D EPARTMENT OF E NVIRONMENTAL P ROTECTION

WATER QUALITY ACTIVITIES

The PCP has been involved in numerous ground a nd surface water monitoring activities during 2009.

PCP Ground Water Monitoring Network

2009 : Monitoring continued on the PCP Ground Water Moni toring network. The network consists of 32 shallow wells in areas of current (or previous) high agricultural pesticide use, mostly in the southern portion of the state. The network added 3 new wells (42, 54 & 58) in 2009. Thirteen wells were sampled in 2009; the new wells were sampled twice, all othe rs once. Eight of the 13 wells sampled showed detections. Each sample underwent the phenoxy-acid he rbicide scan and the GC/MS instrument pesticide

scan.

2009 saw reduced sampling with fewer wells sampled due to financial constraints and the initiation of the Surface Water Monitoring Projects. Priority was give n to wells not sampled in 2008 and wells with a history of detections over the years.

After more than 10 years of mon itoring activity, two wells (#8 and # 10) have exhibited a consistent pattern of pesticide residues. Bo th are located in the Upper Deerfield Township area of Cumberland County. Well #24, located in Buena Vista Township in Atlantic County, has demonstrated consistently high levels of DCPA since the addition of the phe noxy-acid herbicide scan in 2005. Newly established Well #42 in Millville, Cumberland County, provided detections of DC PA in both samples obtained in 2009. The level of DCPA detected in Well #24 exceed ed the established Health Advisory Level (see chart below); no other exceed ences were detected. C HRIS C HRISTIE

Governor B OB M ARTIN Acting Commissioner Pesticide Control Program Pesticide Monitoring & Evaluation Section PO Box 437 Trenton, NJ 08625-0437 Phone: (609)530-4070 Fax: (609)530-2006 Website: www.pcpnj.org

New Jersey is an Equal Opportunity Employer l Printed on Recycled Paper and Recyclable KIM GUADAGNO

Lt. GovernorSummary: 2009 Ground Water Monitoring Well Results

13 wells sampled, 16 samples, 8 wells with detections (9 total detections) Reference Levels (RL)

Compound Type # of Detects Mean Level Detected Highest Level Detected % of RL (>=5%) EPA DW Standard

(MCL) EPA HAL (Life-time) NJ Interim Generic GW Quality SOC Chlorthal-dimethyl H 5 63 ug/l 300 ug/l 428% - 70 ug/l - Metalaxyl F 1 - 0.39 ug/l - - - 100 ug/l Metolachlor H 2 0.31 ug/l 0.63 ug/l - - 100 ug/l - Norflurazon H 2 0.93 ug/l 1.30 ug/l - - - 100 ug/l Simazine H 1 - 0.22 ug/l 6% 4 ug/l 4 ug/l - Terbacil H 2 0.69 ug/l 1.10 ug/l - - 90 ug/l -

H = Herbicide F = Fungicide

Details of 2009 Monitoring Well Detections Well Date Detected Compound Level

42 (Millville) 5/13/09 DCPA 4.0 ug/l

10 (Upper Deerfield) 7/15/09 DCPA 0.54 ug/l

31 (Mannington) 7/15/09 Metolachlor 0.23 ug/l

22 (Harrison) 7/15/09 Norflurazon 0.56 ug/l

24 (Buena Vista) 7/28/09 DCPA 300 ug/l Metalaxyl 0.39 ug/l

8 (Upper Deerfield) 8/5/09 DCPA 9.4 ug/l Metolachlor 0.40 ug/l Simazine 0.22 ug/l

23 (Harrison) 8/5/09 Terbacil 0.28 ug/l

42 (Millville) 9/24/09 DCPA 3.1 ug/l

54 (Hammonton) 9/24/09 Norflurazon 1.3 ug/l Terbacil 1.1 ug/lSurface Water Monitoring Project

2009 : Surface water monitoring began throughout the stat e in 2009. As with the monitoring wells, high pesticide use in the surrounding area was the primary site selection rati onal. Unlike the wells, the focus went beyond agricultural areas to residential areas. The initial site s provide an overview of the state from rural to suburban to urban to agricultural areas.

Thirty-seven sampling locations in nine New Jersey counties provided forty- seven samples. Counties sampled included Burlington, Gloucester and Salem in the south, Monmouth, Ocean and Somerset midstate, and Essex, Sussex and Warren in the north. Sa mpling occurred twice at 10 locations during the season. As was the case with th e monitoring well samples, each su rface water sample underwent the phenoxy-acid herbicide scan and the GC /MS instrument pesticide scan.

Twenty-nine of the 47 samples provide d detections. Twelve samples had more than one pesticide residue identified. The most common combination detected to gether was DCPA and Metolachlor. The analysis detected forty-four pesticide residues; 25 of those were at trace levels below the established reporting level for the residue. DCPA and Meto lachlor represented the majority of detections with 48% and 18% of all residues detected respectively. The frequency of DCPA detections is consistent with previous monitoring in areas of high DCPA use (2007 Water Quality report).

Summary: 2009 Surface Water Monitoring Well Results

37 locations sampled, 47 samples, 23 lo cations with detections (44 total detections: 19 with quantified dete ctions, 25 with detections below reporting level) Reference Levels (RL)

Compound Type # of Detects* Mean Level Detected Highest Level Detected % of RL (>=5%) EPA DW Standard

(MCL) EPA HAL (Life-time) EPA Aquatic Life Benchmarks 2,4-D H 2 1.35 ug/l 1.4 ug/l - 0.07 mg/l - 932 ug/l
Acetachlor H 1 - 0.39 ug/l 27% - - 1.43 ug/l
Atrazine H 1 - 0.78 ug/l 78% 0.003 mg/l - 1.0 ug/l Bentazon H 1 - 1.9 ug/l - - 0.2 mg/l 4,500 ug/l Bifenthrin I 1 - 0.22 ug/l - - - - Chlorthal-dimethyl (DCPA) H 5 0.99 ug/l 1.9 ug/l - - 0.07 mg/l >11,000 ug/l Dicamba H 2 0.74 ug/l 0.97 ug/l - - 4.0 mg/l 61 ug/l Dichlorvos I 1 - 0.21 ug/l - - - - Fluridone AH 1 - 3.6 ug/l - - - -
Metolachlor H 1 - 0.35 ug/l 35% - 0.7 mg/l 1.0 ug/l Propiconazole F 3 0.87 ug/l 1.3 ug/l - - - 93 ug/l

19* quantified detections H = Herbicide I = Insecticide AH = Aquatic Herbicide F = Fungicide

Pesticide Residue Quantified Detections Detections below Reporting Levels Total Percent of Total Detections 2, 4-D 2 0 2 4.5% Acetachlor 1 0 1 2.3%

Atrazine 1 1 2 4.5% Bentazon 1 0 1 2.3% Bifenthrin 1 0 1 2.3% Chlorthal-dimethyl (DCPA) 5 16 21 47.7%

Dicamba 2 1 3 6.8% Dichlorvos 1 0 1 2.3% Fluridone 1 0 1 2.3% Metolachlor 1 7 8 18.2% Propiconazole 3 0 3 6.8% 19 25 44

The analytical results indi cating >5% of a reference value were si ngle samples. Further sampling should refine the occurrence at such levels. No det ection provided an exceedance of reference levels. Fluridone’s detection is interesti ng as it is an aquatic herbicide applied under permit from the NJDEP, Pesticide Control Program. Areas of fluridone use are scheduled for additional sampling in 2010 in order to determine its overall occurrence.