U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Tracking Riverborne Sediment and Contaminants in 

Commencement Bay, Washington, Using Geochemical 

Signatures

Open-File Report 2017–1124
Cover. Photograph of the Puyallup River, Washington, on August 21, 2013 (U.S. Geological Survey photograph by

Renee Takesue).
U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Tracking Riverborne Sediment and Contaminants in 

Commencement Bay, Washington, Using Geochemical 

Signatures

By Renee K. Takesue, Kathleen E. Conn, and Richard S. Dinicola

Open-File Report 2017–1124
U.S. Department of the Interior

RYAN K. ZINKE, Secretary

U.S. Geological Survey

William H. Werkheiser, Acting Director

U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2017

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Suggested citation:

Takesue, R.K., Conn, K.E., and Dinicola, R.S., 2017, Tracking riverborne sediment and contaminants in 

Commencement Bay, Washington, using geochemical signatures: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2017–

1124, 31 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20171124.

ISSN 2331-1258 (online)
iii

Contents

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

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

Site Description.............................................................................................................................................. 2

Methods......................................................................................................................................................... 5

River Discharge and Turbidity .................................................................................................................... 5

Sediment Collection ................................................................................................................................... 5

Sediment Analyses..................................................................................................................................... 7

Grain-Size Distribution and Organic-Carbon Content ............................................................................ 7

Elemental Composition.......................................................................................................................... 8

Short-Lived Radionuclide Activities........................................................................................................ 8

Current-Use and Legacy Contaminants................................................................................................. 8

Sediment-Geochemical Sourcing and Aging.............................................................................................. 9

Results......................................................................................................................................................... 10

River and Lowland Sediment.................................................................................................................... 10

River Discharge and Turbidity.............................................................................................................. 10

Elemental Compositions of River and Lowland Sediment.................................................................... 10

Current-Use and Legacy Contaminants in River Sediment.................................................................. 12

Nearshore Sediment ................................................................................................................................ 13

Short-lived Radionuclide Activities in Nearshore Sediment.................................................................. 13

Elemental Composition of Nearshore Sediment .................................................................................. 15

Current-Use and Legacy Contaminants in Nearshore Sediment ......................................................... 16

Anthropogenic Metals and Arsenic in Nearshore Sediment................................................................. 18

Discussion ................................................................................................................................................... 18

Summary ..................................................................................................................................................... 21

Acknowledgments........................................................................................................................................ 21

References Cited......................................................................................................................................... 21

Appendix 1. Contents of Anthropogenic Metals, Grain-Size Parameters, and Organic Carbon Contents of 

Nearshore Fine Sediment Collected in Commencement Bay, Washington, January 28, 2014 ............. 25

Appendix 2. Contents of Aluminum, Barium, and Trace Elements in Fine Sediment Collected from the 

Puyallup Watershed, Commencement Bay, and Point Bolin, Washington ............................................ 26

Appendix 3. Radionuclide Activities in Sediment Cores Collected in Commencement Bay, Washington, 

January 28, 2014 .................................................................................................................................. 27

Appendix 4. Chemical Parameters Analyzed by the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Quality

Laboratory in Sediment Collected from the Puyallup and White Rivers and Commencement Bay,

Washington .......................................................................................................................................... 28

Figures

1. Annotated Google Earth satellite image of the Puyallup River, Washington, and its 

 tributaries ................................................................................................................................ 3

 2. Annotated Google Earth satellite image of Commencement Bay in Puget Sound, 

 Washington, and vicinity showing 2013–14 sediment collection sites (yellow circles). ........... 4

 3. Graphs showing time series of median daily discharge in cubic meters per second (m3/s) 

 and median turbidity values in Formazin Nephelometric Units (FNU) in the Puyallup River

 at Puyallup, Washington (U.S. Geological Survey gaging station 12101500)....................... 10
iv

 4. Box and whisker plots of aluminum (Al) normalized barium, nickel, and thorium (Ba, Ni, 

 and Th) and the North American shale composite (NASC) normalized lanthanum/ytterbium

 [(La/Yb)N] ratio in Puyallup and White River (RIV), Puget Lowland (LOW), and 

 Commencement Bay (CB) fine sediment, Puget Sound region, Washington........................ 11

 5. Scatter plots of barium, nickel, and thorium contents relative to aluminum (Al) contents and

 North American shale composite (NASC) normalized lanthanum (La) to normalized

 ytterbium (Yb) contents in winter fine sediment from the Puyallup and White Rivers (RIV),

 Puget Lowland (LOW), and Commencement Bay (CB), Puget Sound region, Washington.. 12

 6. Graphs showing variations with depth of short-lived radionuclide activities in disintegrations

 per minute per gram of dry sediment (dpm/g) in sediment cores from Commencement Bay

 (CB), Puget Sound, Washington........................................................................................... 14

 7. Graphs showing short-lived radionuclide activities in (A) bulk surface layer sediment, 

 (B) surface layer sediment normalized by the total organic carbon content (TOC), (C) in

 the mixed layer, and (D) in the mixed layer normalized by TOC at five sites in 

 Commencement Bay (CB), Puget Sound, Washington......................................................... 15

 8. Plot showing the fraction of Puyallup and White River sediment (RIV) in surface fine 

 sediment from Commencement Bay (CB), Puget Sound, Washington, on 

 January 28, 2014, calculated from two end-member mixing................................................. 16

 9. Graph showing enrichment factors (EF) of anthropogenic elements in fine sediment from

 Commencement Bay (CB), Puget Sound, Washington, over the geologic background in 

 glacial deposits ..................................................................................................................... 18

 10. Graphs comparing contaminant concentrations in winter Puyallup River, Washington, 

 sediment and nearshore sediment for (A) three polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, (B) two

 fecal sterols, (C) two industrial chemicals, and (D) two agricultural chemicals ..................... 20

Tables

 1. Location, collection date, and types of analyses performed on specified sediment size

 fractions from the Puyallup River watershed and Commencement Bay nearshore sites,

 Puget Sound, Washington ...................................................................................................... 6

 2. Chemicals detected in more than one Puyallup River, Washington, bar, bank, or 

 suspended sediment sample ................................................................................................ 13

 3. Chemicals detected in more than one Commencement Bay, Puget Sound, Washington,

 fine-sediment sample............................................................................................................ 17
v

Conversion Factors

International System of Units to U.S. customary units

Multiply By To obtain

Length

centimeter (cm) 0.3937 inch (in.)

millimeter (mm) 0.03937 inch (in.)

meter (m) 3.281 foot (ft) 

kilometer (km) 0.6214 mile (mi)

Area

square kilometer (km2) 247.1 acre

square kilometer (km2) 0.3861 square mile (mi2)

Volume

milliliter (mL) 0.06102 cubic inch (in3) 

Flow rate

cubic meter per second (m3/s) 70.07 acre-foot per day (acre-ft/d) 

cubic meter per second (m3/s) 35.31 cubic foot per second (ft3/s)

cubic meter per second (m3/s) 22.83 million gallons per day (Mgal/d) 

Mass

microgram (μg) 0.00003527 ounce, avoirdupois (oz)

gram (g) 0.03527 ounce, avoirdupois (oz)

kilogram (kg) 2.205 pound avoirdupois (lb)

U.S. customary units to International System of Units

Multiply By To obtain

Length

mile (mi) 1.609 kilometer (km)

Mass

ton, short (2,000 lb) 0.9072 metric ton (t) 

Temperature in degrees Celsius (°C) may be converted to degrees Fahrenheit (°F) as °F = (1.8 × °C) + 32.

Temperature in degrees Fahrenheit (°F) may be converted to degrees Celsius (°C) as °C = (°F – 32) / 1.8.
vi

Acronyms and Abbreviations

CB

dpm/g

EF

ERL

ERM

FNU

GS 

IAEA

ICP-AES

ICP-MS

keV 

LOW 

μg/g

μg/kg

MLLW 

NASC

NOAA

NWQL

PAH

PBDE

PCB

PCMSC

ppm

pcSDSZ

ppm

RIV

TC

TIC

TOC 

USGS

Commencement Bay 

disintegrations per minute per gram of dry sediment

enrichment factor

effects range low

effects range median

Formazin Nephelometric Units

sediment grain-size distributions (GS)

International Atomic Energy Association

inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry

inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

kiloeletronvolts

Puget Lowland

micrograms per gram

micrograms per kilogram

mean lower low water

North American shale composite

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

USGS National Water Quality Laboratory

polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

polybrominated diphenyl ether

polychlorinated biphenyl

USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

parts per million

PCMSC in-house statistical software 

parts per million

Puyallup and White River

total carbon 

total inorganic carbon

total organic carbon

U.S. Geological Survey
vii

Chemical Symbols Used

Al aluminum

As arsenic

Ba barium

7Be beryllium-7

214Bi bismuth-214

Cd cadmium

Co cobalt

Cr chromium 

137Cs cesium-137

Cu copper

(La/Yb)N normalized lanthanum/ytterbium ratio

Nb niobium

Ni nickel

Pb lead

210Pb lead-210

210Pbex excess 210Pb

214Pb lead-214

226Ra radium-226

Rb rubidium

REE rare earth elements

Sc scandium

Si silica

Th thorium

Tm thulium

Zn zinc

Zr zirconium
Tracking Riverborne Sediment and Contaminants in 

Commencement Bay, Washington, Using Geochemical 

Signatures

By Renee K. Takesue, Kathleen E. Conn, and Richard S. Dinicola

Abstract

Large rivers carry terrestrial sediment, contaminants, and other materials to the coastal 

zone where they can affect marine biogeochemical cycles and ecosystems. This U.S. Geological 

Survey study combined river and marine sediment geochemistry and organic contaminant 

analyses to identify riverborne sediment and associated contaminants at shoreline sites in 

Commencement Bay, Puget Sound, Washington, that could be used by adult forage fish and 

other marine organisms. Geochemical signatures distinguished the fine fraction (<0.063 

millimeter, mm) of Puyallup River sediment—which originates from Mount Rainier, a Cascade 

volcano—from glacial fine sediment in lowland bluffs that supply sediment to beaches. In 

combination with activities of beryllium-7 (7Be), a short-lived radionuclide, geochemical 

signatures showed that winter 2013–14 sediment runoff from the Puyallup River was transported 

to and deposited along the north shore of Commencement Bay, then mixed downward into the 

sediment column. The three Commencement Bay sites at which organic contaminants were 

measured in surface sediment did not have measurable 7

Be activities in that layer, so their 

contaminant assemblages were attributed to sources from previous years. Concentrations of 

organic contaminants (the most common of which were polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, 

polychlorinated biphenyls, and fecal sterols) were higher in the <0.063-mm fraction compared to 

the <2-mm fraction, in winter compared to summer, in river suspended sediment compared to 

river bar and bank sediment, and in marine sediment compared to river sediment. The 

geochemical property barium/aluminum (Ba/Al) showed that the median percentage of Puyallup 

River derived fine surface sediment along the shoreline of Commencement Bay was 77 percent. 

This finding, in combination with higher concentrations of organic contaminants in marine rather 

than river sediment, indicates that riverborne sediment-bound contaminants are retained in 

shallow marine habitats of Commencement Bay. The retention of earlier inputs complicates 

efforts to identify recent inputs and sources. Understanding modern sources and fates of 

riverborne sediment and contaminants and their potential ecological impacts will therefore 

require a suite of targeted geochemical studies in such marine depositional environments.

Introduction

Urbanized coastal watersheds discharge land-derived sediment and contaminants to the 

coastal ocean from point sources (ditches, outfalls) and nonpoint sources (overland runoff, 

atmospheric deposition). Particle-bound contaminants can persist for decades to centuries in the 
2

marine environment, can be transported long distances, and can affect organisms that live in or 

on the seabed or that ingest sediment while feeding. Thus, understanding the transport and 

deposition of riverborne sediment and contaminants in the nearshore region is the first step in 

understanding the risks these materials pose to nearshore organisms, their community structure, 

and food webs. Geochemical properties of sediment, such as elemental ratios and short-lived 

radionuclide activities, can distinguish sediments from different geologic sources (Prego and 

others, 2012) and land-use activities (Matisoff and others, 2002; Fernandez and others, 2006). 

Once riverborne sediment enters the coastal zone, geochemical tracers can provide insights about 

dispersal patterns and the recency of deposition (Sommerfield and others, 1999; Fernandez and 

others, 2006; Prego and others, 2009). 

 This report describes a study with goals to (1) identify sediment-geochemical signatures 

that distinguish riverborne fine sediment from the Puyallup River, Washington, from nearshore 

sediment, (2) determine how fine sediment from the Puyallup River was dispersed in shallow 

areas of Commencement Bay in Puget Sound following a winter storm, and (3) quantify currentuse and legacy urban contaminants associated with Puyallup River sediment in shallow areas that 

could be used by beach associated forage fish such as sand lance (Ammodytes personatus) and 

surf smelt (Hypomesus pretiosus). Forage fish eggs and/or adult fish were found in 

unconsolidated sediment at eight beaches in and near Commencement Bay during a qualitative 

site reconnaissance in January 2014. We also report concentrations of (so-called) anthropogenic 

metals (cadmium, Cd; copper, Cu; lead, Pb, and zinc, Zn) and arsenic (As) in nearshore finesediment. Understanding about the fate of riverborne sediment and contaminants in 

Commencement Bay can identify nearshore areas where nearshore organisms could be at risk 

from contaminants. Ecological impacts of contaminants are a growing concern (Schwarzenbach 

and others, 2006) as coastal development increases around Puget Sound (Washington Office of 

Financial Management, 2016) and worldwide (Mee, 2012). 

Site Description

Puget Sound watersheds fall into two general categories—large river basins with 

headwaters in the Cascade or Olympic Ranges or local stream drainages. Because the geology of 

the Cascades and the lowlands differ, so too will the compositions of clastic sediment originating 

from these source areas. Cascade volcanoes consist of recent intermediate (andesitic) lava flows 

and tephras overlying intermediate to mafic (basaltic) continental arc basement rocks (Condie 

and Swenson, 1973; Smith and Leeman, 1993; Sisson and Vallance, 2009). The Puget Lowlands 

consist of glacial deposits whose sediment was derived from felsic (granitic) batholiths in 

western British Columbia (Jones, 1999; Crawford and others, 2005). Expected geochemical 

differences between volcanic upland sediment and glacial lowland sediment form the basis of 

using sediment-geochemical signatures as a means of discriminating riverborne Puyallup 

sediment from other sediment in Commencement Bay. 

The sediment-geochemical study was undertaken in the Puyallup River watershed in

western Washington, and its coastal outlet Commencement Bay in South Puget Sound (fig. 1). 

The Puyallup River has headwaters in alpine glaciers of Mount Rainier, an active Cascade 

stratovolcano approximately 65 kilometers (km) (40 miles) from the City of Tacoma (Sisson and 

Vallance, 2009). The Puyallup River has two main tributaries, the White and Carbon Rivers (fig. 

1), and in combination the three rivers drain an area of approximately 2,700 square kilometers 

(km2

) (Czuba and others, 2010). The geology of the Puyallup watershed uplands consists of 
3

granodiorite basement rocks and Mount Rainier andesite and basaltic-andesite lava flows (Fiske 

and others, 1964). 

Figure 1. Annotated Google Earth satellite image of the Puyallup River, Washington, and its tributaries. 

Orange squares show river sediment collection sites, blue stars show the confluences of major tributaries, 

and the black triangle shows U.S. Geological Survey gaging station 12101500. St, Street; br, bridge; PUY, 

Puyallup River; WHI, White River; CAR, Carbon River.
4

Owing to the volcanic headwaters and the steepness of the watershed (from 4,392 meters, 

m, elevation at Mount Rainier to sea level within a distance of 65 km), the Puyallup River 

transports large amounts of sediment to the lowlands and Puget Sound. The Puyallup River 

contributes the third largest annual river sediment load to Puget Sound, an estimated 1,000,000 

tons per year (Czuba and others, 2010). Peak discharge of the Puyallup River occurs in winter 

during storm events, and there is a secondary discharge peak in summer associated with melting 

snowpack of Mount Rainier glaciers (Czuba and others, 2012). Agricultural, residential, urban, 

and industrial activities occur in the lower Puyallup River watershed. Runoff in winter is 

associated with rainfall and consists of sediment and contaminants from the lowlands; runoff in 

summer is associated with meltwater from glaciers on Mount Rainier and includes glacial flour 

and contaminants adsorbed during transport. 

Commencement Bay is an approximately 20-km2, 165-m-deep urban embayment 

(Ebbesmeyer and others, 1986) at the mouth of the Puyallup River (fig. 2). Tidal flats of the 

Puyallup River delta were channelized and filled to accommodate railroad, lumber, and shipping 

industries in the early 1900s and now comprise the Port of Tacoma. A large percentage of the 

shoreline of Commencement Bay has been armored with rip-rap, eliminating intertidal beach 

habitat. Cannon and Grigsby (1982) observed the Puyallup River plume exiting Commencement 

Bay along the northeast shore during ebb tide, whereas near-bottom return flow was along the 

southwest shore. Ebbesmeyer and others (1986) calculated a water residence time of 

approximately 15 days for Commencement Bay. 

Figure 2. Annotated Google Earth satellite image of Commencement Bay in Puget Sound, Washington, 

and vicinity showing 2013–14 sediment collection sites (yellow circles).
5

Methods

River Discharge and Turbidity

Time series of daily river discharge and turbidity were obtained from U.S. Geological 

Survey (USGS) gaging station 12101500 on the Puyallup River at Puyallup, (see 

https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?site_no=12101500, accessed May 10, 2017). Turbidity was 

measured with an infrared optical sidescatter nephelometer (Forest Technology Systems, Digital 

Turbidity Sensor-12) and reported in Formazin Nephelometric Units (FNU). 

Sediment Collection

River bar and river bank sediment was collected for determination of sediment 

geochemical signatures and contaminants in the Puyallup and White Rivers (fig. 1) on January 

20–21, 2013, August 19–21, 2013, and January 29, 2014 (table 1). Sampling sites on river bars 

were targeted to areas where fine-grained sediment had accumulated. Particles >2 millimeters 

(mm) in diameter were excluded during sampling. River-bank sediment was collected at the

waterline. Sampling was carried out for elemental analyses with a polypropylene scoop and wiretop plastic bags and for organic contaminant analyses with a TeflonTM spatula and amber glass

jars. All samples were stored frozen.

River suspended sediment was collected for contaminant analysis on five occasions 

between October 2012 and August 2013 from the 66th Avenue bridge on the lower Puyallup 

River, including during two autumn/winter storm events and three summer glacial melt events. 

Suspended sediment was collected by pumping large volumes of water from the river through a 

continuous-flow centrifuge (CFC Express, Scientific Methods, Inc.). The centrifuge captures 

sediment in the centrifuge bowl and continuously discharges low-sediment water back to the 

river, as described in Conn and others (2016). 
6

Table 1. Location, collection date, and types of analyses performed on specified sediment size fractions 

from the Puyallup River watershed and Commencement Bay nearshore sites, Puget Sound, Washington. [GEO, geochemistry; RAD, radionuclides; CB, contaminants in bank or bar sediment; CS, contaminants in 

suspended sediment; GS, grain size; OC, organic carbon content. Date format is Month/Day/Year. mm, millimeter] 

Site Latitude Longitude Date GEO RAD CB CS GS OC

Puyallup River sediment

66th Avenue

bridge

47.21378 -122.34159 10/31/12

01/09/13

bulk

bulk

01/20/13

06/21/13

<0.063 mm

bulk

07/01/13

08/06/13

bulk

bulk

08/21/13

01/29/14

<0.063 mm

<0.063 mm

<2 mm,

<0.063 mm

<2 mm

bulk

bulk

bulk, <2 mm,

<0.063 mm

bulk

5th Street bridge 47.19812 -122.28708 01/20/13 <0.063 mm

Hwy 512 bridge 47.19321 -122.28090 01/20/13

08/21/13

<0.063 mm

<0.063 mm

Hwy 162 bridge 47.18479 -122.22899 01/21/13

08/21/13

<0.063 mm

<0.063 mm

01/29/14 <0.063 mm <2 mm bulk bulk

96th Street 47.17334 -122.21849 01/21/13 <0.063 mm

Riverside Park 47.18634 -122.21563 01/29/14 <0.063 mm bulk bulk

128th Street 47.13927 -122.22780 01/21/13

08/21/13

<0.063 mm

<0.063 mm

White River sediment

16th Street East 47.24289 -122.23514 1/21/13

1/29/14

<0.063 mm

<0.063 mm <2 mm bulk bulk

Hwy 410 bridge 47.17408 -122.02303 8/21/13

1/29/14

<0.063 mm

<0.063 mm bulk bulk

Game Farm Park 47.27991 -122.19853 1/21/13

8/21/13

1/29/14

<0.063 mm

<0.063 mm

<0.063 mm bulk bulk

Federation Forest 47.15200 -121.68239 8/21/13 <0.063 mm

Commencement Bay and Nearshore sediment

CB-Dash Point 47.32032 -122.42918 1/28/14 <0.063 mm bulk bulk

CB-03 47.30684 -122.44231 1/28/14 <0.063 mm bulk bulk

CB-04 deep 47.30498 -122.44503 1/28/14 <0.063 mm bulk bulk bulk

CB-04 shallow 47.30485 -122.44471 1/28/14 <0.063 mm bulk <0.063 mm bulk bulk

CB-05.5 47.30121 -122.44508 1/28/14 <0.063 mm bulk bulk

CB-07 47.29859 -122.44030 1/28/14 <0.063 mm bulk bulk

CB-10 47.29662 -122.43109 1/28/14 <0.063 mm bulk bulk

CB-11 47.29374 -122.41436 1/28/14 <0.063 mm bulk bulk bulk

CB-12.5 47.29021 -122.41090 1/28/14 <0.063 mm bulk <0.063 mm bulk bulk

CB-14 47.26951 -122.44864 1/28/14 <0.063 mm bulk bulk

CB-16 47.27504 -122.45899 1/28/14 <0.063 mm bulk bulk

CB-17 47.27639 -122.46391 1/28/14 <0.063 mm <0.063 mm bulk bulk

CB-18 47.27936 -122.47279 1/28/14 <0.063 mm bulk bulk bulk
7

Site Latitude Longitude Date GEO RAD CB CS GS OC

CB-19 47.28186 -122.47761 1/28/14 <0.063 mm bulk bulk

CB-20 47.28560 -122.48524 1/28/14 <0.063 mm bulk bulk

CB-21 47.28981 -122.49039 1/28/14 <0.063 mm bulk bulk

CB-22 47.29404 -122.49538 1/28/14 <0.063 mm bulk bulk

CB-23 47.30876 -122.51992 1/28/14 <0.063 mm bulk bulk

CB-25 47.31879 -122.53837 1/28/14 <0.063 mm bulk bulk

Point Defiance 47.31473 -122.53002 8/19/13 <0.063 mm bulk bulk

Dockton 47.37151 -122.45670 8/20/13 <0.063 mm <2 mm, 

<0.063 mm

bulk bulk, <2 mm, 

<0.063 mm

Glacial sediment

Point Bolin, bluff 47.69066 -122.59193 6/25/13 <0.063 mm bulk

Point Bolin, slide 47.69646 -122.60348 6/25/13 <0.063 mm bulk

Point Bolin, bluff 47.69646 -122.60348 6/25/13 <0.063 mm bulk

Point Defiance, 

clay

47.31761 -122.53459 8/19/13 <0.063 mm bulk

Nearshore sediment was collected at 18 sites along the shoreline of Commencement Bay 

(fig. 2, table 1), including Browns Point, on January 28, 2014, shortly after a winter storm. A 

stainless steel van Veen-type benthic sampler was deployed from a small boat to collect bottom 

sediment close to the shore. Water depth from the vessel’s depth finder and the predicted tidal 

height indicated that bottom sediment was collected at depths ranging from –1.0 m relative to 

mean lower low water (MLLW) to –15.7 m MLLW. The median sampling depth was –3.1 m 

MLLW. The upper 0–2 centimeters (cm) of the intact sediment surface was subsampled for 

geochemistry and contaminants from the material in the benthic sampler. Sediment for 

radionuclide analyses was collected at five sites whose sediment appeared muddy at the time of 

sampling—CB-04 (shallow), CB-04 (deep), CB-11, CB-12.5, and CB-18 (fig. 2) by emplacing a 

3.5-cm-diameter polycarbonate core barrel in the benthic sampler to recover a short sediment 

column (as long as 12 cm). A reconnaissance sample of nearshore sediment was also collected 

on August 20, 2013, in Quartermaster Harbor (not shown), a nearby Puget Sound embayment 

that receives sediment from the Puyallup River plume.

Glacial sediment was collected from three subaerial bluffs above the high-tide line on the 

west side of Point Bolin, Kitsap County, and a clay layer exposed in the intertidal beach face at 

Point Defiance, Pierce County (table 1).

Sediment Analyses

Grain-Size Distribution and Organic-Carbon Content

Sediment grain-size distributions (GS) were determined at the USGS Pacific Coastal and

Marine Science Center (PCMSC) sediment laboratory in Santa Cruz, California, on organic- and 

salt-free sediment using a combination of techniques. Particles coarser than gravel (>2 mm) were 

quantified by dry sieving at quarter-phi intervals (size in millimeters=2-phi). Sand- and mud-sized 

particles (2–0.063 mm and <0.063 mm, respectively) were separated by wet sieving and 

quantified using a laser particle diffraction counter (Beckman Coulter Life Sciences). GS 

parameters were calculated with in-house statistical software (pcSDSZ) according to the methods 
8

of Folk and Ward (1957). Total carbon (TC) and total inorganic carbon (TIC) were determined 

coulometrically (UIC, Inc.) in the surface 0–2 cm layer at each site. Total organic carbon (TOC) 

was calculated as the difference between TC and TIC. Grain size and organic carbon results are 

tabulated in appendix 1. 

Elemental Composition

A subsample of bulk sediment was oven-dried at 60 degrees Celsius (°C), disaggregated 

in a mortar and pestle, and dry-sieved in stainless steel sieves to obtain 2 grams (g) of the 

<0.063-mm fine fraction (silt and clay). The sediment fine fraction was sent to SGS, Inc., a 

nationally recognized testing laboratory, for quantification of major, minor, and trace elements, 

including anthropogenic metals and rare earth elements (REEs), using a sodium peroxide sinter 

followed by quantification by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and 

inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). The reproducibility of 

three replicate samples submitted to SGS, Inc., was better than 10 percent for all target elements 

except the heavy REE thulium (Tm), which had a reproducibility of 12 percent. A second 

procedure that targeted trace elements used a four-acid near-total sediment decomposition 

followed by quantification by ICP-MS (Briggs and Meier, 2002). Neither analytical method 

quantified silica (Si) contents. Major element contents are reported in units of percent (%) and 

minor and trace element contents as parts per million (ppm), which is equivalent to micrograms 

per gram (μg/g). Total element contents were normalized to Al to account for differences in 

grain size. REE contents were normalized to a North American shale composite (NASC), which 

represents the composition of average sedimentary rock (McLennan, 1989). Normalized values 

were used to calculate REE ratios. Contents of anthropogenic elements in a glacial clay bed in 

Commencement Bay were used to define natural geologic levels, or backgrounds, of these 

elements because there were no anthropogenic influences on their contents at the time of 

deposition. Elemental compositions are tabulated in appendix 2. 

Short-Lived Radionuclide Activities

Sediment cores as long as 12 cm were sectioned into 2-cm-thick intervals 1 day after 

collection and refrigerated. At the PCMSC radionuclide laboratory, sediment was oven-dried (60 

°C), disaggregated, packed into 10-milliliter (mL) vials, and counted on an ultra-lowbackground, high-purity germanium well detector for 24 hours. Lead-210 (210Pb) was measured 

at 46.5 kiloeletronvolts (keV); radium-226 (226Ra) was measured at 351.87 (lead-214, 214Pb) and 

609.31 (bismuth-214, 214Bi) keV; cesium-137 (137Cs) was measured at 661 keV; and 7

Be was 

measured at 477.56 keV. Detectors were regularly calibrated with standards from the 

International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA)—IAEA-RGU-1, IAEA-RGTH-1, and IAEA 

300 prepared in the same geometry as samples. Geologically unsupported, or excess, 210Pb 

(abbreviated as 210Pbex) was calculated by subtracting supported 210Pb (from its parent 226Ra) 

from the total 210Pb activity. Radionuclide activities are tabulated in appendix 3. 

Current-Use and Legacy Contaminants

Sediment samples were analyzed at the USGS National Water Quality Laboratory 

(NWQL) for a suite of organic contaminants including PAHs by NWQL schedule 5506 (Zaugg 

and others, 2006), waste indicator chemicals by NWQL schedule 5433 (Burkhardt and others, 

2006), hormones by NWQL schedule 6434 modified from Foreman and others (2012), and 
9

halogenated organic compounds including select PCB congeners and polybrominated diphenyl 

ether (PBDE) congeners by NWQL lab code 8093, a research method described in Wagner and 

others (2014). A complete list of analyzed parameters is in appendix 4. When a parameter was 

analyzed by multiple methods, results are reported from the most sensitive method. In this report, 

detections and maximum concentrations are reported when the concentration is above the longterm NWQL method detection limit and at least three times greater than the associated laboratory 

blank sample. Results are reported on a dry-weight basis. Contaminant data can be found at the 

USGS National Water Information System—Web Interface (see 

http://dx.doi.org/10.5066/F7P55KJN, accessed September 25, 2017). 

Sediment-Geochemical Sourcing and Aging

Immobile and relatively immobile elements, those that are minimally altered during 

sediment erosion and transport, form the most effective geochemical signatures because they 

reflect the source-rock compositions. These elements include the trace elements barium, cobalt, 

chromium, nickel, niobium, rubidium, scandium, thorium, and zirconium (Ba, Co, Cr, Ni, Nb, 

Rb, Sc, Th, Zr), as well as the REE and their ratios (McLennan and others, 1990). Elements that 

had statistically different mean values in river and glacial sediment were identified with two 

tailed Student’s t-tests and p-values <0.01 using StatPlusPro software. Geochemical signatures in 

river sediment collected during January 2013 and 2014 (n=13; table 1) were used to define a 

river end-member representative of terrestrial sediment deposited in Commencement Bay in 

January 2014. Four samples from glacial deposits were used to define an end-member 

representative of Puget Lowland sediment. It was assumed that the inorganic fraction of 

nearshore sediment in Commencement Bay was primarily a mixture of material derived from 

riverine and glacial sources.

Activities of short-lived radionuclides 7

Be, 137Cs, and 210Pb in bulk sediment can indicate 

how recently terrestrial sediment was deposited in the coastal region. 7

Be, with a 53.2-day halflife (t1/2), is primarily used as a runoff indicator to track sedimentation events that occurred as 

many as 5 months before sampling (Sommerfield and others, 1999). 137Cs (t1/2=30.2 years) is a 

radionuclide produced by thermonuclear weapons testing between the mid-1950s and mid-1980s 

(Garcia-Agudo, 1998). Its presence indicates sediment deposited during that interval or mixtures 

of such sediment. Excess 210Pb (t1/2=22.2 years) in the sediment column indicates the presence of 

sediment deposited within the past 100 years (Carpenter and others, 1985). Radionuclide 

activities were assessed in surface sediments (depth of 0–2 cm), the interval in which organic 

contaminants and anthropogenic metals were measured, to link nearshore contaminant 

assemblages with terrestrial runoff from recent winter storms. To account for potential vertical 

redistribution of radionuclides by mixing processes, radionuclide activities were also summed in 

the sediment mixed layer, here limited to a depth of 0–8 cm, the maximum core length recovered 

in four of five sediment cores. To account for differences in TOC contents among sites, 

radionuclide activities were normalized to the bulk sediment TOC content of the surface 0–2 cm 

layer at each site, the only interval in which TOC was determined. The sediment core at CB-04-

D was only 4 cm long, so the radionuclide inventory calculated there is a minimum estimate of 

the total activity over an 8-cm-long sediment column.
10

Results

River and Lowland Sediment

The resulting data for river and lowland sediment include river discharge and turbidity, 

elemental composition of river and lowland sediment, and organic contaminants in river 

sediment.

River Discharge and Turbidity

Daily discharge of the Puyallup River at Puyallup, Washington (USGS gaging station 

12101500), approximately 11 km upstream of the river mouth, was generally similar in January 

2013 (winter 2013, W13) and 2014 (winter 2014, W14) in the months preceding sediment 

collection, whereas median daily turbidity was higher in W13 (fig. 3). Discharge and turbidity 

were seasonally out of phase: median turbidity levels were low in winter when discharge was 

high and vice versa in summer. Sediment sampling in the summer 2013 (S13) occurred during 

the period of glacial runoff (fig. 3). 

Figure 3. Graphs showing time series of median daily discharge in cubic meters per second (m3/s) and 

median turbidity values in Formazin Nephelometric Units (FNU) in the Puyallup River at Puyallup, 

Washington (U.S. Geological Survey gaging station 12101500). Vertical lines show sediment collection 

dates—January 20, 2013 (winter 2013, W13), August 21, 2013 (summer 2013, S13), and January 28, 2014 

(winter 2014, W14).

Elemental Compositions of River and Lowland Sediment 

Among the immobile and relatively immobile elements used to identify geochemical 

source signatures, four had significantly different means between winter river sediment (RIV, 

Puyallup and White Rivers) and Puget Lowland sediment (LOW, glacial bluffs and clay)—Alnormalized contents of Ba, Ni, and Th, and the NASC-normalized REE ratio 

lanthanum/ytterbium—(La/Yb)N. Descriptive statistics for these parameters are summarized in 
11

figure 4, and the raw data are shown in figure 5. Ba/Al had the lowest coefficients of variation 

(CV, defined as ratio of the standard deviation to the mean), in RIV (0.05) and LOW (0.02), 

indicating that sediment sources were very well constrained with this parameter. In comparison, 

the CVs were more than two times higher for Ni/Al (0.31, 0.06), Th/Al (0.14, 0.04), and 

(La/Yb)N (0.12, 0.09) than for Ba/Al. Some of the geochemical variability was related to 

compositional differences between Puyallup and White River sediment and some to differences 

between the two years. Ba/Al values were normally distributed in the two end members 

(Shaprio-Wilk test, p=0.54, α=0.05), so mean Ba/Al values of RIV and LOW were used as 

geochemical signatures [Ba/AlRIV=41±2 (mean±1σ), Ba/AlLOW=65±1] to estimate fractions of 

river-derived sediment in the nearshore. 

Figure 4. Box and whisker plots of aluminum (Al) normalized barium, nickel, and thorium (Ba, Ni, and 

Th) and the North American shale composite (NASC) normalized lanthanum/ytterbium [(La/Yb)N] ratio in 

Puyallup and White River (RIV), Puget Lowland (LOW), and Commencement Bay (CB) fine sediment, 

Puget Sound region, Washington. Box heights show the interquartile ranges, whiskers show maxima and 

minima, and lines crossing whiskers show medians.
12

Figure 5. Scatter plots of barium, nickel, and thorium contents relative to aluminum (Al) contents and 

North American shale composite (NASC) normalized lanthanum (La) to normalized ytterbium (Yb) contents 

in winter fine sediment from the Puyallup and White Rivers (RIV), Puget Lowland (LOW), and 

Commencement Bay (CB), Puget Sound region, Washington. ppm, parts per million.

Current-Use and Legacy Contaminants in River Sediment

Table 2 lists the 14 compounds that were detected in more than one river-bar or riverbank

sediment or suspended-sediment sample. Two fecal sterols were the most frequently detected 

organic chemicals in river sediment—cholesterol (6/7 detections, concentrations ranging from an 

estimated 223 micrograms per kilogram, μg/kg, to 678 μg/kg) and β-sitosterol (6/6 detections, 

concentrations ranging from an estimated 1,520 μg/kg to an estimated 2,350 μg/kg). In addition, 

the biocide degradate pentachloroanisole was detected in three winter samples. Other chemicals 

were detected singly and (or) sporadically.

Ten (of 157) organic chemicals were detected in one or more of the four samples for 

which the <2-mm fraction was analyzed—four PAHs, three waste indicators, two hormones, and 

one halogenated compound. Nine of the ten compounds were detected in river-bank sediment 

collected during winter 2013 at the Highway 162 bridge (Puyallup River upstream of the 

confluence with the White River). One to four chemicals were detected in the <2-mm fraction of 

river-bar and riverbank sediment collected from the White River in winter 2014 and the 66th 

Avenue bridge (lower Puyallup River below the White River confluence) in summer 2013 and 
13

winter 2014. When a fine-sediment (<0.063 mm) subsample was analyzed and compared to the 

corresponding <2-mm fraction at the 66th Avenue bridge during the summer sampling, three 

additional compounds were detected at low concentrations—the hormone 17-α-estradiol and the 

flame retardants PBDE 47 and PBDE 99.

More organic chemicals were detected in river suspended sediment than in river-bar or 

riverbank sediment. Twenty-seven (of 147) organic chemicals were detected in one or more river 

suspended-sediment samples collected from the 66th Avenue bridge on the lower Puyallup 

River. This included 13 PAHs, 7 waste indicators, and 7 halogenated organic compounds 

(suspended sediment samples were not analyzed for hormones). Similar to the river-bar and 

riverbank sediment samples, more compounds were detected in the winter samples (12 to 14 

compounds detected) than in the summer samples (1, 2, and 8 compounds detected).

Table 2. Chemicals detected in more than one Puyallup River, Washington, bar, bank, or suspended 

sediment sample.

[μg/kg, microgram per kilogram dry weight; E, estimated.]

Number of detects or samples

Chemical

Maximum 

detected 

concentration 

(μg/kg)

River-bar or

riverbank 

sediment

River 

suspended 

sediment

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

1,6-Dimethylnaphthalene E15.2 2/5 2/5

1-Methylphenanthrene 17.1 1/5 2/5

2,6-Dimethylnaphthalene 18.8 1/5 3/5

Fluoranthene 34.1 0/5 2/5

Naphthalene E5.9 0/5 2/5

Waste indicators and hormones

4-Cumylphenol 71.9 0/3 2/3

Bisphenol A E489 0/3 2/2

Cholesterol E678 5/5 2/3

Indole 142 1/5 1/3

Phenol E548 1/5 1/3

β-sitosterol E2350 3/3 2/2

Halo-organic compounds

Pentachloroanisole 0.14 2/4 1/5

Polybrominated diphenyl ether 47 E0.93 1/4 1/5

Polybrominated diphenyl ether 99 0.16 1/5 1/5

Nearshore Sediment

The resulting data for nearshore sediment include short-lived radionuclide activities, 

elemental composition, organic contaminants, and anthropogenic metals and arsenic.

Short-lived Radionuclide Activities in Nearshore Sediment

Profiles of excess 210Pb showed no trend with depth in sediment cores, indicating that the 

sediment column up to a depth of 12-cm was vertically mixed (fig. 6) and thus not useful for 

estimating 210Pb-based sediment accumulation rates. 137Cs activities in the sediment column were 
14

low and akin to background levels measured by Davis and others (1997) in Commencement Bay

(CB) waterways.

Figure 6. Graphs showing variations with depth of short-lived radionuclide activities in disintegrations per 

minute per gram of dry sediment (dpm/g) in sediment cores from Commencement Bay (CB), Puget Sound, 

Washington. Downcore values were measured in 2 centimeter (cm) thick sections and are plotted at 

midpoints of intervals. Dashed lines indicate the bottom of the surface layer of sediment.

Three sites had surface sediment with measurable 7

Be activities—CB-04-D (–15.7 m 

MLLW) at Browns Point, CB-11 (–2.7 m MLLW) on the north shore near Tyee Marina, and CB18 (likely –5 m MLLW) offshore of Puget Creek on the south shore (fig. 7A). Sites CB-04-S (–

7.6 m MLLW) and CB-12.5 (–2.6 m MLLW, adjacent to a floating log corral) had no 

measurable 7Be in the surface layer. Among these sites, the bulk-sediment TOC varied from 0.6

percent at CB-04-D to 11.5 percent at CB-18. TOC-normalized radionuclide activities were 

highest at CB-04-D (Browns Point) (fig. 7B), suggesting that this site experienced the most 

recent sediment deposition. Normalized radionuclide activities increased from the inner bay to 

the outer bay along the north shore (fig. 7B), similar to the manner in which the Puyallup River 

runoff plume is often observed to flow. There are no local drainages (7Be sources) along the 

north shore of Commencement Bay between CB-04 and CB-12.5 suggesting that 7Be in surface 

sediment at CB-04-D and CB-11 was from recent Puyallup River outflow and deposition. 

Measurable 7Be-containing sediment at CB-18 may have originated in whole or in part from 

Puget Creek, a local drainage on the south shore of the bay.
15

Figure 7. Graphs showing short-lived radionuclide activities in (A) bulk surface layer sediment, (B)

surface layer sediment normalized by the total organic carbon content (TOC), (C) in the mixed layer, and 

(D) in the mixed layer normalized by TOC at five sites in Commencement Bay (CB), Puget Sound, 

Washington. 7Be, beryllium-7; 137Cs, cesium-137; 210Pbex, excess lead-210; dpm/g, disintegrations per 

minute per gram of dry sediment; cm, centimeter.

TOC-normalized radionuclide inventories in the mixed-layer were generally similar to 

surface patterns, having highest values at Browns Point (CB-04-D) and lowest values offshore of 

Puget Creek. The mixed layer at CB-12.5 (fig. 7D) had a high 7Be inventory and could reflect 

recent runoff from nearby Hylebos Creek.

Elemental Composition of Nearshore Sediment

Based on the Ba/Al geochemical signature, nearshore fine sediment in Commencement 

Bay was more similar in composition to Puyallup River sediment than to Puget Lowland 

sediment. Assuming that the nearshore sediment sampled in this study was primarily a mixture 

of material from RIV and LOW, then the fraction of RIV in surface (0–2 cm) sediment in 

Commencement Bay calculated using a linear two end-member mixing equation ranged from 

20–96 percent (fig. 8) and the median value was 77 percent. Surface sediment on the north shore 

of Commencement Bay (CB-03 to CB-12.5) generally had a greater fraction of riverborne 

sediment than that on the south shore of the bay (CB-14 to CB-23).
16

Figure 8. Plot showing the fraction of Puyallup and White River sediment (RIV) in surface fine sediment 

from Commencement Bay (CB), Puget Sound, Washington, on January 28, 2014, calculated from two endmember mixing. Dark blue columns show samples with measurable beryllium-7 (7Be); white columns show 

samples with no detectable 7Be. Samples shown by medium blue columns were not analyzed for 

radionuclides. Locations of sampling sites are shown in figure 2. %, percent.

Current-Use and Legacy Contaminants in Nearshore Sediment

Nearshore sediment was sieved for contaminant analysis of the fine-sediment fraction 

(<0.063 mm) based on the low number and concentrations of chemicals detected on bulk river 

sediment, the increased number and concentrations of chemicals detected on suspended 

sediment, which has a finer grain-size distribution, and the knowledge that many organic 

chemicals preferentially sorb to finer rather than coarser sediment (Karickhoff and others, 1979). 

Sixty-one (of 157) organic chemicals were detected in winter nearshore fine sediment. This 

included 27 PAHs, 3 waste indicators, 7 hormones, and 24 halo-organic compounds. Table 3 lists 

the 36 compounds that were detected in more than one nearshore fine-sediment sample. PAHs 

were regularly detected in all three nearshore sediment samples; the lowest concentration for all 

but three individual PAHs was measured at CB-12.5 as compared to CB-04-S and CB-17. 

Among these three sites, CB-04-S and CB-12.5 were analyzed for short-lived radionuclides and 

contained no detectable 7Be activity in the surface 0–2 cm layer, an indication that organic 

contaminants in surface sediment were deposited more than 5 months before sample collection in 

January 2014. Measurable 7Be was found below the surface layer at CB-12.5 showing reworking

of recently deposited sediment; however, contaminant assemblages were not measured in the 

corresponding subsurface layer. Four waste indicators and hormones were detected in all three 

nearshore samples, including β-sitosterol, indole, 3-β-coprostanol and cholesterol. A few legacy 

chlorinated pesticides were detected at low concentrations, including cis- and trans-chlordane, 

dieldrin, trans-nonachlor, and hexachlorobenzene. Twelve (of 18) PCB congeners were detected; 

the summed PCB concentration ranged from 1.83 to 2.77 μg/kg, which when normalized to the 

median TOC content were well below the Washington State marine-sediment quality standard of 

12 mg/kg organic carbon (Washington Department of Ecology, 2013). Seven (of 10) PBDE 

congeners were detected. CB-04-S had a summed PBDE concentration of 9.87 μg/kg,

representing 6 congeners. In contrast, the summed PBDE concentration was 1.2 μg/kg and 0.35 

μg/kg at CB-12.5 and CB-17, respectively, each representing the sum of 2 congeners. 

Washington State does not publish sediment quality standards for PBDEs.
17

Table 3. Chemicals detected in more than one Commencement Bay, Puget Sound, Washington, finesediment sample.

[μg/kg, microgram per kilogram dry weight; PBDEs, polybrominated diphenyl ethers; PCBs, polychlorinated 

biphenyls; E, estimated.]

Chemical

Maximum 

detected 

concentration 

(μg/kg)

Number of 

detects or 

samples

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

1,6-dimethylnaphthalene 53 3/3

1-methyl-9h-fluorene 21 2/3

1-methylphenanthrene 79.9 3/3

1-methylpyrene 45.4 2/3

2,3,6-trimethylnaphthalene 25.1 2/3

2,6-dimethylnaphthalene 149 3/3

4,5-methylenephenanthrene 74.2 3/3

9h-fluorene 83.7 2/3

Acenaphthene 47.6 2/3

Acenaphthylene 57 2/3

Anthracene 145 3/3

Anthraquinone 134 3/3

Benz[a]anthracene 194 3/3

Benzo[a]pyrene 150 3/3

Benzo[b]fluoranthene E246 3/3

Benzo[e]pyrene 126 3/3

Benzo[g,h,i]perylene E54.7 3/3

Benzo[k]fluoranthene E85.7 3/3

Carbazole 36.8 3/3

Chrysene 269 3/3

Fluoranthene 748 3/3

Indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene E48.9 3/3

Naphthalene 259 3/3

Perylene 54.2 3/3

Phenanthrene 416 2/3

Pyrene 724 3/3

Waste indicators and hormones

3-β-coprostanol E227 3/3

4-androstene-3,17-dione 0.91 2/3

Cholesterol 2765 3/3

Indole 565 3/3

β-sitosterol E6580 3/3

Halo-organic compounds

Chlordane, cis 0.15 3/3

Chlordane, trans 0.13 2/3

Hexachlorobenzene (HCB) E2.2 3/3

PBDEs (sum of 10) 9.87 3/3

PCBs (sum of 18) 2.77 3/3
18

Anthropogenic Metals and Arsenic in Nearshore Sediment

Nearshore fine-sediment contents of As, Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn in Commencement Bay were 

enriched as much as ten-fold relative to geologic background levels in glacial clay (fig. 9), likely 

a legacy of ore smelting operations on the south shore of the bay and subsequent reuse of smelter 

slag as fill material along the south shore and in the industrial area at the head of the bay. Arsenic 

and Pb had maximum enrichment factors (EF) more than ten times higher than background; 

however, the median EF for As was approximately 1 (EFAs=1.1, same as background), whereas 

that for Pb was EFPb=2.4. Arsenic was the only element whose content in Commencement Bay 

fine sediment exceeded the effects range median (ERM), the level determined by the National 

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) at which adverse biological effects frequently 

occur in marine and estuarine sediment (Long and others, 1995), and this was found at only one 

site (ERMAs=70 ppm; CB-22As=87 ppm). At no sites were the State of Washington’s sedimentquality standards exceeded for anthropogenic elements in marine-sediment impact zones affected 

by discharges, which are higher than the NOAA ERMs for As (by 133 percent), Cu (by 144 

percent), Pb (by 243 percent), and Zn (by 234 percent) and lower than the NOAA ERM for Cd 

(by 30 percent) (Washington Department of Ecology, 2013). The median sedimentary contents 

of anthropogenic metals and As measured in shallow areas of Commencement Bay in January 

2014 on the <0.063-mm fine fraction were within 23 percent of the values at 30 stations 

surveyed by the Washington Department of Ecology in Commencement Bay in June 2014 (after 

those values were adjusted for the median fine-sediment content) (Weakland and others, 2016).

Figure 9. Graph showing enrichment factors (EF) of anthropogenic elements in fine sediment from 

Commencement Bay (CB), Puget Sound, Washington, over the geologic background in glacial deposits. 

As, arsenic; Cd, cadmium; Cu, copper; Pb, lead; Zn, zinc. Locations of sampling sites are shown in figure 2.

Discussion

The high proportion of river-derived sediment in the fine fraction of Commencement Bay 

nearshore sediment suggests that the Puyallup River is the dominant sediment source to the bay, 

a finding that is consistent with a deltaic environment. Spatial distributions of Al-normalized Ba 

contents of fine sediment show that the northeast shore of Commencement Bay received a higher 

proportion of fine sediment from the Puyallup River than the southwest shore and Dash Point

(CB-DP), where glacial bluffs played a greater role as a secondary sediment source.
19

The predominance of river-derived sediment in the nearshore region of Commencement 

Bay precluded event-scale runoff sourcing with composition-based geochemical signatures alone 

because riverine sediment entering the bay during a storm had only a slight compositional 

difference compared to preexisting sediment. In combination with 7Be activities (TOCnormalized), it was determined that the sediment mixed layers at CB-04-D and CB-12.5 

contained the most recently deposited riverborne fine sediment. A higher 7Be inventory at the 

deeper site at Browns Point (CB-04-D, –16 m MLLW) compared to the shallower site (CB-04-S, 

–8 m MLLW) could be indicative of downslope transport of riverborne sediment or a greater 

retention of fine sediment at deeper depths.

The elemental composition of sediment in summer runoff, which was not investigated in 

detail in this study, may allow discrimination of riverborne and nearshore sediment; however, 

because summer runoff largely originates in the forested upper watershed, it is not expected to be 

associated with contaminants of ecological concern. Indeed, few contaminants were detected in 

river suspended sediment collected in the summer, when the sediment primarily originates from 

glacial meltwater in the upper watershed. Most detections of river sediment-bound contaminants 

occurred in winter samples, suggesting that contaminants are introduced into the river during 

lowland runoff events.

Although a direct comparison between contaminant concentrations in river sediment and 

nearshore sediment is not possible because different particle size fractions were analyzed, a 

qualitative comparison suggests that nearshore sediment in Commencement Bay contains more 

contaminants, including persistent, legacy chemicals, than river sediment (fig. 10). For example, 

four PAHs at concentrations less than 25 μg/kg were detected in one river-bar sediment sample, 

and only during the winter. PAHs were not detected in two other winter river-bar and riverbank 

sediment samples or in <2-mm or fine-sediment samples collected during the summer. As many 

as 11 PAHs at concentrations less than 35 μg/kg were detected in river suspended sediment 

samples, which have a greater fraction of fine sediment than river-bar and riverbank sediment. In 

contrast, 27 PAHs were detected in winter nearshore fine sediment at concentrations as much as

750 μg/kg. Based on a comparison of fine and <2-mm sediment from a nearby Puget Sound 

nearshore sediment sample (collected at Dockton in Quartermaster Harbor on Vashon Island, 

Puget Sound, Washington, August 20, 2013), the same suite of PAHs was present in both fine 

and <2-mm sediment. Fine sediment PAHs concentrations were similar to <2-mm sediment 

PAHs concentrations, with fine to <2-mm concentration ratios ranging from 0.4 to 1.5 (in 

exception, 2.8 for 2,6-dimethylnaphthalene).
20

Figure 10. Graphs comparing contaminant concentrations in winter Puyallup River, Washington, sediment 

and nearshore sediment for (A) three polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, (B) two fecal sterols, (C) two 

industrial chemicals, and (D) two agricultural chemicals. A summer sample from a nearby Puget Sound 

nearshore location (Dockton) is also shown to relate chemical concentrations in <2-millimeter (mm) and 

<0.063-mm fractions. CB, Commencement Bay. dpm/g, disintegrations per minute per gram of dry 

sediment.

Similar to PAHs (fig. 10A), more contaminants at higher concentrations were measured 

in nearshore fine sediment than in river-bar, riverbank, or suspended sediment for fecal sterols 

(fig. 10B), legacy industrial chemicals (fig. 10C), and agricultural chemicals (fig. 10D). The 

higher occurrence of persistent, legacy compounds including PCBs, PBDEs, and chlorinated 

pesticides in the Commencement Bay nearshore than in the Puyallup River suggests that the 

nearshore sediment is impacted by other sources of contaminants in addition to contaminants

transported by the Puyallup River, such as direct discharges of stormwater or wastewater to 

Commencement Bay and current and (or) historical human activities occurring directly in 

Commencement Bay.

Potential indicators of Puyallup River watershed overland run-off include PAHs, fecal 

indicators (cholesterol, β-sitosterol, indole, phenol), and pentachloroanisole. Of these, 

pentachloroanisole was unique to river sediment, as it was detected in both sediment from the 

Puyallup and White Rivers and not in nearshore sediment (fig. 10D). Pentachloroanisole is an 

environmental metabolite of pentachlorophenol (PCP), which is a general biocide, which has 

been used, for example, in agriculture and other industries for preserving wood. Other 

agricultural chemicals also may be indicators of recent sediment derived from the Puyallup River 

watershed, such as pentachloronitrobenzene (crop fungicide) and chlorinated pesticides like 

chlordane and chlorpyrifos, which were each detected in a single winter river suspendedsediment sample (not shown). Additional sampling of river suspended sediment over a range of 

flow, sediment, and seasonal conditions would aid in identifying additional indicator chemicals 

for the Puyallup River watershed.
21

Summary

Understanding the fate, transport, and burial of riverborne sediment and sediment-bound 

contaminants in the coastal zone is an important step in assessing how these materials could

affect coastal biogeochemical cycles and organisms. This USGS study combined river and 

marine sediment geochemistry and current-use and legacy contaminant analyses to identify 

riverborne sediment and associated contaminants at shoreline sites in Commencement Bay. 

Beaches in and near Commencement Bay are used by forage fish and other organisms that could 

be at risk of exposure to sediment-bound contaminants. The findings of the study are as follows:

• Winter fine sediment from the Puyallup and White Rivers was compositionally distinct 

from Puget Lowland glacial fine sediment based on ratios of immobile and relatively 

immobile elements—Ba/Al, Ni/Al, Th/Al, and (La/Yb)N ratios.

• Based on Ba/Al ratios, surface sediment (0–2 cm) in Commencement Bay was 

predominantly composed of Puyallup River sediment compared to glacial bluff sediment. 

The northeast shore of the bay contained a larger proportion of Puyallup River sediment 

than did the southwest shore, where glacial bluffs were a larger secondary sediment 

source.

• 7

Be activities showed that sediment from the Puyallup River was present in the nearshore 

sediment mixed layer at all five sites where it was measured and that the highest TOCnormalized activities (most recent deposition) occurred at –16 m depth (MLLW) offshore 

of Browns Point and west of the mouth of Hylebos Creek.

• Contaminants associated with Puyallup River sediment primarily originated from runoff 

from the Puget Lowlands in winter rather than the upper watershed where glacial 

meltwater is the main component of flow in summer.

• Nearshore sediment in Commencement Bay is impacted by other sources of contaminants 

in addition to those carried by Puyallup River sediment, such as legacy embayment 

contamination from past activities, such as railroad and sawmill operations and ore 

smelting, and current urban stormwater.

Acknowledgments

James Foreman (USGS), Rich Sheibley (USGS), Cordell Johnson (USGS), and Greg 

Justin (USGS, retired) assisted with field sampling; Cordell Johnson measured short-lived 

radionuclides. Leticia Hallas (USGS) processed samples for geochemical analyses. The USGS 

Washington Water Science Center provided field and lab support. Christopher Conaway and 

Margaret Dutch provided suggestions that improved the manuscript. The USGS Coastal and 

Marine Geology Program, and the Effects of Urbanization Task of the Multidisciplinary Coastal 

Habitats in Puget Sound Project funded this work.

References Cited

Briggs, P.H., and Meier, A.L., 2002, The determination of forty-two elements in geological 

materials by inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry, chap. I of, Taggart, J.E., ed., 

Analytical methods for chemical analysis of geologic and other materials: U.S. Geological 

Survey USGS Open-File Report 02–223, 20 p., accessed August 25, 2017, at 

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22

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25

Appendix 1. Contents of Anthropogenic Metals, Grain-Size Parameters, 

and Organic Carbon Contents of Nearshore Fine Sediment Collected in 

Commencement Bay, Washington, January 28, 2014

[Sediment-quality guidelines (ERL, effects range low; ERM, effects range median) and the geologic background 

(BKGD) are shown for comparison. As, arsenic; Cd, cadmium; Cu, copper; Pb, lead; Zn, zinc; D50, median grain 

size; OC, organic carbon; μg/g, micrograms per gram; %, percent; mm, millimeter]

Sample no.

As

(μg/g)

Cd

(μg/g)

Cu

(μg/g)

Pb

(μg/g)

Zn

(μg/g)

Gravel 

(%)

Sand 

(%)

Silt 

(%)

Clay 

(%)

Mud 

(%)

D50 

(mm)

OC 

(%)

CB-03 7 0.2 28 19 73 1.9 92.6 3.0 2.5 5.4 0.285 0.2

CB-04-D 8 0.1 31 13 76 2.9 65.3 20.4 11.4 31.8 0.140 1.3

CB-04-S 8 0.2 38 22 77 7.0 74.6 11.8 6.6 18.4 0.226 0.6

CB-05 7 0.2 28 14 76 0.4 89.3 6.2 4.1 10.3 0.271 0.2

CB-07 7 0.2 30 14 77 2.5 73.3 16.1 8.1 24.2 0.185 0.6

CB-10 8 0.2 36 15 79 7.2 63.9 18.6 10.2 28.9 0.247 0.5

CB-11 9 0.2 42 16 107 1.7 7.3 58.7 32.4 91.1 0.009 10.1

CB-12 9 0.3 42 17 82 0.2 9.8 61.0 29.0 90.1 0.011 6.2

CB-14 8 0.3 36 24 91 21.7 56.8 15.6 5.9 21.6 0.338 1.5

CB-16 12 0.4 50 33 105 24.5 51.3 16.8 7.4 24.2 0.289 3.1

CB-17 15 0.6 66 48 117 0.0 86.7 9.3 4.0 13.3 0.169 2.7

CB-18 32 0.6 97 62 137 0.0 62.0 27.1 10.9 38.0 0.090 11.5

CB-19 15 0.9 54 33 120 0.2 85.2 9.8 4.8 14.7 0.265 2.9

CB-20 12 0.5 48 17 91 0.0 93.4 4.3 2.3 6.6 0.227 0.2

CB-21 22 0.4 64 27 92 0.0 93.2 4.6 2.3 6.8 0.184 0.3

CB-22 87 0.7 163 40 114 0.0 82.4 12.4 5.3 17.6 0.133 8.4

CB-23 44 0.3 182 82 222 0.5 96.0 1.9 1.6 3.5 0.284 0.2

CB-25 7 0.1 17 10 76 0.9 93.2 4.3 1.6 5.9 0.493 0.1

CB-DP 6 0.2 15 13 76 0.0 90.8 6.5 2.7 9.2 0.164 0.6

Sediment-quality guidelines and geologic background

ERL1 8.2 1.2 34 46.7 150

ERM2 70 9.6 270 218 410

BKGD3 8 0.1 26 7.8 74

Number of 

samples

>ERL

10 0 13 3 1

Number of 

samples

>ERM

1 0 0 0 0

1

ERL values from Long and others (1995).

2

ERM values from Long and others (1995).

3

Values from Point Defiance, Tacoma, Washington, glacial clay were used for the geologic background.
26

Appendix 2. Contents of Aluminum, Barium, and Trace Elements in Fine 

Sediment Collected from the Puyallup Watershed, Commencement Bay, 

and Point Bolin, Washington

[PU, Puyallup River; WH, White River; CB, Commencement Bay; PB, Point Bolin; Al, aluminum; Ba, barium; Ni, 

nickel; Th, thorium; (La)N, North American shale composite normalized lanthanum; (Yb)N, North American shale 

composite normalized ytterbium; %, percent; μg/g, micrograms per gram]

Sample type Sample no.

Date

collected

Al

(%)

Ba

(μg/g)

Ni

(μg/g)

Th

(μg/g) (La)N (Yb)N

River PU13-01 1/20/13 8.27 340 31.7 4.7 0.64 0.55

River PU13-02 1/20/13 7.73 339 33.0 4.7 0.68 0.58

River PU13-03 1/20/13 8.04 335 34.4 4.7 0.67 0.52

River PU13-05 1/21/13 7.89 315 39.6 5.2 0.61 0.61

River PU13-06 1/21/13 8.02 304 44.7 4.4 0.57 0.55

River PU14-01 1/29/14 9.42 376 27.5 4.5 0.54 0.39

River PU14-02 1/29/14 8.91 364 34.9 4.9 0.63 0.48

River PU14-03 1/29/14 8.17 331 35.4 4.6 0.61 0.55

River WH13-01 1/21/13 8.77 400 16.3 5.6 0.63 0.55

River WH13-02 1/21/13 8.56 367 23.4 4.9 0.63 0.61

River WH14-01 1/29/14 8.28 341 27.1 4.1 0.52 0.48

River WH14-02 1/29/14 8.99 372 17.9 4.5 0.55 0.39

River WH14-03 1/29/14 9.24 384 19.6 4.6 0.55 0.45

Nearshore CB-03 1/28/14 7.61 362 24.6 4.6 0.55 0.45

Nearshore CB-04-D 1/28/14 8.90 394 24.1 5.1 0.58 0.45

Nearshore CB-04-S 1/28/14 8.65 377 24.3 5.0 0.59 0.48

Nearshore CB-05 1/28/14 8.95 380 27.0 4.8 0.56 0.45

Nearshore CB-07 1/28/14 8.85 382 22.7 4.9 0.57 0.45

Nearshore CB-10 1/28/14 8.76 376 21.8 4.9 0.60 0.48

Nearshore CB-11 1/28/14 8.38 372 21.5 4.7 0.57 0.42

Nearshore CB-12.5 1/28/14 8.17 370 22.5 5.0 0.67 0.52

Nearshore CB-14 1/28/14 8.77 383 24.1 4.6 0.55 0.42

Nearshore CB-16 1/28/14 8.08 378 26.0 4.6 0.55 0.45

Nearshore CB-17 1/28/14 7.82 370 32.9 4.6 0.60 0.52

Nearshore CB-18 1/28/14 7.90 369 30.2 4.4 0.56 0.55

Nearshore CB-19 1/28/14 7.44 370 30.9 4.1 0.49 0.45

Nearshore CB-20 1/28/14 7.14 345 41.9 4.7 0.60 0.71

Nearshore CB-21 1/28/14 7.01 355 41.8 4.1 0.55 0.58

Nearshore CB-22 1/28/14 7.20 351 30.1 3.9 0.50 0.48

Nearshore CB-23 1/28/14 7.42 366 32.7 4.0 0.53 0.45

Nearshore CB-25 1/28/14 7.55 453 57.0 3.5 0.45 0.58

Nearshore CB-DP 1/28/14 6.91 350 46.9 4.7 0.53 0.61

Glacial bluff PB13-01 6/25/13 8.84 581 61.2 4.2 0.47 0.61

Glacial bluff PB13-10 6/25/13 7.06 450 45.6 2.7 0.52 0.68

Glacial bluff PB13-11 6/25/13 6.78 429 42.9 2.4 0.49 0.55

Glacial clay Point Defiance 8/19/13 7.60 503 58.1 3.3 0.45 0.61
27

Appendix 3. Radionuclide Activities in Sediment Cores Collected in 

Commencement Bay, Washington, January 28, 2014

[CB, Commencement Bay; 7Be, beryllium-7; 137Cs, cesium-137; 210Pb, lead-210; 226Ra, radium-226; 210Pbex, excess 

lead-210; cm, centimeters; dpm/g, disintegrations per minute per gram]

Site no.

Depth interval

(cm)

7Be

(dpm/g)

137Cs

(dpm/g)

210Pb

(dpm/g)

226Ra

(dpm/g)

210Pbex

(dpm/g)

CB-04-S 0-2 0.1 0.2 1.8 0.8 1.1

CB-04-S 2-4 0.3 0.1 2.4 0.9 1.5

CB-04-S 4-6 0.0 0.1 2.2 0.9 1.4

CB-04-S 6-8 0.0 0.1 2.1 0.9 1.3

CB-04-D 0-2 0.3 0.0 2.0 0.9 1.2

CB-04-D 2-4 0.0 0.1 2.3 1.0 1.4

CB-11 0-2 0.4 0.2 3.6 1.4 2.3

CB-11 2-4 0.4 0.2 3.4 1.3 2.1

CB-11 4-6 0.6 0.4 3.6 1.1 2.5

CB-11 6-8 0.0 0.1 3.4 1.1 2.3

CB-12.5 0-2 0.0 0.2 2.8 1.1 1.7

CB-12.5 2-4 0.0 0.1 3.1 1.4 1.7

CB-12.5 4-6 2.7 0.2 2.5 1.1 1.4

CB-12.5 6-8 0.0 0.2 2.4 1.6 0.8

CB-12.5 8-10 0.0 0.2 2.9 0.8 2.2

CB-12.5 10-12 0.0 0.3 2.8 1.2 1.6

CB-18 0-2 0.2 0.1 2.7 0.9 1.8

CB-18 2-4 0.6 0.1 2.7 0.8 1.9

CB-18 4-6 0.4 0.2 2.9 0.7 2.3

CB-18 6-8 0.4 0.0 1.6 0.7 0.9
28

Appendix 4. Chemical Parameters Analyzed by the U.S. Geological Survey

National Water Quality Laboratory in Sediment Collected from the Puyallup 

and White Rivers and Commencement Bay, Washington 

Parameter Parameter code

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by schedule 5506

2,6-dimethylnaphthalene1 63167

anthracene1 63180

anthraquinone1 63181

benzo[a]pyrene1 63183

bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate1 63187

carbazole1 63194

diethyl phthalate1 63202

fluoranthene 1 63208

naphthalene1 63220

phenanthrene1 63224

pyrene1 63227

benz[a]anthracene 63610

hexachlorobenzene2 63631

pentachloronitrobenzene2 63650

1,2,4-trichlorobenzene 64095

1,2-dimethylnaphthalene 64097

1,6-dimethylnaphthalene 64099

1-methyl-9h-fluorene 64100

1-methylphenanthrene 64101

1-methylpyrene 64102

2,3,6-trimethylnaphthalene 64103

2-ethylnaphthalene 64104

2-methylanthracene 64105

4,5-methylenephenanthrene 64106

9h-fluorene 64107

acenaphthene 64108

acenaphthylene 64109

benzo[b]fluoranthene 64111

benzo[e]pyrene 64112

benzo[g,h,i]perylene 64113

benzo[k]fluoranthene 64114

chrysene 64115

dibenz[a,h]anthracene 64116

dibenzothiophene 64117

indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene 64118

pentachloroanisole 2 64119

perylene 64120

phenanthridine 64121

2-fluorobiphenyl (surrogate) 90754

nitrobenzene-d5 (surrogate) 90755

terphenyl-d14 (surrogate) 90756

Waste-indicator compounds by schedule 5433

1,4-dichlorobenzene 63163

1-methylnaphthalene 63165

polybrominated diphenyl ether 472 63166

2,6-dimethylnaphthalene2 63167

2-methylnaphthalene 63168

3-beta-coprostanol2 63170
29

Parameter Parameter code

3-methyl-1h-indole (skatol) 63171

3-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyanisole (bha) 63172

4-cumylphenol 63173

4-n-octylphenol 63174

para-nonylphenol (total) 63175

4-tert-octylphenol 63176

acetophenone 63178

acetyl-hexamethyl-tetrahydronaphthalene (ahtn) 63179

anthracene2 63180

anthraquinone2 63181

atrazine 63182

benzo[a]pyrene2 63183

benzophenone 63184

beta-sitosterol 63185

beta-stigmastanol 63186

bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate2 63187

bisphenol a2 63188

bromacil 63189

camphor 63192

carbazole2 63194

chlorpyrifos2 63195

cholesterol2 63196

diazinon 63198

nonylphenol, diethoxy- (total,np2eo) 63200

4-octylphenol diethoxylate-(op2eo) 63201

diethyl phthalate2 63202

d-limonene 63203

4-octylphenol monoethoxylate-(op1eo) 63206

fluoranthene 2 63208

hexahydrohexamethyl-cyclo-pentabenzopyran (hhcb) 63209

indole 63210

isoborneol 63211

isophorone 63212

isopropylbenzene (cumene) 63213

isoquinoline 63214

menthol 63215

metolachlor 63218

n,n-diethyl-meta-toluamide (deet) 63219

naphthalene2 63220

4-nonylphenol monoethoxylate, total, (np1eo) 63221

para-cresol 63222

phenanthrene 2 63224

phenol 63225

prometon 63226

pyrene2 63227

tri(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate 63229

tri(2-chloroethyl) phosphate 63230

tributyl phosphate 63231

triclosan 2 63232

triphenyl phosphate 63234

tris(dichloroisopropyl) phosphate 63235

bisphenol a-d3 (surrogate) 90735

decafluorobiphenyl (surrogate) 90737

fluoranthene-d10 (surrogate) 90738
30

Parameter Parameter code

Steroid hormones by schedule 6434

17-beta-estradiol 63164

3-beta-coprostanol1 63170

bisphenol a1 63188

cholesterol1 63196

equilenin 63204

estrone 63205

17-alpha-ethynylestradiol 63207

cis-androsterone 63607

trans-diethylstilbestrol 63620

mestranol 63638

norethindrone 63644

progesterone 63657

11-ketotestosterone 64467

17-alpha-estradiol 64468

4-androstene-3,17-dione 64473

epitestosterone 64477

equilin 64479

estriol 64480

dihydrotestosterone 64484

testosterone 64485

bisphenol a-d16 (surrogate) 67310

progesterone-2,3,4-13c3 (surrogate) 90512

cholesterol-d7 (surrogate) 90772

estriol-2,4,16,17-d4 (surrogate) 91617

16-epiestriol-d2 (surrogate) 91684

medroxyprogesterone-d3 (surrogate) 91686

nandrolone-d3 (surrogate) 91687

17-b-estradiol-13c6 (surrogate) 91757

estrone-13c6 (surrogate) 91758

17-alpha-ethynylestradiol-d4 (surrogate) 91805

cis-androsterone-2,2,3,4,4-d5 (surrogate) 91808

trans-diethylstilbestrol-d8 (surrogate) 91809

mestranol-2,4,16,16-d4 (surrogate) 91813

Organohalogens by lab code 8093

polybrominated diphenyl ether 471 63166

triclosan1 63232

endosulfan i 63259

endosulfan ii, solids 63260

benfluralin (benefin) 63265

chlordane, cis 63271

chlordane, trans 63272

chlorpyrifos1 63273

cyfluthrin 63279

cyhalothrin 63280

dcpa (dacthal) 63282

dieldrin 63289

endosulfan sulfate, solids 63298

fipronil 63313

fipronil sulfide 63314

desulfinyl fipronil 63316

nonachlor, cis 63338

nonachlor, trans 63339

oxyfluorfen 63341

ddt, p,p' 63345
31

Parameter Parameter code

ddd, p,p' 63346

dde, p,p' 63347

pendimethalin 63353

tefluthrin 63377

trifluralin 63390

hexachlorobenzene1 63631

triclosan, methyl- 63639

pentachloronitrobenzene1 63650

tetradifon 63665

pentachloroanisole 1 64119

polychlorinated biphenyl 49 64725

polychlorinated biphenyl 52 64726

polychlorinated biphenyl 70 64727

polychlorinated biphenyl 101 64729

polychlorinated biphenyl 110 64730

polychlorinated biphenyl 118 64731

polychlorinated biphenyl 138 64732

polychlorinated biphenyl 146 64733

polychlorinated biphenyl 149 64734

polychlorinated biphenyl 151 64735

polychlorinated biphenyl 170 64736

polychlorinated biphenyl 174 64737

polychlorinated biphenyl 177 64738

polychlorinated biphenyl 180 64739

polychlorinated biphenyl 183 64740

polychlorinated biphenyl 187 64741

polychlorinated biphenyl 194 64742

polychlorinated biphenyl 206 64743

polybrominated diphenyl ether 66 64852

polybrominated diphenyl ether 71 64853

polybrominated diphenyl ether 85 64854

polybrominated diphenyl ether 99 64855

polybrominated diphenyl ether 100 64856

polybrominated diphenyl ether 138 64857

polybrominated diphenyl ether 153 64858

polybrominated diphenyl ether 154 64859

polybrominated diphenyl ether 183 64860

oxychlordane 64866

pentabromotoluene 64867

1,2-bis(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy)ethane 64868

octachlorostyrene 65217

dechlorane plus 65220

pcb 202-13c12 (surrogate) 90802

dibromooctafluorobiphenyl (surrogate) 91785

p,p'-ddt-d8 (surrogate) 91828

1

Analyzed by two methods; results from this method are reported.

2

Analyzed by two methods; results from this method are not reported.
ISSN 2331-1258 (online)

https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20171124