

bSample is above background level

a

120 60 b90 0.18 64 0.8 a,b600 6.96 2.97 4

41 Talkeetna River 5.2 <0.1 38 27 7 0.04 18 0.1 53 0.16 0.46 1

44 Deshka River 9.8 0.5 a

110 84 13 0.46 46 b2.6 100 8.42 2.49 4

50 Moose Creek a

23 0.3 84 74 16 0.2 40 0.5 120 1.52 1.44 3

51 Kamishak River 8.9 0.1 78 38 7 0.04 29 0.4 93 0.58 0.87 2

52 Johnson River 16 0.24 66 75 3.9 0.13 17 0.27 127 0.05 1.30 3

53 Kenai River below 

Russian River

a

17 0.3 a110 46 16 0.07 52 0.3 110 1.51 1.36 3

54 Kenai River at 

Jim’s Landing

11 0.3 a

110 45 17 0.09 54 0.7 110 2.61 1.37 3

55 Kenai River below 

Skilak Lake Outlet

9.3 0.2 82 41 13 0.07 42 0.2 80 0.72 1.02 3

57 Colorado Creek a

44 0.47 a215 59 15 0.18 131 0.73 154 0.52 2.78 4

58 Costello Creek a

23 0.27 a174 64 16 0.23 98 0.72 144 0.46 2.22 4

 National median valuec

c

National median values from Gilliom and others (1998)

6.35 0.4 62 26 24 0.06 25 0.7 110
24 Selected Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Streambed Sediments and Fish Tissues, Cook Inlet Basin, Alaska

Streambed sediment from the Deshka

River contained mercury and selenium at concentrations of 0.46 and 2.6 μg/g, respectively,

that were substantially greater than at other

sites sampled in the Cook Inlet Basin and much

greater than the median from the 198 NAWQA

samples collected from 1992-95 (table 9). Mercury concentrations in the finer than 0.063-mm

streambed sediments were near the PEL of

0.486 μg/g for unsieved sediments (Canadian

Council of Ministers of the Environment,

1999). Although a ISQG or PEL has not been

established for selenium, an aquatic hazard

assessment for selenium developed by Lemly

(1995) classifies selenium concentrations of 1

μg/g as “no identifiable hazard level” and a

concentration of 4 μg/g as “high hazard level.”

Copper concentrations in streambed sediments

from the Deshka River were the highest (84

μg/g) in the Cook Inlet Basin. 

Colorado and Costello Creeks in Denali

National Park and Preserve tended to have

some of the highest natural trace-element concentrations in the Cook Inlet Basin. A streambed sediment sample from Colorado Creek

Figure 11. Concentrations of arsenic, chromium, copper, and nickel in streambed sediments 

with comparison to probable effect level (PEL) and national median concentrations determined

by Gilliom and others (1998). 

CONCENTRATION, IN MICROGRAMS PER GRAM

ARSENIC

National median concentration

CHROMIUM

National median concentration

1

100

2

3

4

5

7

10

20

30

40

50

70

0 100 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

10

1,000

20

30

40

50

70

100

200

300

400

500

700

0 100 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

10

1,000

20

30

40

50

70

100

200

300

400

500

700

0 100 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

10

100

15

20

25

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

0 100 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

PERCENTILE

COPPER

National median concentration

NICKEL

National median concentration

PEL = 17

PEL = 197

PEL = 90

No PEL
Discussion of Trace Element Data 25

contained the highest concentration of arsenic,

chromium, and nickel, and, along with a sample

from Costello Creek, exceeded the PEL for

arsenic and chromium (table 9). Only Chester

Creek exceeded Colorado Creek in cadmium

and zinc concentrations, and only the Deshka

River exceeded Colorado Creek in selenium

concentration. Mercury concentrations at the

Denali National Park and Preserve sites were

higher than those typically observed in

NAWQA samples from 1992 to 1995 (Gilliom

and others, 1998), but did not exceed the backgrounds established for this report. Colorado

and Costello Creeks appear to drain a part of

Denali National Park and Preserve that is

highly mineralized and contributed trace elements to streambed sediments to a greater

degree than was found elsewhere in the Cook

Inlet Basin.

The Talkeetna River, Kamishak River,

Johnson River, and Kenai River below Skilak

Lake outlet were below PELs and background

levels for all trace elements discussed in this

report (table 9). All of those sites are remote,

Figure 12. Concentrations of cadmium, lead, selenium, and zinc in streambed sediments

and background levels for the Cook Inlet Basin with comparison to PEL and national

median concentrations determined by Gilliom and others (1998).

CONCENTRATION, IN MICROGRAMS PER GRAM

PERCENTILE

CADMIUM

National median concentration

Cook Inlet Basin

background level

Cook Inlet Basin

background level

National median concentration

LEAD

Cook Inlet Basin

background level National median concentration

SELENIUM

Cook Inlet Basin

background level

National median concentration

ZINC

0.1

10

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.7

1

2

3

4

5

7

0 100 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

1

100

2

3

4

5

7

10

20

30

40

50

70

0 100 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

10

1,000

20

30

40

50

70

100

200

300

400

500

700

0 100 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

0.1

10

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.7

1

2

3

4

5

7

0 100 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

PEL = 3.5

PEL = 91.3

No PEL

PEL = 315
26 Selected Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Streambed Sediments and Fish Tissues, Cook Inlet Basin, Alaska

not accessible by the road system, and only the

Kenai River below Skilak Lake outlet has

developed roads in the basin. An infrequently

used gravel landing strip is located just above

the sampled reach on Johnson River and

exploratory gold mining currently exists in the

Johnson River watershed. Although Johnson

River had copper concentrations of 75 μg/g, the

second highest in the Cook Inlet Basin, overall

trace-element concentrations in streambed sediments do not appear to be elevated in that

basin.

Fish Tissue

Trace elements in whole slimy sculpin

samples showed a similar pattern of concentrations as did the streambed sediment data. Lead

and zinc concentrations were highest at Chester

Creek (table 10). Arsenic, chromium, copper,

selenium, and zinc showed consistently higher

concentrations in slimy sculpin from the Cook

Inlet Basin than were observed in sculpin samples from both urban and reference sites in the

Puget Sound NAWQA study (MacCoy and

Black, 1998) (table 10). 

Table 10. Trace element concentrations in whole slimy sculpin 

[Concentration in micrograms per gram dry weight; median values shown for data from whole sculpin at nine urban sites and five forest or reference 

sites in the Puget Sound NAWQA study (MacCoy and Black, 1998); ND, not determined]

Map 

No.

(fig. 1)

Site name Arsenic Cadmium

Chromium Copper Lead Mercury Nickel Selenium ZInc

7 Ninilchik River 0.9 <0.2 2.8 3.1 <0.2 0.15 0.6 1.4 91.2

16 Kenai River at Soldotna 1.3 <0.2 2.7 0.7 <0.2 0.20 0.7 3.8 108

23 South Fork Campbell Creek 0.5 <0.2 1.7 0.9 <0.2 0.21 1.3 6.3 81.2

27 Chester Creek 0.9 0.3 3.0 3.5 1.3 0.10 1.1 3.0 162

41 Talkeetna River 0.5 <0.2 1.7 2.1 <0.2 0.08 0.3 4.4 92.9

44 Deshka River 1.5 <0.2 3.5 4.3 0.3 0.11 0.6 2.0 144

50 Moose Creek 0.8 <0.2 1.9 3.0 <0.2 0.16 0.5 5.8 82.5

51 Kamishak River 0.4 <0.2 1.7 2.6 <0.2 0.09 0.5 5.2 74.4

52 Johnson River — No fish collected —

53 Kenai River below Russian River 0.8 <0.2 1.9 4.6 0.3 0.12 1.0 3.0 95.6

54 Kenai River at Jim's Landing 0.7 <0.2 2.0 3.2 0.4 0.14 0.9 2.8 88.0

55 Kenai River below Skilak Lake Outlet 1.0 <0.2 1.4 1.4 <0.2 0.15 0.6 4.7 83.5

57 Colorado Creek — No fish collected —

58 Costello Creek 1.2 0.4 2.8 4.6 <0.3 0.08 1.5 8.5 123

Ratio to concentration in streambed sediments 0.06 ND 0.03 0.07 ND 2.35 0.02 12.0 0.98

Puget Sound urban sites 0.5 <0.2 1.3 2.0 <0.2 0.25 1.0 1.5 59.1

Puget Sound forest and reference sites 0.3 <0.2 1.6 2.1 <0.2 0.14 1.5 4.2 62.4
Discussion of Trace Element Data 27

Of the trace elements discussed in this

report, only selenium concentrations in slimy

sculpin appear to be at levels of potential concern. Typical selenium concentrations at background sites are less than 2 μg/g (U.S.

Department of the Interior, 1998), whereas

selenium concentrations exceeded 4 μg/g at 6

of the 12 sites where slimy sculpin were sampled in the Cook Inlet Basin. Lemly (1996) suggested that selenium concentrations greater

than 4 μg/g in whole fish produce adverse

effects on some species. Whole-body selenium

concentrations of 4 to 6 μg/g were estimated as

the threshold for reproductive impairment in

sensitive species such as salmon (U.S. Department of the Interior, 1998). Slimy sculpin may

bioaccumulate selenium to a greater degree

than do salmonids; however, sampling of additional species may be warranted to assess selenium toxicity in the Cook Inlet Basin.

Mercury Pilot Study

Additional mercury samples were collected as part of a pilot study involving

NAWQA studies from across the country

(Krabbenhoft and others, 1999). Partitioning of

inorganic mercury and methyl mercury in

unsieved streambed sediment, fish tissue, and

water was examined in a variety of environmental settings. Five sites were sampled in the

Cook Inlet Basin (table 11). The Deshka River,

however, provides an interesting contrast to

other sites in terms of the percentage of mercury in sediments that is composed of the more

toxic methyl mercury. Methyl mercury production has been shown to be positively influenced

by wetlands density (St. Louis and others,

1994). In comparison to the national data set,

the percentage of methyl mercury in Deshka

River sediments is among the highest of the

sites sampled during the pilot study (KrabbenTable 11. Mercury partitioning at five sites in the Cook Inlet Basin 

[μg/g, microgram per gram; μg/L, microgram per liter; mg/L, milligram per liter; data from Krabbenhoft and others, 1999;

NC, not collected]

Map 

No. 

(fig. 1)

Site name

Concentration in 

bed sediment

(μg/g dry weight) Ratio of 

methyl 

mercury to 

inorganic 

mercury

Concentration in 

whole fish

(μg/g dry 

weight)

Concentration in water

Inorganic 

mercury 

Methyl 

mercury

Inorganic 

mercury

Inorganic 

mercury 

(μg/L)

Methyl 

mercury 

(μg/L)

Total organic 

carbon

(mg/L)

Sulfate 

(mg/L)

23 South Fork 

Campbell Creek 

0.200 0.00067 0.0034 a

0.292

b0.429

a

Slimy sculpin

bDolly Varden

0.00250 0.00002 1.6 9.3

27 Chester Creek 0.109 0.00038 0.0035 a

0.152 0.00296 0.00002 3.8 28

44 Deshka River 0.021 0.00510 0.2429 a

0.246 NC NC 8.4 0.2

52 Johnson River 0.050 0.00001 0.0002 NC 0.00978 0.00002 0.7 6.1

58 Costello Creek 0.169 0.00004 0.0002 b0.101 0.00497 0.00002 0.7 41
28 Selected Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Streambed Sediments and Fish Tissues, Cook Inlet Basin, Alaska

hoft and others, 1999). This site also had one of

the greatest percentages of wetlands in its

drainage. 

Differences in concentrations between

unsieved sediments and sediments finer than

0.063 mm are worth noting. The Deshka River

had inorganic mercury concentrations of 0.02

μg/g in the unsieved sediment sample (table

11), but had concentrations an order of magnitude greater in the sieved sample (0.46 μg/g)

(table 9). Conversely, at the South Fork Campbell Creek site, inorganic mercury concentrations were 0.20 μg/g in the unsieved sediment

sample (table 11) and 0.03 μg/g in the sieved

sample (table 9).

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

Organochlorines, SVOCs, and trace elements were investigated in streambed sediments and fish tissues at selected sites in the

Cook Inlet Basin, Alaska during 1998.

Although about half of the sites were along the

road system, seven sites were in more remote

areas including three national parks. 

Streambed sediments at six sites were

analyzed for 32 organochlorine pesticides and

PCBs and only a single compound—hexachlorobenzene at the Talkeetna River—was

detected at reportable concentrations. Where

detected, organochlorine concentrations were

well below levels considered toxic. 

Organochlorine pesticides and PCBs

were detected in just three samples of slimy

sculpin from a total of 12 samples analyzed.

Samples from South Fork Campbell Creek near

Anchorage contained p,p'-DDE and p,p'-DDT

concentrations of 9.0 and 6.1 μg/kg. Hexachlorobenzene concentrations of 5.7 μg/kg were

measured in slimy sculpin from the Talkeetna

River. Total PCBs were measured at 79 μg/kg

in the slimy sculpin sample from Chester Creek

in Anchorage. 

SVOCs in streambed sediments were

rarely measured in concentrations exceeding

MRLs of 50 μg/kg at the 15 sites sampled in the

Cook Inlet Basin. No SVOCs were detected at

South Fork Campbell Creek, Talkeetna River,

Kamishak River, Johnson River, and Kenai

River below Russian River. Three or fewer

SVOCs with concentrations greater than the

MRL were detected at seven sites. Chester

Creek in Anchorage had the greatest number of

SVOCs detected at 23, 16 of which were

greater than 50 μg/kg. Concentrations also

tended to be highest at Chester Creek, which

was the only site sampled whose drainage was

largely developed. Coring of two ponds on

Chester Creek confirmed the presence of elevated concentrations of a variety of organic

compounds. 

Four trace elements—arsenic, chromium,

copper, and nickel—appear to be at naturally

large concentrations in the Cook Inlet Basin.

All but one site, the Talkeetna River, had

arsenic concentrations exceeding a national

median concentration of 6.35 μg/g. Chromium

concentrations were smaller than a national

median value of 62 μg/g only at the Ninilchik

and Talkeetna Rivers. Arsenic and chromium

concentrations in streambed sediment samples

exceeded the PEL at eight and six sites, respectively. Copper concentrations were smaller

than a national median concentration of 26

μg/g only at the Ninilchik River. Nickel concentrations were smaller than a national median

value only at the Ninilchik, Talkeetna, and

Johnson Rivers. Cadmium, lead, selenium, and

zinc were detected at one site each with concentrations substantially elevated above background levels. Cadmium, lead, and zinc

concentrations were elevated in slimy sculpin

as well as in streambed sediments in Chester

Creek. Elevated trace-element concentrations

in Chester Creek are probably related to the

degree of development in the watershed. Selenium was elevated at the Deshka River, a

remote, undeveloped basin draining vast areas

of wetlands. Selenium concentrations in slimy
References Cited 29

sculpin were above a national background level

at most sites, and at more than half the sites,

were at levels that may cause adverse effects in

some species. Elevated trace elements in undeveloped watersheds are most likely due to

highly mineralized rock exposed to hydrologic

processes. 

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Appendix 1 33

APPENDIX 1

Cook Inlet NAWQA Map Numbering System
34 Selected Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Streambed Sediments and Fish Tissues, Cook Inlet Basin, Alaska

The map numbers of sampling sites on the tables and figures in this report generally follow the map 

numbering system for stream-gaging stations in the NAWQA environmental setting report (Brabets 

and others, 1999). Because data for streambed sediments and fish tissue were not collected at all of the 

stream-gaging stations in the environmental setting report, this report contains gaps in the map numbers. The following list contains all the map numbers that had been assigned to stream water-quality 

sites in the NAWQA Program at the time of the study described in this report. Additional sites will be 

added in the future. 

Cook Inlet NAWQA Map Numbering System

[Shaded sites are those that are included in this report]

Map No. USGS

station No. Name

1 15238820 Barabara Creek near Seldovia

2 15239500 Fritz Creek near Homer

3 15239000 Bradley River near Homer

4 15239050 Middle Fork Bradley River near Homer

5 15239900 Anchor River near Anchor Point

6 15240000 Anchor River at Anchor Point

7 15241600 Ninilchik River at Ninilchik

8 15242000 Kasilof River near Kasilof

9 15244000 Ptarmigan Creek at Lawing

10 15246000 Grant Creek near Moose Pass

11 15248000 Trail River near Lawing

12 15254000 Crescent Creek near Cooper Landing

13 15258000 Kenai River at Cooper Landing

14 15260000 Cooper Creek near Cooper Landing

15 15264000 Russian River near Cooper Landing

16 15266300 Kenai River at Soldotna

17 15266500 Beaver Creek near Kenai

18 15267900 Resurrection Creek near Hope

19 15271000 Sixmile Creek near Hope

20 15272280 Portage River at Lake Outlet near Whittier

21 15272550 Glacier Creek at Girdwood

22 152739009 South Fork Campbell Creek at Canyon Mouth near Anchorage

23 15274000 South Fork Campbell Creek near Anchorage

24 15274300 North Fork Campbell Creek near Anchorage

25 15274600 Campbell Creek near Spenard

26 15275000 Chester Creek at Anchorage
Appendix 1 35

27 15275100 Chester Creek at Arctic Boulevard at Anchorage

28 15276000 Ship Creek near Anchorage

29 15276570 Ship Creek below Power Plant at Elmendorf Air Force Base

30 15277100 Eagle River at Eagle River

31 15277410 Peters Creek near Birchwood

32 15281000 Knik River near Palmer

33 15282000 Caribou Creek near Sutton

34 15284000 Matanuska River at Palmer

35 15290000 Little Susitna River near Palmer

36 15291000 Susitna River near Denali

37 15291200 Maclaren River near Paxson

38 15291500 Susitna River near Cantwell

39 15292000 Susitna River at Gold Creek

40 15292400 Chulitna River near Talkeetna

41 15292700 Talkeetna River near Talkeetna

42 15294005 Willow Creek near Willow

43 15274010 Deception Creek near Willow

44 15294100 Deshka River near Willow

45 15294300 Skwentna River near Skwentna

46 15294350 Susitna River at Susitna Station

47 15294410 Capps Creek below North Capps Creek near Tyonek

48 15294450 Chuitna River near Tyonek

49 15294500 Chakachatna River near Tyonek

50 15283700 Moose Creek near Palmer

51 5857501541011 Kamishak River near Kamishak

52 15294700 Johnson River above Lateral Glacier near Tuxedni Bay

53 15266010 Kenai River below Russian River near Cooper Landing

54 15266020 Kenai River at Jim’s Landing near Cooper Landing

55 15266110 Kenai River below Skilak Lake Outlet

56 15267160 Swanson River near Kenai

57 6316291493520 Colorado Creek near Colorado

58 6310181493237 Costello Creek near Colorado

Cook Inlet NAWQA Map Numbering System (Continued)

[Shaded sites are those that are included in this report]

Map No. USGS

station No. Name

Appendix 2 37

APPENDIX 2

Organochlorine compounds, semivolatile organic compounds, and trace elements 

not detected in any sample of streambed sediments or fish tissues

Appendix 2 39

Organochlorine Compounds, Semivolatile Organic Compounds, and 

Trace Elements Not Detected in Any Sample of 

Streambed Sediments or Fish Tissues

Aldrin

cis-Chlordane

trans-Chlordane

Chloroneb

Dacthal

o,p’-DDD

o,p’-DDE

o,p’-DDT

p,p’-DDD

α-Endosulfan

Endrin

Heptachlor

Heptachlor epoxide

Isodrin

Lindane

o,p’-Methoxychlor

p,p’-Methoxychlor

Mirex

cis-Nonachlor

trans-Nonachlor

Oxychlordane

Pentachloroanisole

cis-Permethrin

trans-Permethrin

Toxaphene

α-HCH

β-HCH

δ-HCH

Organochlorines Not Detected

1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene

1,2-Dichlorobenzene

1,3-Dichlorobenzene

1,4-Dichlorobenzene

1-Methylpyrene

2,3,5,6-Tetramethylphenol

2,4,6-Trimethylphenol

2,4-Dichlorophenol

2,4-Dinitrophenol

2,4-Dinitrotoluene

2,6-Dinitrotoluene

2-Chloronaphthalene

2-Chlorophenol

2-Nitrophenol

4,6-Dinitro-2-methylphenol

4-Bromophenylphenylether

4-Chlorophenylphenylether

Acenaphthene

Acenaphthylene

Azobenzene

Dibenz[a,h]anthracene

Dimethyl phthalate

Hexachlorobutadiene

Hexachlorocyclopentadiene

Hexachloroethane

Isophorone

N-Nitrosodiphenylamine

Nitrobenzene

Pentachloroanisole

Pentachloronitrobenzene

Pentachlorophenol

Phenanthridine

Quinoline

bis(2-Chloroethoxy)methane

bis(2-Chloroethyl)ether

bis(2-Chloroisopropyl) ether

Semivolatile Organic Compounds Not Detected

Trace Elements Not Detected

Bismuth

Gold