U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Scientific Investigations Report 2007-5059

Prepared for the New Jersey Toxics Reduction Workplan for NY-NJ Harbor 

Ambient Monitoring of Loading to Major Tributaries at Head-of-Tide Study I-C

Concentrations and Loads of Organic Compounds and 

Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark 

and Raritan Bays, New Jersey

Concentrations and Loads of Organic 

Compounds and Trace Elements in 

Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, 

New Jersey

By Timothy P. Wilson and Jennifer L. Bonin

Prepared for the New Jersey Toxics Reduction Workplan for NY-NJ Harbor 

Ambient Monitoring of Loading to Major Tributaries at the Head-of-Tide Study I-C

Scientific Investigations Report 2007–5059

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey
U.S. Department of the Interior

DIRK KEMPTHORNE, Secretary

U.S. Geological Survey

Mark D. Myers, Director

U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2007

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Suggested citation:

Wilson, T.P. and Bonin, J.L., 2007, Concentrations and Loads of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries 

to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2007-5059, 176 p.
iii

Contents

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

Introduction.....................................................................................................................................................2

Purpose and Scope ..............................................................................................................................3

Geochemical Cycling in Estuaries .....................................................................................................3

Description of Sample Collection, Sample Analysis, and Methods for Calculating 

Concentrations..................................................................................................................................4

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements...............................................................12

Polychlorinated Biphenyls ................................................................................................................12

Methods.......................................................................................................................................12

Quality Assurance......................................................................................................................15

Recovery of Internal Standards .....................................................................................15

Recovery of Field Surrogates .........................................................................................16

Contamination of Blanks and Data Censoring .............................................................16

Concentrations...........................................................................................................................19

Anomalous Concentrations.............................................................................................21

Relation of Whole-Water Concentrations to Water-Quality Criteria........................22

Distribution Among Homologs........................................................................................23

Concentrations During Stormflow and Low Flow........................................................23

Sediment-Water Partitioning ...................................................................................................29

Chlorinated Dioxins and Furans .......................................................................................................36

Methods.......................................................................................................................................37

Quality Assurance......................................................................................................................37

Recovery of Internal Standards .....................................................................................37

Contamination of Blanks and Data Censoring .............................................................37

Concentrations...........................................................................................................................39

Anomalous Concentrations.............................................................................................44

Relation of Whole-Water Concentrations to Water-Quality Criteria........................44

Relative Concentrations ..................................................................................................45

Concentrations During Stormflow and Low Flow........................................................47

Sources of Dioxins and Furans................................................................................................48

Sediment Toxicity.......................................................................................................................52

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons.................................................................................................55

Methods.......................................................................................................................................58

Quality Assurance......................................................................................................................58

Recovery of Internal Standards .....................................................................................58

Contamination of Blanks and Data Censoring .............................................................60

Aqueous Method Blanks ........................................................................................60

Aqueous Field Blanks..............................................................................................60

Filter Method Blanks ...............................................................................................60

Filter Field Blanks.....................................................................................................60

Concentrations...........................................................................................................................62

Anomolous Concentrations.............................................................................................76

Relation of Whole-Water Concentrations to Water-Quality Criteria........................76
iv

Sources for the Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Compounds.......................................78

Sediment-Water Partitioning ...................................................................................................82

Organochlorine Pesticides................................................................................................................85

Methods.......................................................................................................................................88

Quality Assurance......................................................................................................................88

Recovery of Internal Standards .....................................................................................88

Contamination of Blanks and Data Censoring .............................................................88

Recovery of Field Surrogates .........................................................................................94

Concentrations...........................................................................................................................94

Relation of Whole-Water Concentrations to Surface-Water-Quality Criteria......108

Concentrations During Stormflow and Low Flow......................................................108

Pesticide Degradation, Relative Concentrations of Metabolites, and 

Indicator Ratios .................................................................................................111

Sediment-Water Partitioning .................................................................................................115

Mercury, Cadmium, and Lead................................................................................................115

Methods.....................................................................................................................................118

Quality Assurance....................................................................................................................118

Contamination of Blanks and Data Censoring ....................................................................118

Concentrations.........................................................................................................................119

Relation of Whole-Water Concentrations to Surface-Water-Quality Criteria......121

Sediment-Water Partitioning .................................................................................................123

Predicted Concentrations in the Sediment and Water Phases .......................................128

Tributary Loads of Sediment, Carbon, and Chemicals.........................................................................130

Loads of Suspended Sediment and Carbon .................................................................................130

Methods Used to Calculate Sediment and Carbon Loads ................................................130

Concentrations and Loads of Particulates During Sampled Events ...............................131

Annual Loads of Sediment Estimated From Historical Data.............................................137

Annual Loads of Dissolved and Particulate Carbon Estimated From 

Historical Data ............................................................................................................142

Tributary Loads of Chemicals..........................................................................................................148

Methods Used to Estimate Chemical Loads........................................................................148

Polychlorinated Biphenyls .....................................................................................................150

Dioxins, Furans, and Dioxin-Like Polychlorinated Biphenyls ...........................................153

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons......................................................................................157

Organochlorine Pesticides.....................................................................................................157

Mercury, Cadmium, and Lead................................................................................................165

Summary and Conclusions.......................................................................................................................165

Polychlorinated Biphenyls ..............................................................................................................165

Dioxin and Furans .............................................................................................................................168

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons...............................................................................................169

Organochlorine Pesticides..............................................................................................................170

Mercury, Cadmium, and Lead.........................................................................................................170

Sediment and Carbon Loads...........................................................................................................171

Chemical Loads.................................................................................................................................172

Acknowledgments.....................................................................................................................................173

References Cited........................................................................................................................................173
v

Figures

1. Schematic diagram of sources, sinks, and the geochemical processes that 

operate in estuaries. Arrows show directions of mass transfer of chemicals 

and sediment.................................................................................................................................3

2. Map showing location of study area and surface-water sampling sites in 

New Jersey....................................................................................................................................5

3. Schematic diagram of a Trace Organic Platform Sampler (TOPS) ......................................7

4. Structure and numbering system for chlorine substitution in polychlorinated

biphenyls ......................................................................................................................................12

5-14. Graphs showing—

5. Concentration of suspended-sediment and discharge in the Passaic River 

at Little Falls, N.J., December 2000.................................................................................22

6. Average homolog distribution (by weight) of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) 

in sediment from selected rivers in New Jersey..........................................................26

7. Ratio of concentration of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners in 

sediment in storm samples to the concentration in low-flow samples from 

the Passaic River, New Jersey........................................................................................30

8. Ratio of concentration of dissolved polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners 

in storm samples to the concentration in low-flow samples from the Passaic 

River, New Jersey..............................................................................................................30

9. Ratio of concentration of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners in 

sediment in storm samples to the concentration in low-flow samples from 

Elizabeth River, New Jersey ............................................................................................31

10. Ratio of concentration of dissolved polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) 

congeners in storm samples to the concentration in low-flow samples from 

Elizabeth River, New Jersey ............................................................................................31

11. Relation between concentrations of total polychlorinated biphenyls in 

storm sediment and in water samples collected from selected rivers in 

New Jersey.........................................................................................................................34

12. Relation between logrithmic concentration of total polychlorinated 

biphenyls in sediment samples and in water samples from selected rivers 

in New Jersey ....................................................................................................................34

13. Relation between logrithmic concentrations of total polychlorinated 

biphenyls (carbon-normalized) in sediment and in water samples from 

selected rivers in New Jersey.........................................................................................35

14. Relation between chlorination level and logarithm of ratio of average

concentration of polychlorinated biphenyls in sediment (carbon-normalized) 

to average dissolved concentration in samples from selected rivers in 

New Jersey, and the logarithm of octanol-water partitioning coefficient ..............35

15. Molecular structure of (A) 2,3,7,8-tetrachloro-p-doxin (2,3,7,8-TCDD) and (B)

2,3,7,8-tetrachloro-p-difuran (2,3,7,8-TCDF) ...........................................................................36

16-27. Graphs showing—

16. Concentrations of individual dioxin and difuran compounds in average 

sediment from selected rivers in New Jersey..............................................................44

17. Average percent contribution of all 2,3,7,8-substituted dioxins and firans in

sediment samples frm selected rivers in New Jersey ................................................45

18. Average percent contribution of selected 2,3,7,8-substituted dioxin/furans 

in sediment samples from selected rivers in New Jersey..........................................46
vi

19. Percent contribution of individual dioxins and difurans congeners in samples 

from the Raritan River, New Jersey................................................................................47

20. Percent contribution of individual dioxin and difuran congeners in sediment

samples from the Passaic River, New Jersey...............................................................48

21. Percent contribution of individual dioxin and difuran congeners in sediment

samples from the Rahway River, New Jersey ..............................................................49

22. Percent contribution of individual dioxin and difuran congeners in sediment

samples from the Elizabeth River, New Jersey.............................................................49

23. Percent contribution of individual dioxin and difuran congeners in sediment

samples from the Hackensack River, New Jersey ......................................................50

24. Congener profiles of dioxin and difuran congeners in average river sediments 

from selected rivers in New Jersey, and in diesel engine emission.........................51

25. Congener profiles of dioxin and difuran congeners in average river sediments 

from selected rivers in New Jersey, and in diesel engine emission with the

octa-chlorinated compounds removed..........................................................................51

26. Percent contribution of all 2,3,7,8-substituted dioxin and difuran congeners 

to the toxic equivalencies (TEQ) calculated for average sediment from 

selected rivers in New Jersey.........................................................................................54

27. Percent contribution of selected 2,3,7,8-substituted dioxin and furan 

congeners to the toxic equivalencies (TEQ) calculated for average sediment 

from selected rivers in New Jersey ...............................................................................55

28. Structures of selected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.................................................57

29-37. Graphs showing—

29. Average concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in 

suspended-sediment samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey.......74

30. Percent contribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in average 

suspended sediment collected from selected rivers in New Jersey .......................74

31. Average mole percent contribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in

suspended sediment collected from selected rivers in New Jersey. ......................76

32. Average concentrations of dissolved polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in 

samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey..............................................77

33. Ratio of fluoranthene to fluoranthene plus pyrene, and anthracene to 

anthracene plus phenanthrene in suspended-sediment samples collected 

from selected rivers in New Jersey ...............................................................................79

34. Ratio of fluoranthene plus pyrene, and benzo(a)anthacene to 

benzo(a)anthracene plus chrysene in suspended-sediment samples collected 

from selected rivers in New Jersey ...............................................................................80

35. Ratio of fluroanthene to fluoranthene plus pyrene, and indenopyrene to

indenopyrene plus benzo(ghi)perylene in suspended-sediment samples 

collected from selected rivers in New Jersey..............................................................80

36. Alkylated naphthalenes in average suspended sediment in samples 

collected from selected rivers in New Jersey..............................................................81

37. Measured and calculated distribution coefficients for polycyclic aromatic

hydrocarbons in samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey ...............83

38. Structures of selected organochlorine pesticides ...............................................................87

39-43. Graphs showing—

39. Percent contribution of selected organochlorine pesticide (OC) groups to 
vii

the total average concentrations of organochlorine pesticides in suspendedsediment samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey ..........................107

40. Percent contribution of selected organochlorine pesticide groups to the 

total dissolved organochlorine pesticide concentrations in water samples 

collected from selected rivers in New Jersey............................................................108

41. Percent contribution of selected organochlorine pesticides in average

suspended-sediment composition of samples from selected rivers in 

New Jersey.......................................................................................................................111

42. Percent contribution of selected organochlorine pesticides in average 

dissolved composition of samples from selected rivers in New Jersey................112

43. Sediment-carbon water ratios for pesticide compounds in a low-flow 

sample collected from the Elizabeth River, Hillside, NJ, April 25, 2001 ..................117

44. The biologic cycle of mercury and methyl-mercury in the environment ........................117

45-56. Graphs showing—

45. Relation between concentration of dissolved mercury and (A) concentration 

of particulate-bound mercury and (B) concentration of particulate-carbonbound mercury in samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey ...........125

46. Relation between concentration of dissolved lead and (A) concentration of

particulate-bound lead and (B) concentration of particulate-carbon-bound 

lead in grab samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey .....................126

47. Relation between concentration of dissolved cadmium and (A) concentration 

of particulate-bound cadmium and (B) concentration of particulate-carbon

bound-cadmium in grab samples collected from selected rivers in 

New Jersey.......................................................................................................................127

48. Discharge and the concentration of suspended sediment in samples collected 

from the Raritan River at Bound Brook, NJ, March 17 to 23, 2002 ..........................131

49. Discharge and the concentration of particulate organic carbon (POC) 

in samples collected from the Raritan River at Bound Brook, NJ, 

March 17 to 23, 2002........................................................................................................132

50. Discharge and the concentration of suspended sediment in samples collected 

from the Elizabeth River at Hillside, NJ, May 21 to 24, 2001 .....................................132

51. Discharge and the concentration of particulate organic carbon (POC) in 

samples collected from the Elizabeth River at Hillside, NJ, May 21 to 24, 2001....133

52. Concentrations of suspended sediment and instantaneous discharge in the 

Raritan River, March 18 to 25, 2002...............................................................................138

53. Distribution of concentrations of suspended sediment in samples from 

the Raritan River at Queens Bridge, Bound Brook, NJ .............................................139

54. Relation between mean daily discharge (Q) and daily sediment load for the 

Raritan River at Bound Brook, NJ.................................................................................140

55. Discharge, specific conductance, and concentrations of dissolved organic 

carbon in the Raritan River at Bound Brook, NJ, March 18 to 23, 2001..................144

56. Relation between mean daily discharge and daily load of dissolved organic 

carbon in the Raritan River at Bound Brook, NJ........................................................145
viii

Tables

1. Description of the surface-water sampling stations on the Raritan, Passaic,

Hackensack, Rahway, and Elizabeth Rivers, New Jersey.....................................................6

3. Methods used to analyze water and sediment samples .......................................................8

4. Constituents measured in sediment and water samples collected from the Raritan,

Passaic, Hackensack, Rahway, and Elizabeth Rivers, New Jersey.....................................9

5. Polychlorinated biphenyl congeners measured in this study.............................................13

6. Summary of normalized estimated detection limits for nondetected polychlorinated

biphenyls in samples from selected rivers in New Jersey..................................................15

7. Average percent recoveries of internal standards in blanks and samples from

selected rivers in New Jersey..................................................................................................16

8. Samples having low recoveries of labeled polychlorinated biphenyl internal

standards .....................................................................................................................................17

9. Summary of recoveries of labeled polychlorinated biphenyl field surrogates from

blanks and samples from selected rivers in New Jersey....................................................17

10. Summary of polychlorinated biphenyl homolog masses measured and estimated

detection limits in method and field blanks............................................................................18

11. Frequency of the polychlorinated biphenyl congeners in sediment and water

samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey that were affected by 

blank elimination.........................................................................................................................19

12. Summary of total polychlorinated biphenyl concentrations in sediment and water in

samples from selected rivers in New Jersey ........................................................................20

13. Average homolog distribution of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in sediment and

water in samples from selected rivers in New Jersey.........................................................24

13. Average homolog distribution of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in sediment and

water in samples from selected rivers in New Jersey.........................................................25

14. Ratio of the average concentration of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) homologs 

in storm samples to that in low-flow samples collected from selected rivers 

in New Jersey .............................................................................................................................28

15. Average logarithmic sediment-water ratios for polychlorinated biphenyl homolog

groups in samples collected during low flow on selected rivers in New Jersey............33

16. The chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin (CDD) and dibenzo-p-difuran (CDF) compounds

measured in samples collected from the Raritan, Passaic, Rahway, Elizabeth, and

Hackensack Rivers, New Jersey .............................................................................................36

17. Summary of masses of dioxins and furans and the estimated detection limits in

method and field blanks.............................................................................................................38

18. Summary of estimated detection limits for nondetected dioxins and difurans in

sediment samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey .....................................39

19. Concentrations of dioxins and furans in suspended sediment from selected rivers

in New Jersey .............................................................................................................................40

20. Average concentrations of dioxins and furans in suspended sediment from

selected rivers in New Jersey..................................................................................................43

21. Toxic equivalency factors for 2,3,7,8-substituted dioxins and furans................................52

22. Average toxic equivalencies (TEQs) for suspended sediment in selected rivers in

New Jersey..................................................................................................................................53

23. Average toxic equivalencies (TEQs) for the dioxin-like co-planar polychlorinated

biphenyl compounds in sediment and water from selected rivers in New Jersey .........56
ix

24. Properties of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) measured in this study ....59

25. Average masses of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in method blanks, 

field blanks, and samples ..........................................................................................................61

26. Summary of detection limits for dissolved and particulate-bound polycyclic

aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in samples from selected rivers in New Jersey..............63

27. Concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) measured in

suspended sediment samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey ................64

28. Concentrations of dissolved polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons measured in

samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey.......................................................66

29. Whole-water concentrations and surface-water-quality criteria for polycyclic

aromatic hydrocarbons in selected rivers in New Jersey ..................................................70

30. Average concentrations of dissolved polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in

samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey.......................................................71

31. Average concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in suspended

sediment samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey .....................................72

32. Average concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in suspended

sediment normalized to particulate carbon in samples collected from selected

rivers in New Jersey ..................................................................................................................73

33. Average mole percentage of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in suspended

sediment samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey .....................................75

34. Identifiers and predicted sediment-water partitioning values for compounds 

used in figure 37..........................................................................................................................84

35. Organochlorine pesticides and their physical properties ...................................................86

36. Native pesticide compounds and referenced internal standards .....................................89

37. Internal standard recoveries for selected pesticides in sediment samples collected

from selected rivers in New Jersey ........................................................................................90

38. Summary of masses and estimated detection limits for pesticides in

exchange-resin field blanks......................................................................................................91

39. Summary of masses and estimated detection limits for pesticides in filter blanks ........92

40. Summary of results for Fraction I and II compounds in resin and filter 

method blanks .............................................................................................................................93

41. Recoveries of field surrogates from XAD samples...............................................................95

42. Concentrations of suspended sediment-bound organochlorine pesticides in

samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey.......................................................96

43. Concentrations of dissolved organochlorine pesticides in samples collected from

selected rivers in New Jersey..................................................................................................99

44. Concentrations of whole-water organochlorine pesticides in samples collected

from selected rivers in New Jersey ......................................................................................102

44. Concentrations of whole-water organochlorine pesticides in samples collected

from selected rivers in New Jersey.......................................................................................103

45. Average concentrations of dissolved organochlorine pesticides in samples

collected from selected rivers in New Jersey.....................................................................104

46. Average concentrations of organochlorine pesticides in suspended sediment in

samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey.....................................................105

47. Average concentrations, normalized to carbon, of organochlorine pesticides in

suspended sediment from samples collected in selected rivers in New Jersey ..........106

48. Ratio of the average concentration of organochlorine pesticides in storm samples

to that in low-flow samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey ...................109
x

49. Ratios of concentrations of selected organochlorine pesticide metabolites, and

2,3,7,8-tetrachloro-p-dioxin, in the average composition of sediment from selected

rivers in New Jersey ................................................................................................................114

50. Sediment-water partitioning ratios for organochlorine pesticides in selected

low-discharge samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey..........................116

51. Concentrations of mercury, cadmium, and lead measured in the grab samples

collected from selected rivers in New Jersey.....................................................................120

52. Concentrations of total mercury, cadmium, and lead in composite samples

collected from selected rivers in New Jersey.....................................................................121

53. Average concentrations of mercury, cadmium, and lead in grab and composite

samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey.....................................................122

54. Concentrations of particulate-bound mercury, cadmium, and lead in grab samples

normalized to particulate carbon in samples collected from selected rivers 

in New Jersey ...........................................................................................................................123

55. Ratio of average concentrations of trace elements in composite samples to

concentrations in grab samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey...........123

56. Average apparent sediment-water distribution coefficients............................................124

57. Average concentrations of mercury, lead, and cadmium predicted for water and

sediment in selected rivers in New Jersey..........................................................................128

58. Concentrations of methyl-mercury in samples collected from selected rivers in

New Jersey and apparent partitioning coefficients...........................................................129

59. Summary of average concentrations of suspended sediment, particulate organic

carbon, and dissolved organic carbon in sampled events on selected rivers 

in New Jersey ...........................................................................................................................134

60. Ranges in discharge for storm events during an average year for selected rivers 

in New Jersey ...........................................................................................................................135

61. Estimated loads of suspended sediment and dissolved and particulate carbon in

samples collected during storms from selected rivers in New Jersey...........................136

62. Estimated daily loads of suspended sediment, dissolved, and particulate carbon

during low flow in selected rivers in New Jersey...............................................................137

63. Summary of water-quality data available for selected rivers in New Jersey................139

64. Calculated regression lines used for predicting load of suspended sediment from

discharge in selected rivers in New Jersey ........................................................................139

65. Total annual discharge for water years 1988, 1994, and 1998-2002 and the average

annual discharge for water years 1975 to 2000 in selected rivers in New Jersey ........141

66. Estimated annual sediment loads predicted for selected water years for selected

rivers in New Jersey ................................................................................................................142

67. Sediment loads measured during sampled events and loads predicted using

rating-curve method for selected rivers in New Jersey....................................................143

67. Sediment loads measured during sampled events and loads predicted using

rating-curve method for selected rivers in New Jersey....................................................144

68. Calculated regression lines for predicting load of particulate organic carbon and

dissolved organic carbon from discharge in selected rivers in New Jersey.................145

69. Estimated loads of particulate organic carbon in selected rivers in New Jersey ........146

70. Estimated loads of dissolved organic carbon in selected rivers in New Jersey...........146

71. Estimated average annual loads of total organic carbon in selected rivers 

in New Jersey ...........................................................................................................................146

72. Average ratio of concentrations of particulate and dissolved organic carbon to

suspended sediment in loads calculated for selected rivers in New Jersey 

water years 1988-2001 .............................................................................................................147
xi

73. Suspended sediment, particulate organic carbon, and dissolved organic carbon

loads normalized to discharge for selected rivers in New Jersey...................................147

74. Contribution to total concentration from estimated detection levels for dissolved

polychlorinated biphenyls in a sample collected from the Hackensack River, 

New Jersey, on June 23, 2000 ................................................................................................149

75. Estimated loads of polychlorinated biphenyls in samples collected during storms

and low-flow conditions in selected rivers in New Jersey ...............................................151

76. Estimated loads of sediment-bound and dissolved phase polychlorinated biphenyls

(PCBs) for water years 1988 through 2002, and for the average annual discharge 

in selected rivers in New Jersey ...........................................................................................152

77. Contribution of sediment-bound polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) homologs to the

total polychlorinated biphenyl load for the average annual discharge in selected

rivers in New Jersey ................................................................................................................153

78. Estimated loads of polychlorinated dioxins and difurans in samples collected

during storms and low-flow conditions in selected rivers in New Jersey .....................154

79. Estimated loads of sediment-bound dioxin, difurans, and co-planar polychlorinated

biphenyls for water years 1988 through 2002, and for the average annual discharge

in selected rivers in New Jersey ...........................................................................................155

80. Loads of dioxin, furans, and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls estimated for the

average annual discharge in selected rivers in New Jersey ...........................................156

81. Concentrations of dissolved dioxin and difuran compounds in a sample collected

from the Passaic River, N.J.....................................................................................................156

82. Estimated loads of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in samples collected during

storms and low-flow conditions in selected rivers in New Jersey..................................158

83. Estimated loads of sediment-bound and dissolved total polycyclic aromatic

hydrocarbons (PAH) for water years 1988 through 2002, and for the average annual

discharge in selected rivers in New Jersey ........................................................................159

84. Estimated loads of individual polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds

and contribution to total load by sediment-bound compounds for the average

annual discharge in selected rivers in New Jersey ...........................................................160

85. Estimated loads of organochlorine pesticides in samples collected during storms

and low-flow conditions in selected rivers in New Jersey ...............................................162

86. Estimated loads of sediment-bound and dissolved total organochlorine pesticides

(OCP) for water years 1988 through 2002, and for the average annual discharge in

selected rivers in New Jersey................................................................................................163

87. Estimated loads of dissolved and sediment-bound organochlorine pesticides and

contribution to total load by sediment-bound compounds for the average annual

discharge in selected rivers in New Jersey ........................................................................164

88. Estimated loads of trace elements in samples collected during storms and low-flow

conditions in selected rivers in New Jersey........................................................................166

89. Estimated loads of sediment-bound and dissolved total mercury, lead, and

cadmium for water years 1988 through 2002, and for the average annual discharge

in selected rivers in New Jersey ...........................................................................................167

90. Estimated loads of sediment-bound mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb) for

the average annual discharge in selected rivers in New Jersey, calculated using

grab sample and predicted concentrations.........................................................................167

91. Contribution of sediment-bound trace elements to the total load of trace metals for

the average annual discharge in selected rivers in New Jersey.....................................168
xii

Conversion Factors, Datum, and Water-Quality 

Abbreviations

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 meter (m2

) 0.0002471 acre 

square kilometer (km2

) 0.3861 square mile (mi2)

Volume

liter (L) 0.2642 gallon (gal)

milliliter (mL) 0.0002642 gallon (gal) 

Flow rate

cubic meter per second (m3

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

liter per second (L/s) 15.85 gallon per minute (gal/min) 

Mass

gram (g) 0.03527 ounce, avoirdupois (oz)

Vertical coordinate information is referenced to the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 

(NAVD 29)

Horizontal coordinate information is referenced to the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD 83)

Water-quality abbreviations:

PCB Polychlorinated biphenyl g/yr grams per year

TOPS Trace organic platform sampler kg/yr kilogram per year

PAH Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons L/kg liters per kilogram

CDD Chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins pg/L picograms per liter

CDF Chlorinated dibenzo-p-furans ng/L nanograms per liter

TEQ Toxic Equivalency MGD million gallons per day

SS Suspended sediment Mgal millions of gallons

POC Particulate organic carbon EDL Estimated detection limit

DOC Dissolved organic carbon IS Internal standard

Kg kilogram FS Field surrogate

mg milligram SRM Standard reference material

μg microgram 13C Carbon isotope 13

ng nanogram GFF Glass fiber filter

pg picogram XAD Chemical exchange resin

g/mol grams per mole Hg mercury

mg/kg milligrams per kilogram Cd cadmium

ng/g nonograms per year Pb lead
Concentrations and Loads of Organic Compounds and 

Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, 

New Jersey

By Timothy P. Wilson and Jennifer L. Bonin

Abstract

A study was undertaken to determine the concentrations 

and loads of sediment and chemicals delivered to Newark and 

Raritan Bays by five major tributaries: the Raritan, Passaic, 

Rahway, Elizabeth, and Hackensack Rivers. This study was 

initiated by the State of New Jersey as Study I-C of the New 

Jersey Toxics Reduction Workplan for the New York-New 

Jersey Harbor, working under the NY-NJ Harbor Estuary Program (HEP) Contaminant Assessment and Reduction Program 

(CARP). The CARP is a comprehensive effort to evaluate the 

levels and sources of toxic contaminants to the tributaries and 

estuarine areas of the NY-NJ Harbor, including Newark and 

Raritan Bays. The Raritan and Passaic Rivers are large rivers (mean daily discharges of 1,189 and 1,132 cubic feet per 

second (ft3/s), respectively), that drain large, mixed rural/urban 

basins. The Elizabeth and Rahway Rivers are small rivers 

(mean daily discharges of 25.9 and 49.1 ft3/s, respectively) that 

drain small, highly urbanized and industrialized basins. The 

Hackensack River drains a small, mixed rural/urban basin, and 

its flow is highly controlled by an upstream reservoir (mean 

daily discharge of 90.4 ft3/s). These rivers flow into urbanized 

estuaries and ultimately, to the Atlantic Ocean.

Each of these tributaries were sampled during two to 

four storm events, and twice each during low-flow discharge 

conditions. Samples were collected using automated equipment installed at stations adjacent to U.S. Geological Survey 

streamflow-gaging stations near the heads-of-tide of these 

rivers. Large-volume (greater than 50 liters of water and 

a target of 1 gram of sediment), flow-weighted composite 

samples were collected for chemical analysis using filtration 

to collect suspended particulates and exchange resin (XAD-2) 

to sequester dissolved contaminants. Composite whole-water 

samples were collected for dissolved polycyclic aromatic 

hydrocarbons (PAH) and for trace element analysis. Additional 

discrete grab samples were collected throughout each event 

for trace-element analysis, and multiple samples were collected for suspended sediment (SS), particulate carbon (POC), 

and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) analysis. The suspended 

sediment and exchange resin were analyzed for 114 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs, by US EPA method 1668A, modified), seven 2,3,7,8-substituted chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins 

(CDD) and 10 dibenzo-p-difurans (CDF) (by US EPA method 

1613), 24 PAHs (by low-resolution isotope dilution/massspectral methods), 27 organo-chlorine pesticides (OCPs) (by 

high resolution isotope dilution/mass-spectral methods), and 

the trace elements mercury (Hg), methyl-mercury (MeHg), 

lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd). Isotope dilution methods using 

gas chromatography and high-and low-resolution mass spectral (GC/MS) detection were used to accurately identify and 

quantify organic compounds in the sediment and water phases. 

Trace elements were measured using inductively coupled 

plasma-mass spectrometry and cold-vapor atomic fluorescence 

spectrometry methods.

The loads of sediment, carbon, and chemicals were 

calculated for each storm and low-flow event sampled. 

Because only a few storm events were sampled, yearly loads 

of sediment were calculated from rating curves developed 

using historical SS and POC data. The average annual loads 

of sediment and carbon were calculated for the period 1975-

2000, along with the loads for the selected water years being 

modeled as part of the New York New Jersey Harbor Estuary 

Program CARP. Comparison of loads calculated using the rating curve method to loads measured during the sampled storm 

events indicated that the rating curve method likely underpredicts annual loads.

Average annual loads of suspended sediment in the tributaries were estimated to be 395,000 kilograms per year (kg/yr) 

in the Hackensack River, 417,000 kg/yr in the Elizabeth River, 

882,000 kg/yr in the Rahway River, 22,700,000 kg/yr in the 

Passaic River, and 93,100,000 kg/yr in the Raritan River. 

Average annual loads of POC were estimated to range from 

14,400 kg in the Elizabeth River to 866,000 kg in the Raritan 

River. DOC ranged from 89,000 kg/yr in the Elizabeth River 

to 4,260,000 kg/yr in the Passaic River. These sediment loads 

and the average chemical concentrations measured in this 

study were used to estimate the loads of organic compounds 

and trace elements for the average year and for selected water 

years.

The highest average concentrations of sediment-bound 

total PCBs were found in the Elizabeth River (2,460 ng/g) and 

the lowest in the Raritan River (44 ng/g). The highest average 

concentrations of dissolved total PCBs were also found in the 
Elizabeth River (5,050 pg/L), while the lowest were found in 

the Hackensack River (740 pg/L). Average annual loads of 

total PCBs (sum of all congeners measured) in the tributaries 

were estimated to be 74 g/yr in the Hackensack River, 440 g/yr 

in the Rahway River, 1,150 g/yr in the Elizabeth River, 

5,000 g/yr in the Raritan River, and 7,200 g/yr in the Passaic 

River. From 47 to 90 percent of the total load was estimated to 

be associated with the particulate phase. The New Jersey State 

Surface Water Quality Criteria (NJSWQC) for Human Health 

was exceeded by the average concentration in all the rivers 

and the aquatic chronic criteria was exceeded by the average 

concentration in the Elizabeth and individual samples in the 

Passaic and Rahway Rivers.

The highest average concentrations of sediment-bound 

total CDD plus CDFs were found in the Elizabeth River 

(28.9 ng/g) and the lowest in the Hackensack River (5.6 ng/g). 

The CDD and CDF congeners were detected in the suspended 

sediment from all the tributaries, although the most toxic 

congener (2,3,7,8-TCDD) was detected only occasionally in 

the Passaic, Elizabeth, and Raritan Rivers and at very low 

concentrations. The dominant CDD and CDF compounds 

in all the rivers were the octachloro-dioxin and octachlorodifuran congeners. The average annual total loads of 2,3,7,8-

substituted dioxins plus furans were estimated to be 2.2 g/yr 

in the Hackensack River, 10 g/yr in the Rahway River, 12 g/

yr in the Elizabeth River, 260 g/yr in the Passaic River, and 

1,070 g/yr in the Raritan River. The higest average toxicity 

concentrations represented by toxic equivalencies (TEQs), of 

dioxins, furans, and dioxin-like PCBs was measured in the 

Elizabeth River (201 pg/g), and the lowest in the Raritan River 

(20 pg/g). Average annual total toxicity loads from CDD, CDF, 

and co-planar PCBs (as TEQ) were estimated to be 11 milligrams per year (mg/yr) in the Hackensack River, 56 mg/yr in 

the Rahway River, 84 mg/yr in the Elizabeth River, 870 mg/yr 

in the Passaic River, and 1,800 mg/yr in the Raritan River. The 

contribution to the total TEQ load contributed by dioxin-like 

PCBs ranged from 18 to 33 percent.

Average concentrations of sediment-bound and dissolved total PAH compounds were generally largest in the 

Elizabeth River and the lowest in the Hackensack and Raritan Rivers. Average annual loads of total PAHs (sum of all 

sediment-bound and dissolved PAH compounds measured) 

were estimated to be 15 kg/yr in the Hackensack River, 69 

kg/yr in the Rahway River, 280 kg/yr in the Elizabeth River, 

1,000 kg/yr in the Passaic River, and 1,400 kg in the Raritan 

River. Sediment-bound PAHs dominated (71 percent) the total 

PAH load in the Raritan River while dissolved PAH compounds dominated (80 percent) the PAH load in the Elizabeth 

River. Dissolved PAH compounds comprise about 60 percent 

of the load in the Passaic, Rahway, and Hackensack Rivers. 

Sediment-bound PAHs and dissolved PAHs were dominated 

by the high molecular-weight (greater than 202 g per mole) 

compounds. Because of the small 1 to 2 Liter sample volumes 

used for analysis, and blank contamination, low concentrations of dissolved PAH could not be measured, resulting in 

some uncertainty and underestimation in the dissolved loads. 

Whole-water concentrations of several of the PAH compounds 

were found to exceed the NJSWQC in all of the rivers studied.

Average concentrations of sediment-bound total OCP 

compounds were generally highest in the Elizabeth River 

(1,170 ng/g) and the lowest were in the Raritan River 

(60 ng/g), while the highest dissolved concentrations were 

found in the Rahway River (9.5 ng/L) and the lowest were 

in the Raritan River (2.3 ng/L). Average annual loads of total 

OCPs (sum of all OCP compounds measured) were estimated 

to be 420 g/yr in the Hackensack River, 670 g/yr in the Elizabeth River, 1,100 g/yr in the Rahway River, 6,300 g/yr in the 

Passaic River, and 6,600 g/yr in the Raritan River. Between 

40 and 74 percent of these compounds were associated with 

the particulate phase. The dominant compounds in suspended 

sediment were the DDT series (DDT, DDD, and DDE) and 

chlordane series. The dominant compounds in the dissolved 

phase were the chloradane series in the Rahway, Elizabeth 

and Hackensack Rivers, and the BHC series in the Passaic and 

Raritan Rivers. The NJSWQC for 4,4’-DDD, DDE, and DDT 

were exceeded in all the samples from the Rahway and Elizabeth Rivers, and occasionally in other river samples.

Average concentrations of total (whole-water) mercury 

and lead were highest in the Rahway River, while the average 

whole-water Cd concentration was highest in the Elizabeth 

River. Average annual loads of Hg were found to fall in the 

order: Hackensack River (.070 kg/yr)<Rahway River (1.3)< 

Elizabeth River (2.2)<Passaic River (8.0)<Raritan River (13). 

The average annual loads of Pb were found fall in the order: 

Hackensack River (20 kg/yr) <Rahway River (450)<Elizabeth 

River (1,800)< Passaic River (2,100)<Raritan River (3,400). 

Average annual loads of Cd were found to fall in the order: 

Hackensack River (0.26 kg/yr)<Rahway River (4.5)<Elizabeth 

River (17)<Raritan River (54)<Passaic River (88). A varying 

proportion of the metal loads were associated with the sediment phase. Generally, 76 to 98 percent of the Hg and Pb load 

was found to be associated with sediment, while between 34 

and 79 percent was associated with sediment.

Introduction

The Raritan, Passaic, Hackensack, Rahway, and Elizabeth Rivers are the main New Jersey tributaries to the New 

York-New Jersey (NY-NJ) Harbor estuary system. Urbanization and industrialization within the tributary watersheds and 

the estuaries have contributed a variety of contaminants to the 

water column and to the sediment deposited in the estuaries. 

This contamination poses a substantial health threat to the 

harbor ecosystem and makes it difficult to safely dispose of 

and manage harbor sediments when they are dredged (NY-NJ 

Harbor Estuary Program Comprehensive Conservation and 

Management Plan, 1996).

Restoring this estuary and reducing the amount of contaminated sediment that must be dredged from the navigation 

channels and ship berths are important concerns of Federal 

2 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
and State government agencies in the New Jersey/New York 

area. Toward these goals, the States of New Jersey and New 

York are working under the U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency (USEPA) NY-NJ Harbor Estuary Plan (HEP), and 

together with other stakeholders have initiated the Contaminant Assessment and Reduction Program (CARP; see www.

carpweb.org for more information). The CARP is a comprehensive program to evaluate the effects of toxic contamination 

on the condition of the NY-NJ Harbor estuary system and its 

tributaries. The New Jersey Toxics Reduction Workplan for 

the NY-NJ Harbor (NJTRWP) has been implemented by the 

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) 

as the New Jersey component of CARP. To help prioritize 

remediation efforts, the U.S.Gelogical Survey participated in 

a cooperative program to characterize the types and concentrations of contaminants and sediments contributed from the 

tributary basins.

Concurrent with this work were studies that characterized 

conditions within the tidal reaches of the New Jersey tributaries and estuarine areas (NJTRWP Studies I-D and I-E), and 

discharges from publicly owned treatment works (POTWs), 

combined sewer overflows (CSO), and stormwater outfalls 

(SWO) in the harbor (NJTRWP Study I-G). The New York 

State Department of Environment and Conservation (NYSDEC) conducted a similar program within the harbor, focusing 

on the Hudson River and its tributaries (Litten, 2003). The 

combined objective of the various NJTRWP studies is to determine the relative importance of loadings of toxic chemicals 

and sediments throughout the harbor from sources (1) above 

the HOT of major tributaries (this study), and (2) within the 

tidal watershed areas of the major tributaries, including the 

Newark Bay complex.

Purpose and Scope

This report presents the results of Study I-C of the 

NJTRWP including the methods, concentrations, and estimates 

of loads of sediment, carbon, organic compounds, and trace 

elements from above the HOT in the Raritan, Passaic, Rahway, Elizabeth, and Hackensack Rivers. Loads are presented 

for seven hydrologic events, for selected years, and for the 

25-year average discharge conditions. Preliminary interpretations regarding sources and behaviors of the toxic chemicals 

of concern and relations between contaminant concentrations 

and the hydrologic attributes of these tributaries are presented. 

Because novel analytical methods were developed for this 

work, various analytical parameters are presentated in detail. 

Samples discussed in this study were collected from June 2000 

to June 2003. The report by Bonin and Wilson (2006) presents 

additional information about the methods and data described 

in this report.

Geochemical Cycling in Estuaries

The data generated in the NJTRWP and CARP Program 

are being used in part to understand and model the geochemical cycling of sediment and contaminants within the 

NY-NJ Harbor estuary system. Geochemical cycling refers 

to the transport and reactions that affect water, sediment, and 

chemicals as they move from source(s) to sink(s) through various environments. Sources of sediment and chemicals to an 

estuary (fig. 1) include the tributaries, the ocean through tidal 

movement, point sources such as sewer or industrial outfalls, 

the erosion and resuspension of buried sediment and its associated pore water, diffusion through pore water, atmospheric 

deposition, overland surface flow, and the influx from ground 

Figure 1. Schematic diagram of sources, sinks, and the geochemical processes that operate in estuaries. Arrows show directions of 

mass transfer of chemicals and sediment.

Point-source 

inputs

Atmospheric 

wet/dry 

deposition Degassing of

volatile

compounds

Floculation,

deposition,

and burial of

sediment

in mixing

Upward

diffusion of

pore water

Erosion and scour

of buried bottom

sediment and pore

Transport of sediment

by tidal flow

Freshwater

discharge to

the ocean

Reversible/irrevesible

exchange with solid

inorganic and organic matter

Tidal driven influx of seawater

causes a migrating zone of

brackish-freshwater mixing

Incoming

seawater

River input of

freshwater and sediment

Incoming tidal bore and

wind-driven waves

Introduction 3
water. In urbanized areas, many known and unknown sources 

exist, such as wastes released from operating or abandoned 

factories and runoff from roads. Once introduced, the sediment 

and chemicals move throughout the estuary where they are 

affected by many processes until they are lost or stored in various sinks. Outputs or sinks for chemicals in estuaries include 

transport to the open ocean, degassing from water to the atmosphere, the incorporation of chemicals into water droplets and 

sea-salt blown into the atmosphere from wave tops, the uptake 

of chemicals by plants and organisms, and sorption onto sediment and subsequent burial in the streambed or the ocean.

Two processes that greatly affect sediments and chemicals in freshwater and estuarine river systems are the flocculation and deposition of freshwater-derived sediments and 

carbon and the partitioning of chemicals between the water 

and sediments. As fresh river water encounters seawater, the 

changing salinity affects the electrostatic interactions between 

suspended particles, causing them to form larger flocks that 

quickly settle. Most organic chemicals will partition into 

organic matter and deposit with the flocks. The sorption of 

chemicals onto particulates that flocculate and deposit within 

the mixing zone in an estuary represents a short-term sink for 

many anthropogenic contaminants.

To predict how chemicals cycle in an estuarine environment, the sources and magnitudes of input, the nature of the 

sinks, and the physical, geochemical, and biogeochemical processes within each component or reservoir of the estuary must 

first be described. A numerical model can then be constructed 

to explain these geochemical observations, thereby allowing 

quantification and prediction of the movement and storage of 

chemicals through the environment (Albarede, 1995). As part 

of the CARP, a comprehensive mass-balance model of the 

geochemical cycling of sediments and chemicals (Hydroqual, 

2000) through the NJ-NY Harbor system is being constructed. 

In this model, the estuary is dissected into multiple, boxlike, grid cells. The model includes all the substantial inputs 

and outputs to each grid cell, along with basic functions that 

describe the partitioning of chemicals among the sediment, 

water, and gas phases and the other physical-chemical processes that operate within each cell. Mass-balance models are 

based on the principle of conservation of mass, which states 

that the mass of a chemical entering a cell must equal the 

mass leaving the cell minus any mass stored within the cell, 

and the assumption that geochemical reactions reach instantaneous, reversible equilibrium. The geochemical model of 

the NJ-NY Harbor system is being developed in conjunction 

with hydrodynamic, bioaccumulation, and toxicity models that 

together describe the physical transport of sediment and fate of 

contaminants. Together, the models will be used to predict the 

importance of each contaminant source and the time required 

before dredged sediments will meet Federal regulatory 

standards for safe ocean disposal if the largest contaminant 

sources are removed (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, 2001).

The study described in this report was conducted to 

estimate the mass of sediment and selected chemicals that 

enter the New Jersey estuaries and bays from the five major 

tributaries (fig.2, table 1). In this study, co-existing water and 

suspended sediment from the Raritan, Passaic, Rahway, Elizabeth, and Hackensack Rivers were collected during stormflow 

and low-discharge conditions, and were analyzed for selected 

organic and inorganic chemicals-of-concern (table 1). Sampling was conducted at the head-of-tide (HOT) of these rivers, 

which refers to the farthest point upstream in a coastal river 

affected by daily diurnal tidal cycles. The data were used to 

estimate the loads of sediment and chemicals originating from 

the freshwater watersheds, to demonstrate the in situ partitioning of chemicals between the water and sediment phases in the 

freshwater portions of the estuary, and as input for the CARP 

geochemical model being developed for the harbor-estuary 

system.

Description of Sample Collection, 

Sample Analysis, and Methods for 

Calculating Concentrations

A complete description of the sampling and analytical 

methods is presented by Bonin and Wilson (2006). Organic 

contaminants (polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxin/

furans, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), trace elements) were measured 

in flow-weighted, composite samples collected using a Trace 

Organic Platform Sampler (TOPS) (fig. 3). TOPS are largevolume samplers that collect suspended sediment using filters 

and dissolved contaminants using exchange resin. Dissolved 

PAHs and whole-water trace elements were measured in flowweighted composite grab samples collected using automatic 

grab composite samplers. Trace elements also were measured 

in discrete grab samples collected near the time of peak discharge of each event. These various samples were collected 

using automated sampling equipment that calculated river 

discharge and controlled the various samplers. With the exception of dissolved dioxins/furans (which were not measured 

in this study) and dissolved PAHs, organic compounds were 

measured in suspended sediment collected on pre-baked glassfiber canister and flat filters (1.0 and 0.7 micron nominal pore 

size, respectively), and dissolved organic compounds were 

collected by passing the filtered water through exchange resin 

(XAD-2). Typically, 1 to 3 g of suspended particulate matter 

was collected for analysis, and 50 L of water were processed 

to obtain dissolved-phase concentrations.

The organic compounds were extracted from the sediment and exchange resin and were subsequently analyzed 

using the methods listed in tables 3 and 4. For organic compounds, sample extracts were analyzed using either high- or 

low-resolution gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Trace 

elements were analyzed using inductively coupled plasmamass spectrometry or cold-vapor flouresence methods.

4 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Figure 2. Location of study area and surface-water sampling sites in New Jersey.

Description of Sample Collection, Sample Analysis, and Methods for Calculating Concentratons 5

01404100

01389500

01378500

01378522

01393400

01395000

0 5 10 MILES

0 5 10 15 KILOMETERS

41

40

30'

74 30' 74 15' 74 73 45'

40

45'

74

40

41

39

75

Area of detail

0 10 20 MILES

0 10 20 KILOMETERS

NEW

JERSEY

New

York

BERGEN

ESSEX

PASSAIC

MORRIS

ROCKLAND

WESTCHESTER

BRONX

BROOKLYN

QUEENS

MANHATTAN

NEW YORK BIGHT

MONMOUTH ATLANTIC OCEAN

MIDDLESEX

STATEN

ISLAND

Upper

New

York N

Bay ewark Bay

Whippany River

Passaic River Passaic

River

Hackensack River

Hudson River

East River

Lower New York Bay

Raritan Bay

Sandy

Hook Bay

Jamaica Bay

Long Island Sound

Navesink River

Shrewsbury River

Swimming River Dam

Sandy Hook—Rockaway Point Transect

Kill Van Kull

Raritan River

Bound Brook

Arthur Kill

Rahway River Rahway

Elizabeth

UNION

NEW JERSEY HUDSON

Hudson River

Dundee Dam

Passaic River

Passaic

Hackensack

Oradell Dam

Piedmont

Marsh

Tappan Zee

Bridge

NEW YORK

Throgs Neck

Bridge

Base map from New York/New Jersey Estuary Final Comprehensive

Conservation and Management Plan, March, 1996

01389500 Surface-water sampling site 

and number

EXPLANATION
Table 1. Description of the surface-water sampling stations on the Raritan, Passaic, Hackensack, Rahway, and Elizabeth Rivers, New Jersey.

[USGS, U.S. Geological Survey; NGVD 29, National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929; Horizontal datum is North American Datum of 1983]

USGS 

chemical 

sampling site 

identification 

number

Sampling site 

identifier Sampling site name Sampling site type

Sampling site 

latitude

(degrees, 

minutes, and 

seconds)

Sampling site 

longitude

(degrees, 

minutes, and 

seconds)

USGS 

discharge 

gaging station 

identification 

number

USGS 

gaging 

station datum 

(feet above 

NGVD 29)

Location of sampling site in 

relation to gaging station

01389500 PASSAICHOT Passaic River at 

Little Falls, N.J.

Sampling and 

stream gage

40° 53’ 06.57” 74° 13’ 32.32” 01389500 120.00 Immediately adjacent to the 

gaging station

01378500 HACKENHOT Hackensack River at 

New Milford, N.J.

Sampling (freshwater) and 

stream gage

40° 56’ 54” 74° 01’ 37” 01378500 6.25 Immediately adjacent to the 

gaging station

01378522 HAC4 Hackensack River at 

Oradell, N.J.

Sampling (tidal) 40° 56’ 36.2” 74° 01’29.65” 01378500 6.25 0.5 mile downstream from 

the gaging station

01404100 RARITANHOT Raritan River near 

South Bound Brook, N.J.

Sampling 40° 32’ 26.04” 74° 30’ 49.71” 01403060 0.00 0.75 mile downstream from 

the gaging station

01395000 RAHWAYHOT Rahway River at 

Rahway, N.J.

Sampling and 

stream gage

40° 37’ 07.48” 74° 16’ 53.20” 01395000 8.77 0.1 mile downstream from 

the gaging station

01393400 ELIZABHOT Elizabeth River at 

Hillside, N.J.

Sampling 40° 41’ 20.95” 74° 14’ 16.13” 01393450 0.00 0.5 mile upstream from the 

gaging station

6 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Figure 3. Schematic diagram of a Trace Organic Platform Sampler (TOPS). From Bonin and Wilson (2006).

Electrical connection

Direction of water flow

Peristaltic pump 

Electrical

control

15-Liter reservoir

with float switch

Solenoid valve

208-Liter

collection

drum

25-Liter

collection

carboy

Solenoid valve

1-Liter 

reservoir

with float 

switch

Positive

displacement pump 

Unspiked

XAD-resin 

column

0.5 micron x 10 centimeters

GFF (glass fiber)

canister fiber

Spiked

XAD-resin 

column

Electrical

control

Water inlet

from river

1 micron x 

142 millimeters

diameter

GFF flat filter

Description of Sample Collection, Sample Analysis, and Methods for Calculating Concentratons 7
Ancillary data collected included concentrations of 

suspended sediment (SS), particulate organic carbon (POC), 

dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and specific conductance 

of the river water being sampled. These components were 

measured in multiple discrete grab samples collected using 

automatic samplers. Field data collected included volume of 

water filtered and volume passed through the XAD resin, continuous records of stage and discharge of the rivers, and the 

amount and timing of precipitation. These ancillary field data 

are tabulated in Bonin and Wilson (2006).

The results as reported by the analytical laboratories 

and the field data collected during sampling are presented 

by Bonin and Wilson (2006). The raw data also are available through the CARP database. Results for the organic 

compounds were delivered from the laboratory as masses of 

analytes recovered from the sediment phase (extracted from 

the combined canister and flat filters) and masses of analytes 

recovered from the exchange resin for the dissolved phase. 

Results for the composite and discrete grab samples analyzed 

for trace elements, dissolved PAHs, SS, POC, and DOC were 

reported as concentrations per liter of water.

To convert masses to concentrations, the (1) volume of 

raw river water passed through the canister and flat filters, 

(2) the volume of filtered water passed through the exchange 

resin, and (3) the SS, DOC, and POC concentrations associated with the sampled water are needed. The information 

required to convert masses of constituents into concentrations, 

with units of volume (liter) of water or unit mass of SS (typically grams), is included in the field data (Bonin and Wilson, 

2006).

The mass of SS and POC collected on the canister and 

flat filter required a correction to account for incomplete 

filtering (breakthrough) of the canister filter. Preliminary tests 

showed that the canister filters, on average, had a trapping 

efficiency of 90 percent. The addition of a flat filter (fig. 3) 

increased the trapping efficiency even further and prevented 

sediment from entering the XAD canister. The mass of sediment trapped on the filters is further reduced where the filter 

outfall is split; 90 percent of the flow went to waste and 10 

percent was directed through flat filters and the XAD columns. 

Because it was not possible to confirm the mass of sediment 

collected on the flat filter, the assumption was made that the 

Table 3. Methods used to analyze water and sediment samples.

[PCB, Polychlorinated biphenyls; PAHs, Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; GC/MS, gas chromatography/mass spectrometry; HR, High-resolution; LR, 

low-resolution; ICP-MS, Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry; CV-AFS, Cold-vapor atomic fluorescence spectrometry; IR, Infrared; USEPA, U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency; CEPA-ARB, California Environmental Protection Agency Air Resources Board; STL KNOX, STL laboratory, Knoxville, 

Tenn.; USGS, U.S. Geological Survey. Table adapted from Bonin and Wilson, 2006] 

Analyte Method Reference

PCBs HR GC/MS Modified USEPA Method 1668A (U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency, 1999b)

PAHs LR GC/MS STL KNOX ID-0016, modified from CEPA-ARB Method 429 (California Environmental Protection Agency Air Resources Board, 1997)

Dioxin/furans HR GC/MS USEPA Method 1613B (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1994)

Pesticides HR GC/MS

STL KNOX ID-0014, modified from USEPA Methods 1613 and 

1668A, and SW-846 Method 8081(U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency, 1994, 1999b, and 1998a)

Cadmium and lead ICP-MS Modified USEPA Method 1638 (U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency, 1996b)

Mercury CV-AFS USEPA Method 1631B (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1999a)

Methyl-mercury GC, CV-AFS USEPA Method 1630 (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1998b)

Dissolved organic carbon IR-spectrometry USEPA Method 440.0 (Zimmerman and others, 1997)

USGS Open-File Report 97-380 (Burkhardt and others, 1997)

Particulate organic carbon IR-spectrometry USEPA Method 440.0 (Zimmerman and others, 1997) and USGS OpenFile Report 97-380 (Burkhardt and others, 1997)

Suspended Sediment Filtration and gravimetric analysis USGS Open-File Report 98-384 (Sholar and Shreve, 1998)

8 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Table 4. Constituents measured in sediment and water samples collected from the Raritan, Passaic, Hackensack, Rahway, and 

Elizabeth Rivers, New Jersey.

 [CAS, Chemical Abstract Service; IUPAC, International Union of Physical and Analytical Chemistry; PCB, Polychlorinated biphenyl; n/a, not applicable]

Name or IUPAC PCB number CAS number

Monochlorobiphenyls

3 2051-62-9

Dichlorobiphenyls

4 13029-08-8

5 16605-91-7

8 34883-43-7

10 33146-45-1

11 2050-67-1

15 2050-68-2

Trichlorobiphenyls

16 38444-78-9

17 37680-66-3

18 37680-65-2

19 38444-73-4

20 38444-84-7

22 38444-85-8

25 55712-37-3

26 38444-81-4

27 38444-76-7

28 7012-37-5

31 16606-02-3

33 38444-86-9

37 38444-90-5

Tetrachlorobiphenyls

40 38444-93-8

42 36559-22-5

43 70362-46-8

44 41464-39-5

45 70362-45-7

46 41464-47-5

47 2437-79-8

48 70362-47-9

49 41464-40-8

50 62796-65-8

52 35693-99-3

53 41464-41-9

56 41464-43-1

59 74472-33-6

60 33025-41-1

62 54230-23-7

63 74472-35-8

64 52663-58-8

66 32598-10-0

70 32598-11-1

74 32690-93-0

75 32598-12-2

77 32598-13-3

81 70362-50-4

Pentachlorobiphenyls

82 52663-62-4

83 60145-20-2

84 52663-60-2

Name or IUPAC PCB number CAS number

85 65510-45-4

86 55312-69-1

87 38380-02-8

90 68194-07-0

91 58194-05-8

92 52663-61-3

95 38379-99-6

97 41464-51-1

99 38380-01-7

101 37680-73-2

104 56558-16-8

105 32598-14-4

109 74472-35-8

110 38380-03-9

114 74472-37-0

118 31508-00-6

119 56558-17-9

123 65510-44-3

126 57465-28-8

Hexachlorobiphenyls

128 38380-07-3

132 38380-05-1

134 52704-70-8

135 52744-13-5

136 38411-22-2

137 35694-06-5

138 35065-28-2

141 52712-04-6

146 51908-16-8

147 68194-13-8

149 38380-04-0

151 52663-63-5

153 35065-27-1

154 60145-22-4

156 38380-08-4

157 69782-90-7

158 74472-42-7

166 41411-63-6

167 52663-72-6

168 59291-65-5

169 32774-16-6

Heptachlorobiphenyls

170 35065-30-6

171 52663-71-5

172 52663-74-8

174 38411-25-5

177 52663-70-4

178 52663-67-9

179 52663-64-6

180 35065-29-3

183 52663-69-1

185 52712-05-7

Description of Sample Collection, Sample Analysis, and Methods for Calculating Concentratons 9
Table 4. Constituents measured in sediment and water samples collected from the Raritan, Passaic, Hackensack, Rahway, and 

Elizabeth Rivers, New Jersey.—Continued

 [CAS, Chemical Abstract Service; IUPAC, International Union of Physical and Analytical Chemistry; PCB, Polychlorinated biphenyl; n/a, not applicable]

Name or IUPAC PCB number CAS number

187 52663-68-0

189 39635-31-9

190 41411-64-7

191 74472-50-7

Octachlorobiphenyls

194 35694-08-7

195 52663-78-2

196 42740-50-1

198 68194-17-2

199 52663-75-9

200 52663-73-7

201 40186-71-8

203 52663-76-0

205 74472-53-0

Nonachlorobiphenyls

206 40186-72-9

207 52663-79-3

208 52663-77-1

Decachlorobiphenyls

209 2051-24-3

Dioxins

2,3,7,8-Trichlorodioxin 1746-01-6

1,2,3,7,8-Pentachlorodioxin 40321-76-4

1,2,3,7,8,9-Hexachlorodioxin 19408-74-3

1,2,3,4,7,8-Hexachlorodioxin 39227-28-6

1,2,3,6,7,8-Hexachlorodioxin 57653-85-7

1,2,3,4,6,7,8-Heptachlorodioxin 35822-46-9

Octachlorodioxin 3268-87-9

Furans

2,3,7,8-Trichlorodifuran 51207-31-9

1,2,3,7,8-Pentachlorodifuran 57117-41-6

2,3,4,7,8-Pentachlorodifuran 57117-31-4

1,2,3,4,7,8-Hexachlorodifuran 70648-26-9

2,3,4,6,7,8-Hexachlorodifuran 60851-34-5

1,2,3,7,8,9-Hexachlorodifuran 72918-21-9

1,2,3,6,7,8-Hexachlorodifuran 57117-44-9

1,2,3,4,7,8,9-Heptachlorodifuran 55673-89-7

1,2,3,4,6,7,8-Heptachlorodifuran 67562-39-4

Octachlorodifuran 39001-02-0

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

Perylene 198-55-0

Phenanthrene 85-01-8

Pyrene 129-00-0

1-Methylnaphthalene 90-12-0

1-Methylphenanthrene 832-69-9

2,3,5-Trimethylnaphthalene 2245-38-7

2,6-Dimethylnaphthalene 581-42-0

2-Methylnaphthalene 91-57-6

Acenaphthene 83-32-9

Acenaphthylene 208-96-8

Anthracene 120-12-7

Benzo(a)anthracene 56-55-3

Name or IUPAC PCB number CAS number

Benzo(a)pyrene 50-32-8

Benzo(b)fluoranthene 205-99-2

Benzo(e)pyrene 192-97-2

Benzo(ghi)perylene 191-24-2

Benzo(k)fluoranthene 207-08-9

Biphenyl 92-52-4

Chrysene 218-01-9

Dibenz(a,h)anthracene 53-70-3

Fluoranthene 206-44-0

Fluorene 86-73-7

Indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene 193-39-5

Naphthalene 91-20-3

C2 Alkylnaphthalenes n/a

C3 Alkylnaphthalenes n/a

Pesticides

2,4’-DDD 53-19-0

2,4’-DDE 3424-82-6

2,4’-DDT 789-02-6

4,4’-DDD 72-54-8

4,4’-DDE 72-55-9

4,4’-DDT 50-29-3

Aldrin 309-00-2

alpha-BHC 319-84-6

beta-BHC 319-85-7

gamma-BHC (Lindane) 58-89-9

alpha-Chlordane 5103-71-9

gamma-Chlordane 5103-74-2

oxy-Chlordane 27304-13-8

alpha-Endosulfan 959-98-8

beta-Endosulfan 33213-65-9

cis-Nonachlor 5103-73-1

trans-Nonachlor 39765-80-5

Dieldrin 60-57-1

Endosulfan sulfate 1031-07-8

Endrin 72-20-8

Endrin aldehyde 7421-93-4

Endrin ketone 53494-70-5

Heptachlor 76-44-8

Heptachlor epoxide 1024-57-3

Hexachlorobenzene 118-74-1

Methoxychlor 72-43-5

Mirex 2385-85-5

Trace Elements

Cadmium 7440-43-9

Lead 7439-92-1

Mercury 7439-97-6

Methyl-mercury n/a

Other

Carbon, organic n/a

Suspended sediment n/a

10 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
entire mass of sediment not captured on the canister filter was 

sent to waste. As a result, the mass of sediment (or organic 

carbon) calculated to have been trapped on the TOPS filters 

was reduced by 10 percent. Therefore, the sediment mass is 

considered a conservative estimate of the amount of sediment 

captured on the filters. Although flat filters captured most of 

any sediment that broke through, it is possible some particles 

entered the columns. A correction could not be applied to the 

dissolved concentrations to account for any particulate-bound 

contaminants that may have become entrapped in the columns, 

so the dissolved concentrations may be be over-estimations.

The dissolved concentrations of constituents recovered in 

the XAD-resin columns were calculated using the equation

Cd = Mxad / Vxad (1)

where

Cd = dissolved concentration, in mass per liter 

of water;

Mxad = mass of constituent recovered from the 

XAD-resin sample, in nanograms or 

picograms;

and

Vxad = volume of water processed through the 

XAD column, in liters.

The concentration of organic compounds in the suspended sediment was calculated using the equation

Cp = Mf/ (Vf * SS * f * 1,000) (2)

where

Cp = concentration in suspended sediment, in 

mass per gram of sediment;

Mf	 =	 mass of constituent recovered in the filter

sample, in picograms or nanograms;

Vf = volume of water processed through the 

canister filter, in liters;

SS = mean suspended sediment concentration, 

in milligram of sediment per liter;

and

f	 =	 filter efficiency, 0.9.

POC normalized concentrations in units per gram of 

organic carbon were calculated using the equation

Cpc = Mf / (Vf * POC * f * 1,000) (3)

where

Cpc = concentration of constituent normalized to 

mass of particulate organic carbon, in mass 

per gram of organic carbon;

Mf	 =	 mass of constituent recovered on filter, in

picograms or nanograms;

Vf	 =	 volume of water passed through filter, in

liters;

f	 =	 filter efficiency, 0.9,

and

POC = mean particulate organic carbon 

concentration, in milligrams of carbon per 

liter.

Analytical results for trace elements and PAHs in composite samples are reported in concentration units of mass per 

unit volume of water and require no further reduction.

Concentrations of trace elements in the particulate phase 

were determined as the difference between the total and dissolved trace-element concentrations using the equation

pM = (tM - dM) * 1,000 / SS (4)

where

pM = particulate trace-element concentration, 

in nanograms per gram of sediment (or 

micrograms per gram of sediment for 

particulate methyl-mercury);

tM = total trace-element concentration, in 

nanograms per liter;

dM = dissolved trace-element concentration, in 

nanograms per liter;

and

SS = concentration of suspended sediment, in 

milligrams per liter.

Particulate trace-element concentrations can be normalized to POC using the fraction of organic carbon, which is 

calculated using either equation

Foc = POC / SS (5)

Or to the mass of carbon directly

pM’ = (tM - dM) / POC (6)

where

Foc = fraction of organic carbon in particulate 

material (unitless);

pM’ = particulate trace-element concentrations, in 

micrograms per gram of carbon;

POC = particulate organic carbon concentration, in 

milligrams of carbon per liter;

and

SS = concentration of suspended sediment, in 

milligrams per liter.

For some components such as methyl-Hg, the results 

were converted from nanograms per gram to micrograms per 

gram by dividing by 1,000.

Total or whole-water concentrations were derived from 

dissolved and particulate analysis using the equation

Description of Sample Collection, Sample Analysis, and Methods for Calculating Concentratons 11
Ctotal = Cd

 + (Cp * SS / 1000) (7)

where

Ctotal = whole-water total concentration, in mass 

per liter of water;

Cd = dissolved concentration, in mass per liter 

of water;

Cp = concentration in sediment, in mass per 

gram of sediment;

and

SS = suspended sediment concentration, in 

milligrams per liter.

Concentrations of Organic Compounds 

and Trace Elements

Samples of river water and suspended sediment were analyzed for PCBs, chlorinated dioxins and furans, PAHs, OCPs 

and the trace elements mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), and lead 

(Pb). These concentrations were used to calculate loads for 

sampled hydrologic events and to estimate annual loads from 

the tributary basins.

Polychlorinated Biphenyls

The concentrations of 114 PCBs congeners, of which 15 

were co-elutioning congeners, were measured in water and 

co-existing suspended sediment from the Raritan, Passaic, 

Rahway, Elizabeth, and Hackensack Rivers, the major tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays. Large-volume, flow-weighted 

composite samples were collected during low-flow and storm 

conditions These data were used to make interpretations and to 

calculate riverine loads of PCBs to Newark and Raritan Bays 

from the watersheds above the HOT.

PCBs are a class of organic compounds having a structure consisting of a biphenyl (C12H10-n Cln

) in which the two 6-

carbon benzene rings have their hydrogen replaced by a varying number of chlorine atoms (fig. 4). Ten different levels of 

chlorination exist, termed homolog groups, mono (1) through 

deca (10), resulting in 209 distinct congeners. However, not all 

209 congeners have been synthesized for industrial use. The 

different compound names, the level of chlorination, and the 

corresponding identification number of the congeners measured in this work are listed in table 5.

PCBs, which have low electrical conductivity and high 

resistance to heat and thermal degradation, were used as transformer oils and in other electrical insulation applications, as 

well as in paints and dyes, as flame retardants in plastics, and 

as fire-resistant adhesive. The oils were developed in specific 

Aroclors, which are mixtures of individual PCB congeners. 

Aroclors are identified by their average chlorine content; for 

example, PCB aroclor 1248 contains an average of 48 percent chlorine and contains 70 congeners ranging from PCB 

congener #3 to PCB #180 (Erickson, 1997). Residual PCB oil 

or residuals from the burning of products that contain PCBs 

are the principal sources of PCBs to the environment. The 

individual PCB congeners are, for the most part, stable in the 

environment and resist degradation, but they can be affected 

by vaporization into the gas phase, by sorption to solids, by 

dissolution into water, and to a limited degree, by photodegradation, microbial degradation, and other reactions. Generally, 

PCBs degrade very slowly through dechlorination, whereby 

higher chlorinated compounds lose chlorine and assume a 

lower chlorination level. PCBs enter biota through ingestion of water or carbon matter and readily bio-accumulate in 

fatty portions of organisms. PCBs have cycled throughout the 

global environment and have been found in fish, birds, and 

mammals in nearly all environments (Hansen, 1999; Erickson, 

1997).

Several of the PCB congeners have been found to be 

toxic and dangerous to organisms, acting as endocrine disruptors (Erickson, 1997). Generally, attention has focused on the 

congeners having their two biphenyl rings aligned in the same 

plane. Twelve coplanar congeners exist: 77, 81, 105, 114, 118, 

123, 126, 156, 157, 167, 169, and 189. The coplanar PCBs 

exhibit toxic behaviors similar to the dioxin/furans and have 

been assigned toxic equivalent factors on the dioxin/furan 

scale. In the non-planar or orthogonal PCB compounds, the 

biphenyl rings lay perpendicular to one another because at 

least one chlorine atom is in the 2, 2’, 6, or 6’ position (fig. 4), 

which hinders the biphenyl rings from rotating into the same 

plane.

Methods

The sediment-bound and dissolved compounds (collected on XAD resin) were analyzed using a modification 

of USEPA Method 1668-A (U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency, 1999b), which is an internal standard method utilizing 

high-resolution gas chromatography/mass spectrometer. Of the 

114 PCB congeners selected by the program for measurement 

(table 5), 73 congeners did not co-elute with other congeners, 

15 congeners co-eluted with congeners in the New Jersey list, 

and 26 co-eluted with congeners outside of the New Jersey 

program list (see list of co-elutions in Bonin and Wilson, 

2006). In the database of reported congeners, values for coeluted congeners were reported with the lowest numbered 

Figure 4. Structure and numbering system for chlorine 

substitution in polychlorinated biphenyls.

3 2

4

5 6

2' 3'

4'

6' 5'

12 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Table 5. Polychlorinated biphenyl congeners measured in this study.

[CAS, Chemical Abstract Service number]

Congener Number Substitutions and 

homolog group

CAS #

Monodichlorobiphenyl

3 4 2051-62-9

Dichlorobyphenyl

4 2,2’ 13029-08-8

5 2,3 16605-91-7

8 2,4’ 34883-43-7

10 2,6 33146-45-1

11 3,3’ 2050-67-1

15 4,4’ 2050-68-2

Trichlorobiphenyl

16 2,2’,3 38444-78-9

17 2,2’,4 37680-66-3

18 2,2’,5 37680-65-2

19 2,2’,6 38444-73-4

20 2,3,3’ 38444-84-7

22 2,3,4’ 38444-85-8

25 2,3’,4 55712-37-3

26 2,3’,5 38444-81-4

27 2,3’,6 38444-76-7

28 2,4,4’ 7012-37-5

29 2,4,5 15862-07-4

31 2,4’,5 16606-02-3

33 2’,3,4 38444-86-9

37 3,4,4’ 38444-90-5

Tetrachlorobiphenyl

40 2,2’,3,3’ 38444-93-8

42 2,2’,3,4’ 36559-22-5

43 2,2’,3,5 70362-46-8

44 2,2’,3,5’ 41464-39-5

45 2,2’,3,6 70362-45-7

46 2,2’,3,6’ 41464-47-5

47 2,2’,4,4’ 2437-79-8

48 2,2’,4,5 70362-47-9

49 2,2’,4,5’ 41464-40-8

50 2,2’,4,6 62796-65-0

52 2,2’,5,5’ 35693-99-3

Congener Number Substitutions and 

homolog group

CAS #

53 2,2’,5,6’ 41464-41-9

55 2,3,3’,4 74338-24-2

56 2,3,3’,4’ 41464-43-1

59 2,3,3’,6 74472-33-6

60 2,3,4,4’ 33025-41-1

62 2,3,4,6 54230-22-7

63 2,3,4’,5 74472-34-7

64 2,3,4’,6 52663-58-8

66 2,3’,4,4’ 32598-10-0

70 2,3’,4’,5 32598-11-1

74 2,4,4’,5 32690-93-0

75 2,4,4’,6 32598-12-2

77 3,3’,4,4’ 32598-13-3

81 3,4,4’,5 70362-50-4

Pentachlorobiphenyl

82 2,2’,3,3’,4 52663-62-4

83 2,2’,3,3’,5 60145-20-2

84 2,2’,3,3’,6 52663-60-2

85 2,2’,3,4,4’ 65510-45-4

86 2,2’,3,4,5 55312-69-1

87 2,2’,3,4,5’ 38380-02-8

90 2,2’,3,4’,5 68194-07-0

91 2,2’,3,4’,6 58194-05-8

92 2,2’,3,5,5’ 52663-61-3

95 2,2’,3,5’,6 38379-99-6

97 2,2’,3’,4,5 41464-51-1

99 2,2’,4,4’,5 38380-01-7

101 2,2’,4,5,5’ 37680-73-2

104 2,2’,4,6,6’ 56558-16-8

105 2,3,3’,4,4’ 32598-14-4

109 2,3,3’,4,6 74472-35-8

110 2,3,3’,4’,6 38380-03-9

114 2,3,4,4’,5 74472-37-0

118 2,3’,4,4’,5 31508-00-6

119 2,3’,4,4’,6 56558-17-9

120 2,3’,4,5,5’ 68194-12-7

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 13
Table 5. Polychlorinated biphenyl congeners measured in this study.—Continued

[CAS, Chemical Abstract Service number]

Congener Number Substitutions and 

homolog group

CAS #

123 2’,3,4,4’,5 65510-44-3

124 2’,3,4,5,5’ 70424-70-3

126 3,3’,4,4’,5 57465-28-8

Hexachlorobiphenyl

128 2,2’,3,3’,4,4’ 38380-07-3

132 2,2’,3,3’,4,6’ 38380-05-1

134 2,2’,3,3’,5,6 52704-70-8

135 2,2’,3,3’,5,6’ 52744-13-5

136 2,2’,3,3’,6,6’ 38411-22-2

137 2,2’,3,4,4’,5 35694-06-5

138 2,2’,3,4,4’,5’ 35065-28-2

141 2,2’,3,4,5,5’ 52712-04-6

142 2,2’,3,4,5,6 41411-61-4

146 2,2’,3,4’,5,5’ 51908-16-8

147 2,2’,3,4’,5,6 68194-13-8

149 2,2’,3,4’,5’,6 38380-04-0

151 2,2’,3,5,5’,6 52663-63-5

153 2,2’,4,4’,5,5’ 35065-27-1

154 2,2’,4,4’,5,6’ 60145-22-4

156 2,3,3’,4,4’,5 38380-08-4

157 2,3,3’,4,4’,5’ 69782-90-7

158 2,3,3’,4,4’,6 74472-42-7

166 2,3,4,4’,5,6 41411-63-6

167 2,3’,4,4’,5,5’ 52663-72-6

168 2,3’,4,4’,5’,6 59291-65-5

169 3,3’,4,4’,5,5’ 32774-16-6

Heptachlorobiphenyl

170 2,2’,3,3’,4,4’,5 35065-30-6

171 2,2’,3,3’,4,4’,6 52663-71-5

172 2,2’,3,3’,4,5,5’ 52663-74-8

174 2,2’,3,3’,4,5,6’ 38411-25-5

177 2,2’,3,3’,4’,5,6 52663-70-4

178 2,2’,3,3’,5,5’,6 52663-67-9

179 2,2’,3,3’,5,6,6’ 52663-64-6

180 2,2’,3,4,4’,5,5’ 35065-29-3

183 2,2’,3,4,4’,5’,6 52663-69-1

Congener Number Substitutions and 

homolog group

CAS #

185 2,2’,3,4,5,5’,6 52712-05-7

187 2,2’,3,4’,5,5’,6 52663-68-0

189 2,3,3’,4,4’,5,5’ 39635-31-9

190 2,3,3’,4,4’,5,6 41411-64-7

191 2,3,3’,4,4’,5’,6 74472-50-7

Octachlorobiphenyl

194 2,2’,3,3’,4,4’,5,5’ 35694-08-7

195 2,2’,3,3’,4,4’,5,6 52663-78-2

196 2,2’,3,3’,4,4’,5,6’ 42740-50-1

198 2,2’,3,3’,4,5,5’,6 68194-17-2

BZ-201 2,2’,3,3’,4,5,5’,6’ 52663-75-9

BZ-199 2,2’,3,3’,4,5,6,6’ 52663-73-7

BZ-200 2,2’,3,3’,4,5’,6,6’ 40186-71-8

203 2,2’,3,4,4’,5,5’,6 52663-76-0

205 2,3,3’,4,4’,5,5’,6 74472-53-0

Nonachlorobiphenyl

206 2,2’,3,3’,4,4’,5,5’,6 40186-72-9

207 2,2’,3,3’,4,4’,5,6,6’ 52663-79-3

208 2,2’,3,3’,4,5,5’,6,6’ 52663-77-1

Decachlorobiphenyl

209 2,2’,3,3’,4,4’,5,5’,6,6’ 2051-24-3

14 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
congener in the co-elution (Bonin and Wilson, 2006). The distribution of the reported concentrations between the possible 

co-elutions cannot be unequivocally determined.

The total dissolved, total particulate, and total carbonnormalized sediment PCB concentrations in each sample were 

calculated by summing the concentrations of all non-coeluting 

PCB congeners, thus avoiding summing the co-eluting conger 

values more than once. Total concentrations and averages 

were calculated by replacing all non-detected congener values 

by one-half the reported (concentration normalized) detection 

limit. Arithmetic averages were calculated because the few 

samples collected in this study precluded determining if the 

data distribution was log-normal. The isotope-dilution methods used in this study provide EDLs that are unique for each 

congener and each sample but will generally fall in defined 

ranges for samples having similar matrices.

In this work, EDLs for each congener were determined 

from the average noise for the elution window of the corresponding homolog group, no peak-smoothing routines 

were applied for the base-line noise (D. Thal, oral comm., 

2004). These summary values were calculated using EDLs for 

congeners that were not detected (U flagged values) in each 

homolog group. Average EDLs for detected and nondetected 

congeners in samples ranged from roughly 0.5 pg/g up to 1.5 

pg/g for a 1-g sediment sample (reported values normalized 

to 1 g of sediment). Average EDLs for nondetected dissolved 

concentrations were normalized to a sample volume of 50 

Table 6. Summary of normalized estimated detection limits for nondetected polychlorinated biphenyls in samples from selected 

rivers in New Jersey.

[pg/g, picogram per gram of sediment; pg/L, picogram per liter]

Sediment2 Dissolved3

Homolog 

group Count1

Minimum

pg/g

Maximum

pg/g

Average

pg/g

Homolog 

group Count

Minimum

pg/L

Maximum

pg/L

Average

pg/L

mono+di 18 83 2,700 740 mono+di 16 1.9 22 15

Tri 5 52 2,900 860 Tri 3 6.1 22 14

Tetra 20 78 5,000 510 Tetra 18 .38 18 7.9

Penta 21 160 5,100 740 Penta 19 .36 22 11

Hexa 17 78 2,500 960 Hexa 17 .34 28 9.4

Septa 5 150 1,900 1,300 Septa 18 .30 22 7.9

Octa 5 100 1,500 1,000 Octa 19 .27 26 7.5

Nona 3 620 1,800 1,300 Nona 19 .44 14 5.1

Deca 0 0 0 0 Deca 16 .40 12 3.5

1

 This column displays the number of samples that had at least one nondetected concentration in the indicated homolog group. A total of 21 samples were 

collected.

2

 Sediment estimated detection levels are adjusted to a sample mass of 1 gram. Actual sample volumes ranged from 0.5 to 5 grams.

3

 Dissolved estimated detection levels are adjusted to a sample volume of 50 liters. Actual sample volumes ranged from 25 liters to over 50 liters.

L and ranged from 3.5 pg/L up to 15 pg/L (table 6). Actual 

detection limits for individual congeners may vary from these 

values because of sample size, mass of sediment, and physical-chemical conditions in the sample.

Quality Assurance

The method performance, data quality, and accuracy were 

evaluated using a variety of data and by measuring standard 

reference materials (SRMs). Performance criteria for the 

methods used also included evaluation of the recoveries of 

internal standards (IS) and field surrogates (FS). The potential 

for contamination of the filter and resin, which affects data 

quality, was evaluated using a series of blanks. The accuracy 

of the PCB analytical work has been estimated to be +/- 10 

percent (Bonin and Wilson, 2006), with a relative precision, 

determined from multiple analyses of certified SRMs, of +/- 

12 percent.

Recovery of Internal Standards

Nineteen carbon-13 (13C) labeled IS were added to each 

sample to provide reference concentrations for quantification 

of native compounds present in the samples and to evaluate 

recovery at different steps during sample preparation. USEPA 

method 1668A sets acceptable recoveries of IS used as quantification references as 20 to 180 percent (U.S. Environmental 

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 15
Protection Agency, 1999b). The average IS recoveries for 

nearly all samples collected in this work fell well within this 

acceptable range of recovery (table 7).

However, the sediment samples from the Hackensack 

River (Oct. 19, 2001), the Passaic River (Mar. 14, 2001), 

the Elizabeth River (May 22, 2001), and the Rahway River 

(Apr. 28, 2002) and dissolved samples from the Hackensack 

River (Mar. 13, 2001) and the Raritan River (Apr. 13, 2001) 

had recoveries for a number of IS below the lower acceptable 

limits (table 8). Although not substantially below the lower 

acceptable limit, the low recoveries may have biased the concentrations in these samples. The cause for the low recovery 

of IS in these samples is not known but may have been related 

to the large mass of POC that ultimately was captured on the 

filters for these sediment samples.

Recovery of Field Surrogates

The XAD columns were spiked with 13C-labeled PCB FS 

(80 ng each of PCB #31L, 95L, and 153L) added to the inlet 

end of the first of the two XAD columns used for sampling 

(Bonin and Wilson, 2006). Average recoveries of these FS 

(table 9) ranged from 84 to 97 percent; the minimum value 

was 70 percent. No correction was applied to the concentrations of the native PCBs to correct for loss indicated by the FS. 

The minimum recoveries for field blanks were lower (61 to 66 

percent) than were obtained for the environmental samples; 

the cause for the lower recoveries is unknown. The differences 

in recoveries for the three labeled FS reflect the differences in 

solubility and vapor pressure of these compounds. The lowest 

chlorinated FS, PCB #31L (a trichlorobiphenyl), has a vapor 

pressure about 100 times greater and an aqueous solubility 17 

times greater than the heavier PCB #153L (a hexachlorobiphenyl). The lesser-chlorinated congener is, therefore, more likely 

to have either volatilized from the column or dissolved into the 

sampled water than is the heavier congener, which is reflected 

in the lower average recovery of PCB #31L.

Contamination of Blanks and Data Censoring

In order to reduce the chance of reporting false-positive 

concentrations caused by PCBs associated with the sampling 

media, the data were culled using the “maximum blank- elimination” procedure chosen by the New Jersey Department of 

Table 7. Average percent recoveries of internal standards in blanks and samples from selected rivers in New Jersey.

[n, number of samples or blanks analyzed; XAD, exchange resin]

Internal

Standard

 XAD samples (dissolved)

n=20

XAD blanks

n=17

 Sediment samples

n=21

Filter blanks

n=7

Average 

Standard 

deviation Average 

 Standard 

deviation Average 

Standard 

deviation Average 

Standard 

deviation

3L 48 35 61 23 49 48 64 13

15L 54 37 70 19 53 44 67 9.5

28L 50 36 68 19 50 43 66 17

77L 62 39 83 18 54 45 77 11

105L 55 42 66 22 40 47 65 19

114L 54 43 65 23 41 49 65 19

118L 54 42 64 23 39 49 62 19

123L 54 43 65 24 40 49 64 19

126L 52 42 64 23 39 45 66 20

156L 57 37 80 19 48 49 74 13

157L 57 38 79 18 48 48 75 13

167L 58 38 80 18 48 48 74 11

169L 51 38 72 21 43 45 67 15

170L 57 37 78 19 46 49 73 14

180L 57 37 77 19 46 50 71 12

189L 55 42 68 20 40 50 65 18

194L 52 43 66 21 37 49 66 21

206L 56 38 77 19 47 51 77 9.6

209L 56 39 79 24 48 51 74 9.5

Average 59 35 75 20 45 48 69 15

16 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Environmental Protection. Blank elimination removes from 

the data set any concentration that did not exceed a selected 

multiple of its maximum corresponding concentration in the 

blanks that were prepared with each sample. This procedure 

provides a liberal margin of confidence, ensuring that the 

reported concentrations in the environmental samples are real 

rather than artifacts of the sampling media. Positive bias of 

trace organics caused by the sampling media is of special concern when using exchange-resin and filters with large-volume 

samples. The XAD resin has a high affinity for gaseous PCBs 

from the atmosphere or dust; the filters can become contaminated during their preparatory baking and cleaning.

Field blanks, equipment blanks, and laboratory blanks 

were prepared throughout this work. Field blanks consisted 

of two XAD columns and one pair of GFF canister and flat 

filters opened to the atmosphere in the vicinity of the sampling equipment, during the time when the columns or filters 

were being installed and removed from the sampling equipment. Equipment blanks were prepared by pumping 50 L of 

deionized water through one pair of XAD columns that were 

installed on the clean sampling equipment. The field and 

equipment blanks were handled, shipped, and processed identically to the field samples. The laboratory blanks consisted 

of the chemical reagents and solvents that were processed and 

analyzed identically to the field samples.

Blank elimination of the PCB data consisted of removing 

reported masses of individual congeners that were less than 

three times the largest of their corresponding masses in the 

associated field, equipment, and method blanks. A summary 

of the homolog composition and EDLs for the various blanks 

that were prepared is presented in table 10. This information 

shows the approximate lower limits of actual measurements 

for the method. For those congeners that were affected by 

blank elimination process, the frequency each PCB congener 

was detected in the river samples is summarized in table 11. 

Congeners in the dissolved phase (collected on XAD resin) 

that were repeatedly removed by blank elimination included 

PCBs congeners #3, 8, 11, 15, 20, and 37. For the sediment 

phase (filter samples), only PCB #8 was repeatedly affected.

Table 8. Samples having low recoveries of labeled polychlorinated biphenyl internal standards.

[ mg/L, milligrams per liter]

River and date of sample 

collection

Sample 

indentifier

Particulate organic 

carbon, 

mg of carbon /L

Dissolved 

organic 

carbon, mg/L

Number of internal 

standards with low 

recoveries (19 total)

Average percent recovery 

for internal standards with 

low recoveries

Dissolved Samples

Hackensack Mar. 13, 2001 1USG00040SA 2.79 3.19 7 19

Raritan Apr. 13, 2001 1USG00062SA 1.26 4.13 5 19

Sediment Samples

Passaic Mar. 14, 2001 1USG00053SA 1.24 3.85 4 19

Elizabeth May 22, 2001 1USG00106SA 6.85 5.83 19 15

Hackensack Oct. 19, 2001 1USG00132SA 1.05 3.22 19 14

Rahway Apr. 28, 2002 1USG00163SA 4.94 3.56 9 13

Table 9. Summary of recoveries of labeled polychlorinated biphenyl field surrogates from blanks and samples from selected rivers in 

New Jersey.

Labeled Standard 

congener number

Recovery from Samples Recovery from Blanks

Minimum 

recovery 

(percent)

Maximum 

Recovery 

(percent)

Average 

recovery 

(percent)

Standard 

deviation 

(percent)

Minimum 

Recovery 

(percent)

Maximum 

recovery 

(percent)

Average 

recovery 

(percent)

Standard 

deviation 

(percent)

31L 78 90 84 5.5 66 141 88 19

95L 70 135 97 19 61 160 102 26

153L 78 102 91 7.7 62 103 91 12

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 17
Table 10. Summary of polychlorinated biphenyl homolog masses measured and estimated detection limits in method and field 

blanks.

[pg, picograms; EDL, estimated method detection limit; --, not detected; n, number of samples]

Homolog 

group

Method blankssediment

n=10

EDL for method blankssediment

n=10

Method blanksdissolved

n=12

EDL for method blanksdissolved

n=12

Average 

(pg/sample)

Standard 

deviation

Average 

(pg/sample)

Standard 

deviation

Average 

(pg/sample)

Standard 

deviation

Average 

(pg/sample)

Standard 

deviation

Mono+di 203 96 545 247 181 99.3 339 149

Tri 148 60 286 162 95.2 46.6 213 120

Tetra 100 40 178 30.2 61.0 28.2 128 21.4

Penta 300 217 365 116 83.5 38.0 174 54.8

Hexa 140 96 301 98.7 60.7 28.0 163 52.8

Hepta 140 95 284 55.3 61.7 43.1 195 38.0

Octa 82.8 17 315 75.1 35.4 15.5 194 46.0

Nona 68.7 23 189 18.1 -- -- 137 12.7

Deca 149 72 155 109 48.5 0.7 141 135

Homolog 

group

Field blankssediment

n=7

EDL for field blankssediment

n=7

Field blanksdissolved

n=8

EDL for field blanksdissolved

n=8

Average 

(pg/sample)

Standard 

deviation

Average 

(pg/sample)

Standard 

deviation

Average 

(pg/sample)

Standard 

deviation

Average 

(pg/sample)

Standard 

deviation

Mono+di 500 262 532 218 515 315 270 119

Tri 398 211 319 179 313 222 183 105

Tetra 175 50 218 37 157 106 114 19

Penta 162 53 370 117 199 42 200 63

Hexa 197 74 284 93 138 42 174 57

Hepta 197 62 423 83 56 0 196 38

Octa 0 0 518 125 45 0 233 57

Nona 0 0 299 27 0 0 145 13

Deca 0 0 222 0 120 0 112 0

18 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Concentrations

 Concentrations of total PCB ranged from 10 to 5,400 

ng/g for particulates and 473 to 7,840 pg/L for dissolved 

PCBs (table 12). Generally, the lowest total concentrations 

were measured in the Raritan and Hackensack Rivers, and the 

highest total concentrations were measured in the Elizabeth 

River. The average concentrations of PCBs in the SS phase 

generally were ranked in the order of increasing concentration 

of: Raritan<Hackensack <Passaic<Rahway<Elizabeth. With 

the exception of the Hackensack and Raritan Rivers, the same 

general ranking holds when the sediment-carbon bound concentrations are considered. The ranking for dissolved PCBs is 

Hackenasck<Raritan<Rahway<Passaic< Elizabeth River. With 

only a few exceptions, the concentrations measured during 

storms and low-flow discharges were nearly equal or within 

one order of magnitude. The samples having anomalous or 

suspect concentrations are discussed below.

For the dissolved samples, the nondetected concentrations (replaced by one-half the EDL) generally contributed 

less than 10 percent of the total PCB concentration of the 

samples, with the exception of the Hackensack River samples 

collected on Oct. 19, 2001 (43 percent), Mar. 13, 2001 ( 20 

percent), and June 28, 2000 (17 percent), the Raritan River 

samples collected on Apr. 13, 2001 (57 percent), and Oct. 4, 

2001 (21 percent), and the Rahway River sample collected 

on Apr. 24, 2001 (25 percent). For the sediment samples, the 

nondetected values (replaced by one-half the EDL) accounted 

for less than 1 percent of the total PCB, with the exception 

of the sample from the Hackensack River collected on Oct. 

19, 2001 (7 percent). The use of EDLs in calculating average 

values (for total or homolog totals) sets an upper limit on the 

average concentration but does not unequivocally demonstrate 

the presences of these compounds.

Two congeners, PCBs #11 and #126, deserve specific 

discussion. PCB #11 was found by Litten and others (2002) to 

Congener

Frequency 

detected in 

XAD 

(dissolved) 

sample (n=19)

Frequency 

detected in 

filter collected 

sediment sample 

(n=19)

3 14 2

4 5 4

5 1 --

8 11 10

10 1 --

11 12 3

15 11 4

16 -- 2

17 2 2

18 1 3

20 9 3

22 6 3

25 2 2

26 2 2

28 6 2

31 6 3

37 10 1

40 1 --

42 1 --

44 1 --

Congener

Frequency 

detected in 

XAD 

(dissolved) 

sample (n=19)

Frequency 

detected in 

filter collected 

sediment sample 

(n=19)

45 4 1

47 8 3

48 1 1

49 1 --

53 1 --

56 3 -

60 2 --

66 3 --

70 4 --

77 2 --

81 2 --

83 2 --

84 1 --

85 2 --

86 2 --

90 2 --

91 1 --

92 1 --

95 2 --

105 4 --

Table 11. Frequency of the polychlorinated biphenyl congeners in sediment and water samples collected from selected rivers in New 

Jersey that were affected by blank elimination.

[--, congener not affected in any sample; n, number of samples]

Congener

Frequency 

detected in 

XAD 

(dissolved) 

sample (n=19)

Frequency 

detected in 

filter collected 

sediment sample 

(n=19)

110 2 --

118 5 --

126 1 --

128 1 --

132 1 --

138 3 --

147 4 --

153 4 --

156 2 --

157 3 1

158 1 --

168 1 --

169 1 --

170 1 --

180 2 --

187 2 --

189 -- 1

194 5 1

209 2 --

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 19
Table 12. Summary of total polychlorinated biphenyl concentrations in sediment and water in samples from selected rivers in New 

Jersey.

[PCB, polychlorinated biphenyl; mg/L, milligrams per liter; pg/L, picograms per liter; ng/g, nanograms per gram sediment; ng/gC, nanograms per gram of 

carbon; ng/L, nanograms per liter; ft3/s, cubic feet per second; averages calculated by replacing non-detected values with one-half the reported detection limit; 

shaded values exceed the New Jersey fresh surface-water-quality standards; New Jersey fresh surface-water-quality criteria are 14 ng/L for aquatic fauna and 

0.064 ng/L for humans; --, not applicable]

Date sampled

Flow regime 

and 

magnitude4

Maximum 

discharge 

reached

(ft3

/s)

Suspended

Sediment

[SS]5

(mg/L)

Particulate 

organic 

carbon

[POC]5

(mg/L)

Dissolved 

organic 

carbon

[DOC]5

(mg/L)

Dissolved

PCB

[Cd]

(pg/L)

Sediment

PCB

[Cp]

(ng/g)

Sedimentcarbon

PCB

[Cpoc]

(ng/gC)

Total PCB

[Ct]

(ng/L)

Raritan River

June 27, 2000 Low-flow 286 3.20 0.253 4.11 980 70.2 915 1.18

Oct. 4, 2001 Low-flow 180 66.7 2.18 3.82 3

511 10.2 318 1.11

April 13, 2001 Storm (6) 3,340 32.4 1.26 4.13 3

1,110 60.3 1,400 2.78

Mar. 3, 2002 Storm (6) 3,690 69.4 5.10 3.68 473 65.8 898 4.57

Mar. 21, 2002 Storm (6) 7,880 293 3.07 4.53 1,340 18.1 1,750 6.11

Average -- -- -- -- -- 883 44.9 1,100 3.2

Passaic River

June 22, 2000 Low-flow (5) 821 15.8 .702 4.46 1,870 251 5,600 5.43

Dec. 15, 2000 Variable (5) 791 6.8 .817 3.90 1,110 5,400 44,000 34.3

Mar. 14, 2001 Storm (6) 2,210 16.4 1.28 3.85 1,300 238 3,000 4.80

Oct. 17, 2001 Low-flow 171 9.40 .857 4.14 1,930 256 2,800 4.08

Average1 -- -- -- -- -- 1,700 248 3,800 4.8

Rahway River

June 28, 2000 Low-flow 25 3.40 .265 3.37 1,750 831 10,700 4.29

Apr. 24, 2001 Low-flow 27 9.40 1.63 3.51 1,600 290 1,680 4.06

May 22. 2001 Storm (6) 424 39.3 3.82 5.02 1,160 166 1,700 7.01

Apr. 28, 2002 Storm (7) 585 46.3 3.57 4.90 1,090 376 4,910 16.8

Average -- -- -- -- -- 1,400 420 4,800 8.1

Elizabeth River

June 29, 2000 Low-flow 11 4.40 .250 3.53 7,840 2,320 40,800 17.0

April 25, 2001 Low-flow 10 3.32 .932 4.03 6,580 3,050 11,200 15.9

May 22, 2001 Storm (7) 586 174 26.8 5.83 3,080 725 4,700 117

June 4, 2003 Storm (7) 1,680 43.4 6.23 3.41 6

2,680 63,750 25,400 149

Average -- -- -- -- -- 5,050 2,460 20,700 74.4

Hackensack River–freshwater2

June 23, 2000 Low-flow 14 4.4 .436 3.84 3576 65.5 660 .835

July, 19, 2002 Low-flow 2.3 10.2 3.42 3.83 896 113 299 1.93

Average2 -- -- -- -- -- 740 89.2 480 1.4

Hackensack River–tidal

Mar. 13, 2001 Tidal -- 20.2 2.51 2.95 3

1,090 168 1,350 4.15

1

 Average does not include the sample collected December 15, 2000. See text for explanation.

2

 Hackensack River sample collected in October 2001 was not included in this table or discussion because of suspected laboratory problems. See text for 

explanation.

3

 A large number of congeners in the dissolved fraction sample had nondetectable concentrations reported. The total PCB concentration reflects in large part 

the estimated detection levels for this sample.

4

 Magnitude refers to arbitrary scale developed in this work. See chapter on sediment load for details.

5

 Concentrations of SS, POC, and DOC listed are mean values for the sampled event.

6

 The total dissolved and total sediment-bound PCB concentrations listed here include only the congeners that were measured in the samples collected on 

previous dates. Several new PCB congeners were quantified in the June 2003 sample (PCBs 21, 61, 88, 129, and 197), totaling 447 pg/g, for a total PCB 

concentration in the sediment phase of 4,200 ng/g. The additional new congeners in the dissolved phase added to 100 pg/L, giving a total dissolved PCB 

concentration of 2,780 pg/L. 

20 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
be derived from pigments used in manufacturing and printing. 

PCB #11 was measured in most all sediment samples collected at the following average concentrations: Raritan River, 

109 pg/g; Passaic River, 1,280 pg/g; Rahway River, 438 pg/g; 

Elizabeth River, 2,760 pg/g; and Hackensack River, 482 pg/g. 

Of particular note is the high concentration in the sample from 

the Passaic River collected on Dec. 15, 2000, which had a 

reported PCB #11 concentration of 41,000 pg/g. Dissolved 

PCB #11 was measured in only a few samples at the following 

levels: Raritan River (1 sample), 43 pg/L; Rahway (1 sample), 

17 pg/L; Elizabeth River (average), 69 pg/L; and Hackensack 

River (1 sample), 29 pg/L. PCB #11 was not detected in any of 

the dissolved samples from the Passaic River.

PCB #126 is of concern because it has the highest dioxinlike toxicity, as measured by its toxic equivalency factor (0.1, 

VanLeeuwen, 1997). PCB #126 was measured in most of the 

sediment samples collected, at the following average concentrations (excluding non-detected values): Raritan River, 

(detected in 1 sample only) 31 pg/g; Passaic River, 56 pg/g; 

Rahway River, 119 pg/g; Elizabeth River, 605 pg/g; and the 

Hackensack River, 37 pg/g. Dissolved PCB #126 was found 

only in one sample from the Rahway River, at a concentration 

of 0.52 pg/L.

Anomalous Concentrations

The concentrations measured in a few samples differed greatly from the other samples collected within a river. 

While it is not possible to determine whether these samples 

were statistical outliers, the field data, stream conditions, and 

other analytical information provide some insight into these 

spurious values. The anomalous data for each river and their 

disposition include the following:

•	 Raritan River—Extremely high concentrations of 

SS were measured in the low-flow sample collected 

from the Raritan River on Oct. 4, 2001. Typically, four 

samples were collected for SS analysis for low-flow 

events (Bonin and Wilson, 2006). The four SS samples 

associated with this sample had concentrations that 

ranged from 15 to 184 mg/L and a mean concentration 

of SS of 67 mg/L, a value that is more typical of wetweather events. The other low-flow sample collected 

from the Raritan River (June 2000) had a mean SS 

concentration of 3.2 mg/L, which is typical of SS concentrations in low-flow discharge in New Jersey (less 

than 10 mg/L). The use of a high SS concentration 

resulted in a large mass of sediment calculated to be 

on the filters, which in turn resulted in a very low total 

PCB (10 ng/g) concentration for the October sample. 

This value is approximately one-half to one-seventh of 

the total PCB concentrations in the other Raritan River 

sediment samples (18 ng/g to 70 ng/g). The cause for 

the anomalously high SS concentrations could not be 

determined and may be the result of random sand particles having being caught in the grab samples or the 

result of lab error. An erroneous SS concentration can 

have a substantial effect on the resulting contaminant 

concentration. For example, if the SS concentration 

in the river was 9 mg/L rather than 67 mg/L, the total 

PCB concentration in the Oct. 4, 2001, sample would 

match the PCB content in the other low-flow sample 

(June 27, 2000) collected on this river (table 12). 

Although the particulate concentration for this sample 

is considered to be anomalous, the sample was used in 

calculating the average concentrations for the Raritan 

River.

The samples collected from the Raritan River on Apr. 

13, 2001, and again on Oct. 4, 2001, had a large number of dissolved congeners reported as nondetected. 

The total dissolved PCB concentrations reflect the 

EDLs that were reported for these samples.

•	 Passaic River—The Passaic River sample collected on 

Dec. 15, 2000, is considered anomalous and was not 

used. Sampling on this date was initiated several hours 

late, after the river discharge had peaked (fig. 5), during which time the discharge was constant at approximately four times the low-flow discharge. It is possible 

the river was being affected by water-supply diversion 

upstream from the sampling point. Concentrations of 

SS in the river dropped substantially after the sampling was initiated and remained steady throughout the 

sampled period at concentrations typical of low-flow 

conditions (<10 mg/L), well below the peak concentrations measured for this river during this and subsequent 

storm events. The total PCB concentration for the 

sediment (5,400 ng/g) is much greater than any other 

samples collected from this river. It is likely that finegrained-sized materials (containing a high content of 

carbon) remained in suspension and had been captured. 

Further work is required to verify this hypothesis. 

The data from this sampling event were not used to 

calculate average concentrations of PCBs, CDD/CDFs, 

PAHs, pesticides, or metals in the Passaic River.

The sample collected from the Passaic River on Mar. 

14, 2001, had low recoveries of IS for the sediment 

phase.

•	 Rahway River—The sediment sample collected from 

the Rahway River on Apr. 28, 2002, had low recoveries for nine IS and a high recovery for one IS (#32L). 

These recoveries may have affected the reported 

concentrations of several penta-homolog congeners. 

Nevertheless, the sample results were used.

•	 Elizabeth River—The Elizabeth River sample collected on May 22, 2001 (wet-weather), had a low 

concentrations of particulate PCBs compared with the 

other samples collected from this river. The low concentrations may result from the wet-weather discharge 

for this date. The high SS concentration of this sample 

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 21
(174 mg/L) may indicate that sand was captured in 

the sample, thereby “diluting” the sediment-bound 

PCB concentration. Alternatively, the recoveries of all 

PCB IS were acceptable but low (11 to 17 percent), 

unlike any other sample collected in this work. These 

low recoveries are suspect and could have been the 

result of laboratory error or chemical interferences that 

affected recovery. However, because evidence was not 

found for laboratory error, the dissolved and particulate 

PCBs were included in calculating average concentrations for the Elizabeth River.

•	 Hackensack River—The Hackensack River sample 

collected on Oct. 19, 2001, was reported to have been 

mishandled in the laboratory. The PCB composition of this sample differs from the other low-flow 

samples collected on this river and are suspect. As a 

result, the Oct. 19, 2001, sample was removed from 

the data set and the river was resampled in July 2002. 

It is also important to note that the sample collected in 

the tidal area of the Hackensack River (downstream 

of the lower Oradell dam) in March 2001 is a mixture 

of freshwater from the Oradell Reservoir and water 

affected by tidal action. The data for the sample collected in March 2001 were not used in calculating 

average freshwater concentrations or loads for this 

river. A large number of the congeners in the dissolved 

fraction of this sample had nondetectable concentrations, resulting in a total dissolved PCB concentration 

highly biased by the EDL. A similar problem exists for 

Figure 5. Concentration of suspended-sediment and discharge in the Passaic River at Little Falls, N.J., December 2000.

Discharge

Sampled interval

Suspended sediment

12/13/00 12/14/00 12/15/00 12/16/00

DATE

1,000

900

800

700

600

500

400

300

200

100

0

DISCHARGE, IN CUBIC FEET PER SECOND

16

14

12

10

8

6

4

2

0

SUSPENDED SEDIMENT, IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER

the dissolved fraction of the low-flow sample collected 

in June 2000.

Relation of Whole-Water Concentrations to Water-Quality 

Criteria

Regulatory levels for chemicals including total PCBs 

(sum of all congeners) in surface water are promulgated in 

“whole-water” concentrations, in units of mass per volume.

Whole-water concentrations are the sum of the dissolved 

and sediment-bound concentrations and, therefore, will vary 

with the amount of suspended matter in the sample:

Ctotal = Cd + (Cp * SS / 1000) (8)

where

Ctotal = whole-water total concentration, in mass 

per liter of water

Cd = dissolved concentration, in mass per liter 

of water

Cp = Sediment concentration, in mass per gram 

of sediment;

and

SS = suspended sediment concentration, in mass 

per liter of water.

The New Jersey regulatory chronic level for total PCBs 

in fresh-surface water (FW2) is set at 14 ng/L for aquatic life 

and 0.064 ng/L for human exposure; in saline estuarine and 

coastal water, the criteria have been set at 30 ng/L for aquatic 

22 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
distribution in the dissolved phase is complicated by degradation, sediment partitioning, and the relative ease at which the 

different homologs can dissolve into water.

The average homolog distribution is very similar in the 

sediment from the Raritan, Rahway, and Hackensack Rivers, 

being dominated by the tetra-, penta-, and hexa-chlorinated 

homolog groups. The average homolog distribution in the Passaic River is similar to the distribution in the other rivers but 

has slightly more (approximately 5 to 10 percent) of the tetrahomolog and slightly less (3 to 12 percent) of the penta- and 

hexa-homologs. In four of the rivers, over 30 percent of the 

total sediment-bound PCBs (by weight) are from the pentagroup, followed by the hexa- and tetra-chlorinated homologs. 

The average homolog distribution in the Elizabeth River 

sediment is different; nearly 30 percent of the total PCBs (by 

weight) are from the hexa-homolog group, followed by the 

hepta-, and the penta-homologs. In the Elizabeth River, the 

penta-homolog represents only 17 percent of the total PCB 

mass. In all rivers, the octa-homolog groups represent 2 to 6 

percent of the total PCBs. The mono+di-, nona-, and decachlorinated homologs each make up less than 1 percent of the 

total.

The average homolog distribution in the sediment is 

compared to the homolog distribution of four Aroclors (1242, 

1254, 1248, and 1260) in table 13 on both a weight and molar 

basis. Aroclor 1242 was the mixture released into the upper 

Hudson River (Erickson, 1997). The average sediment composition in the Elizabeth River is most similar to Aroclor 1260 

in the percentage of hexa- through deca-chlorinated homologs, 

although the sediment is enriched in some homologs, especially the penta-chlorinated homolog. Close inspection of this 

table shows the average sediment compositions did not match 

any of these three Aroclors exactly. This indicates the river 

sediment has likely been impacted by a mixture of Aroclor 

sources as well as the degradation of heavier congeners or 

volatilization of the lighter congeners. Multivariate analysis 

or other methods might resolve the mixes that best match the 

composition of these sediments.

The homolog distribution for dissolved trace congeners in 

the Passaic River differed slightly from the other rivers, in that 

the hepta-, octa-, nona-, and deca-homologs each represented 

less than 1 percent of the total PCBs; in the other rivers, these 

homologs represented between 3 and 10 percent of the total 

PCBs. Using only detected values, the dissolved PCBs were 

found to be dominated by the tri- and tetra-homolog groups 

in all rivers except the Elizabeth, where the mono+di- and trihomologs each represented over 30 percent of the total PCBs.

Concentrations During Stormflow and Low Flow

The composition, as measured by the absolute and relative concentration, of the sediment and water transported in a 

river may change as discharge changes from low-level (base 

flow) to storm levels. Each upstream tributary and point/nonpoint source that discharges to the river may deliver sediment 

and water having a unique composition that, when mixed with 

life and 0.064 ng/L for human exposure. The different criteria 

have been set on the basis of exposure, the chronic aquaticlife protection is the limit as a 4-day average concentration, 

and the human-health limit is the carcinogenic effect-based 

human health 70-day average exposure based on a risk level 

of one-in-one-million. The whole-water concentrations in the 

rivers sampled in this study are presented in table 12. Concentrations ranged from 0.835 ng/L in the Hackensack River up to 

149 ng/L in the Elizabeth River. All of samples from the Elizabeth River exceeded the freshwater chronic aquatic criteria of 

14 ng/L. Clearly, all the measured and averaged PCB concentrations in these waters exceeded the water-quality standards 

for human exposure, and individual samples from the Passaic, 

Rahway, and Elizabeth Rivers exceeded the aquatic-life criteria standard.

Whole-water concentrations of chemicals, especially 

organic compounds such as PCBs and dioxin/furans, will be 

very strongly affected by the amount of sediment captured in 

a sample. As is discussed later in this report, chemicals such 

as PCBs are strongly partitioned into the sediment phase. For 

example, the average in situ sediment/water ratios for PCBs 

measured in this study are typically on the order of 1 to 3x105

L/kg. If the suspended sediment has a total PCB concentration 

of 200 ng/g and is in water having a total PCB concentration 

of 1 ng/L (sediment/water = 2x105 L/kg), then each milligram 

of sediment contributes 200 pg of PCB, approximately onefifth the mass of PCB in a liter of this river water. Under these 

conditions, the freshwater water-quality criteria (14 ng/L) 

is exceeded whenever the SS in the surface water exceeds 

65 mg/L. The SS concentrations that will cause the water to 

exceed the freshwater chronic aquatic-life criteria, calculated 

using the average sediment and water PCB concentrations 

from table 12, are 294 mg/L for the Raritan River, 50 mg/L for 

the Passaic River, 30 mg/L for the Rahway River, 3.7 mg/L for 

the Elizabeth River, and 149 mg/L for the Hackensack River. 

Inspection of the historic USGS SS concentrations and the SS 

concentrations measured in this work shows these concentrations of SS often occur on these rivers (except the Hackensack 

River), and for the Elizabeth River, are often exceeded even 

during “low-flow” discharges. This example shows also the 

parameters of a water body (such as the SS concentration) 

must be defined when comparing measured concentrations to 

regulatory whole-water criteria.

Distribution Among Homologs

The distribution of the PCB congeners among the 10 

homolog groups serves to help distinguish the chemistry of 

the different rivers and is a means to compare the sediment 

compositions with potential sources. The percentage each 

homolog group contributes to the average total PCB content of 

the sediment and water was calculated (table 13) and provides 

homolog “fingerprints” of the sediment in the various rivers 

(fig. 6). These fingerprints may reflect the original source(s) to 

each river basin but are complicated by the degradation that is 

likely to occur when sediment is buried in the streambeds. The 

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 23
Table 13. Average homolog distribution of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in sediment and water in samples from selected rivers in New Jersey.

[ng/g, nanogram per gram; pg/L, picogram per liter; n, number of congeners measured in homolog group; values in percent; --. not applicable; wt percent, weight percent]

Homolog 

group, number 

of congeners 

measured in study, 

and total number 

of congeners in 

homolog group

Percent in 

Aroclor

1242

(wt percent)

Percent in 

Aroclor

1248

(wt percent)

Percent in 

Aroclor 1254

(wt percent)

Percent in 

Aroclor 1260

(wt percent)

Raritan

River

(wt percent)

Passaic

River

(wt percent)

Rahway

River

(wt percent)

Elizabeth

River

(wt percent)

Hackensack

River

 (wt percent)

Hackensack

River

Tidal

(1 sample)

(wt percent)

Aroclor Composition Sediment-bound PCBs

Mono+di (n=7,15) 12.8 1.36 0.22 .07 0.73 1.7 0.47 1.4 1.6 1.7

Tri (n=13,24) 42.8 20.4 1.21 .17 3.3 10.3 5.9 6.9 4.1 9.7

Tetra (n=24,42) 30.6 31.6 10.2 .42 16.4 25.9 19.6 12.4 20.6 23.6

Penta (n=22,46) 6.32 40.0 57.8 4.93 35.8 32.4 36.3 16.5 39.7 29.3

Hexa (n=21,42) .31 1.50 23.7 25.6 25.2 18.4 23.7 30.7 22.6 21.6

Hepta (n=14,24) .00 .02 2.59 37.1 12.6 7.4 10.3 24.3 8.2 9.4

Octa (n=9,12) .00 .00 .40 6.09 4.2 2.5 3.1 6.2 2.3 3.1

Nona (n=3,3) .00 .00 .40 .70 1.1 .81 .56 1.0 .60 1.07

Deca (n=1,1) .00 .00 .00 -- 0.7 .51 .27 .44 .31 .49

Average total PCB, 

ng/g

-- -- -- --

44.9 248 420 2,460 89.2 168

Dissolved PCBs1

Mono+di (n=7) -- -- -- -- 6.0 10.8 4.7 34.0 14.3 3.5

Tri (n=13) -- -- -- -- 29.5 36.2 26.5 33.3 29.8 19.2

Tetra (n=24) -- -- -- -- 22.5 35.9 32.5 16.0 28.3 18.9

Penta (n=22) -- -- -- -- 20.0 12.6 21.0 6.8 15.3 22.9

Hexa (n=21) -- -- -- -- 11.9 3.5 8.8 6.6 6.5 10.6

Hepta (n=14) -- -- -- -- 6.0 .71 3.9 2.7 3.4 12.8

Octa (n=9) -- -- -- -- 2.9 .19 1.9 .52 1.8 9.1

Nona (n=3) -- -- -- -- .83 .09 .50 .12 .46 2.7

Deca (n=1) -- -- -- -- .25 .02 .17 .02 .16 .44

Average total PCB, 

pg/L

-- -- -- -- 883 1,700 1,400 5,050 740 1,090

1 A large number of congeners in several of the dissolved samples were reported as non-detected. The percent distribution for the homolog groups in the dissolved phase samples may be skewed by the use 

of 1⁄2 the estimated detection level in place of non-detected congener concentrations.

24 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Table 13. Average homolog distribution of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in sediment and water in samples from selected rivers in New Jersey.—Continued

[ng/g, nanogram per gram; pg/L, picogram per liter; n, number of congeners measured in homolog group; values in percent; --. not applicable; wt percent, weight percent]

Homolog 

group, number 

of congeners 

measured in study, 

and total number 

of congeners in 

homolog group

Percent in 

Aroclor

1242

(mole

percent)

Percent in 

Aroclor 1248

(mole percent)

Percent in 

Aroclor 1254

(mole percent)

Percent in 

Aroclor 1260

(mole percent)

Raritan

River

(mole percent)

Passaic

River

(mole percent)

Rahway

River

(mole percent)

Elizabeth

River

(mole percent)

Hackensack

River

(mole percent))

Hackensack

River

Tidal

(mole percent)

Aroclor Composition Sediment-bound PCBs

Mono+di (n=7,15) 16.5 1.87 0.34 0.12 1.1 2.5 0.70 2.7 2.9 0.35

Tri (n=13,24) 47.9 24.1 1.60 .31 4.3 13 7.5 12 8.1 2.1

Tetra (n=24,42) 29.9 53.9 18.9 .65 19 28 22 18 20 3.9

Penta (n=22,46) 5.42 18.8 54.3 10.5 37 32 37 15 35 4.1

Hexa (n=21,42) .24 1.27 22.5 43.1 24 16 22 27 20 2.7

Hepta (n=14,24) .00 .01 2.25 37.4 11 5.9 8.6 20 10 1.1

Octa (n=9,12) .00 .00 .04 7.29 3.3 1.9 2.4 4.7 28 11

Nona (n=3,3) .00 .00 .03 .60 .79 .56 .40 .61 .63 73

Deca (n=1,1) .00 .00 .00 .00 .46 .33 .18 .18 .28 2.2

Average total PCB, 

picomoles/g

-- -- -- -- 141 794 1,560 4,920 283 3,600

Dissolved PCBs1

Mono+di (n=7) -- -- -- -- 7.9 13 6.2 40 14 4.9

Tri (n=13) -- -- -- -- 34 39 30 34 30 24

Tetra (n=24) -- -- -- -- 23 34 33 14 28 21

Penta (n=22) -- -- -- -- 18 11 19 5.4 15 22

Hexa (n=21) -- -- -- -- 9.8 2.7 7.2 4.8 6.5 9.3

Hepta (n=14) -- -- -- -- 4.5 .50 2.9 1.8 3.4 10.3

Octa (n=9) -- -- -- -- 2.0 .13 1.3 .32 1.8 6.7

Nona (n=3) -- -- -- -- .53 .05 .31 .06 .46 1.8

Deca (n=1) -- -- -- -- .15 .01 .10 .01 .16 .28

Average total PCB, 

picomoles/L

-- -- -- -- 4.33 6.33 4.94 18.7 2.72 3.43

1 A large number of congeners in several of the dissolved samples were reported as non-detected. The percent distribution for the homolog groups in the dissolved phase samples may be skewed by the use 

of 1⁄2 the estimated detection level in place of non-detected congener concentrations.

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 25
Figure 6. Average homolog distribution (by weight) of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in sediment from selected rivers in 

New Jersey.

Raritan

Passaic

Rahway

Elizabeth

Hackensack

40

35

30

25

20

15

10

5

0

Mono+Di Tri Tetra Penta Hexa Hepta Octa Nona Deca

PCB HOMOLOG GROUP

PERCENT OF TOTAL PCB BY WEIGHT

the main branch of the river, causes the river composition 

to vary as a function of discharge. Thus, as discharge rises 

during a storm, water and sediment enter the river from point 

and nonpoint sources that normally would not contribute to 

the river during dry-weather flow. The sediment transported 

during low flow will be the finest grain-size material winnowed from the bottom sediment of the river. This material 

has a large surface area to weight ratio and may contain a 

high contaminant concentration per mass of sediment. During 

storms, not only will new sediment and water be introduced 

to the river, but also material may be eroded from the stream 

banks and bed; this material will generally include larger 

grain-sized material. Larger grained-sized materials will have 

small surface area to weight ratios and, because it is likely less 

favorable to sequester organic contaminants; commonly have 

lower contaminant concentration (lower mass per unit mass of 

sediment). In other words, it is possible that storm-transported 

materials may be cleaner than the fine-grained materials (per 

unit mass) transported under dry conditions. Material eroded 

from deep within the stream bed may also contain chemicals 

formed by the degradation of other chemicals and historical 

contamination. Depending on composition and volumes, storm 

inputs may cause the river composition to vary greatly.

Composite samples (produced by mixing multiple 

same-volume aliquots of river water collected over the course 

of a storm) are collected in order to “average out” the time 

dependent variations caused by the different storm-water 

sources. Large changes in the composition of composite 

samples collected during low flow and stormflow indicate a 

substantial input of storm-related discharge and/or sediment. 

In the Rahway River, for example, substantially different dissolved total PCBs concentrations were observed between low 

flow (having a high total PCB concentrations in the water) and 

storm discharge (where lower dissolved concentrations were 

found) (table 12). The change in total PCB concentrations 

during storms in sediment concentrations from the Elizabeth 

River is less clear, as both high and extremely low concentrations were measured (table 12). Alternatively, little variation in 

total concentration suggests that steady, well-mixed source(s) 

of sediment and water occur. The sediment and water in the 

Passaic River show this type of response (table 12).

26 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
It is instructive, therefore, to compare the composition 

of the rivers during low-flow and stormflow discharges. The 

changes in concentrations of SS, carbon, and ion load (specific 

conductance) observed during storm events are discussed elsewhere in this report. To demonstrate the changes in the PCB 

composition, the ratio of the concentrations in storm samples 

to the concentrations in low-flow samples was calculated 

using the relative concentration of the individual congeners or 

averages for homolog groups. Ratios of the absolute concentration of total PCBs were also calculated to demonstrate if 

the dilution by “clean water” (precipitation) or sediment or 

the enrichment by runoff or discharges that contain high PCB 

content occurred. A similar comparison made using relative 

concentrations (weight percent) was made to determine if 

different sources were evident during storm and lower flow 

conditions.

 The ratios of average relative concentrations in storm 

and low-flow discharge samples for the different PCB homolog groups are summarized in table 14. The ratio for the absolute concentration of total PCBs is also presented to illustrate 

if the storm water contained more or less total PCBs than the 

low flow. The storm/low-flow ratio for the individual homolog 

groups should equal (or nearly equal) 1 if the stormflow and 

low-flow chemical makeup were similar (independent of total 

concentration). A relative concentration ratio for a homolog 

group that differs substantially from 1 indicates the sediment 

or water that entered the stream during the storm is chemically 

different (for the specific homolog group) from the sediment 

transported during low flow. Considering the uncertainty associated with the concentrations, stormflow ratios within +/- 0.2 

are considered to be equal. The ratio for total PCBs calculated 

using absolute concentrations will indicate if the storm water 

contained more (ratios >1) or less (ratios <1) total PCBs than 

in low flow. Unfortunately, the small number of samples collected precludes the use of statistical significance testing and 

also limits the confidence that can be placed on hypotheses to 

explain the processes responsible for the observed differences 

in PCB makeup. Also, because these ratios are generated using 

average concentrations for homolog groups, enrichments or 

depletions of any specific PCB congener may be masked

The changes that occur in the PCB composition of each 

river during selected storm events can be summarized as follows:

•	 Raritan River—The ratio of mean storm to the mean 

low-flow total PCB concentration in the Raritan is 

1.3, indicating that the sediment transported during a 

storm contained about 30 percent more total PCBs than 

during low flow, which is greater than the estimated 

error associated with the chemical analyses (Bonin and 

Wilson, 2006). The ratios of the relative concentrations of the homolog groups, with the exception of the 

mono+di- and tri-chlorination group, are near 1 (+/- 

0.2), indicating the sediment transported during storms 

and low flow had nearly identical homolog composition. The mono+di- and tri-chlorinated congeners 

clearly were greatly enriched during the storms. An 

increase in only a low-chlorinated homolog group(s) 

may indicate that, during the storm, sediment transported was enriched in congeners formed by degredation of higher chlorinated PCBs (Brown and others, 

1987). The ratio for the dissolved total PCB concentration is 1.3, indicating the storm water had a PCB content 30 percent greater than the low-discharge water, 

similar to the enrichment in the sediment. The sources 

of water to the river during precipitation events clearly 

contained more PCBs than did the sources during lowflow conditions. The ratios of relative concentrations 

show that storm water contained higher percentages of 

the mono+di- and tri-homologs and lower percentages 

of the penta-, hepta-, and octa- congeners.

•	 Passaic River—The concentration ratio for total-PCBs 

in the sediment in the Passaic River is 0.9, indicating 

the sediment transported during storms had about the 

same total PCB concentrations as sediment carried during low flow. The ratios of tri- and tetra-homologs are 

near 1.3, while the ratios for the other homologs are 

0.7 to 0.9. The ratio for the concentrations of dissolved 

total PCB (0.7) indicates the river water contained less 

total PCBs compared with low flow, indicating the 

effects of dilution. The diluting water differed in its 

composition from low flow, having a lower proportion 

of the penta- thru hepta-chlorinated homologs.

•	 Rahway River—The concentration ratio for the total 

PCBs in sediment in the Rahway River is 0.5, indicating sediment transported during storms had about 

one-half the total PCB content of sediment carried 

during low flow. The sediment transported during 

storms contained about the same abundance of all 

homologs except the mono+di-congeners. The ratio for 

dissolved total PCBs (0.8) indicates storm waters also 

contained less total PCBs compared with low-flow; 

the relative concentration ratios show the storm water 

was enriched in the mono+di and the penta- to heptahomologs and was depleted in the tetra-homologs.

•	 Elizabeth River—The Elizabeth River shows changes 

in absolute concentrations between stormflow and 

low flow. The concentration ratio for total PCBs in the 

sediment of the Elizabeth River is 0.8 indicating sediment transported during storms contained 80 percent 

of the total PCBs in low-flow sediment. Mono+di-, 

tri-, and tetra-chlorinated homologs were lower in the 

storm water sediment and the penta-, hexa-, nona-, and 

deca-chlorinated homologs were enriched.

The ratio for the dissolved total PCB is 0.4, showing 

that, like the sediment, the storm discharge also contained a substantially lower absolute concentration of 

total PCBs. All homologs except the octa-chlorinated 

congeners were depleted in the storm water.

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 27
Table 14. Ratio of the average concentration of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) homologs in storm samples to that in low-flow samples collected from selected rivers in New 

Jersey.[Values for PCB homologs are unitless ratios of weight percent in storm samples to weight percent in low-flow samples; values for POC, DOC, suspended sediment, and total PCBs are unitless ratios of concentration in storm samples to concentration in low-flow samples; --, no detectable congeners in homolog group, ratio incalculable; POC, particulate organic carbon; DOC, dissolved organic carbon; NA, not applicable]

River POC

Suspended 

sediment

PCB Homolog Group (Chlorination level)- suspended sediment

Mono + Di Tri Tetra Penta Hexa Hepta Octa Nona Deca Total PCB

Sediment Phase

Raritan1 2.6 3.8 3.2 4.4 0.9 1.0 0.9 1.0 1.0 0.8 0.9 1.3

Passaic2 1.6 1.3 0.7 1.3 1.3 0.9 0.7 0.8 0.8 0.7 0.8 .9Rahway3 3.9 6.7 1.4 1.0 0.9 1.0 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.2 1.2 .5Elizabeth4 28 28 0.7 0.6 0.7 1.3 1.2 1.0 1.0 1.2 1.7 .8Hackensack5 1.3 2.8 1.2 2.6 1.3 .8 .9 .8 .8 1.2 1.1 1.9

DOC Dissolved Phase

Raritan1 1.0 NA 1.9 1.6 1.1 0.6 1.0 .8 .9 1.0 -- 1.3

Passaic2 .9 NA .9 1.0 1.1 .9 .7 .6 -- -- -- .7Rahway3 1.4 NA 1.3 .9 .7 1.3 1.4 2.6 -- -- -- .8

Elizabeth4 1.2 NA .8 .9 1.2 2.0 1.4 1.3 1.6 -- -- .4

Hackensack5 .8 NA -- 1.3 1.1 1.2 -- -- -- -- -- 1.5

1 Ratio of average of Raritan samples Apr. 13, 2001, Mar. 3, 2002, Mar. 21, 2002, to average of Raritan samples June 27, 2000, and Oct. 4, 2001.2 Ratio of Passaic sample Mar. 14, 2001, to average of Passaic samples June 22, 2000, and Oct. 17, 2001.3 Ratio of average of Rahway samples Apr. 28, 2002, and May 22, 2001, to average of Rahway samples June 28, 2000, and Apr. 24, 2001.4 Ratio of average of Elizabeth samples May 22, 2001, and June 4, 2003, to Elizabeth samples June 29, 2000, and Apr. 25, 2001.5 Ratio of Hackensack sample Mar. 13, 2001 (HAC4), to average of Hackensack samples June 23, 2000, and July 19, 2002.

28 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
•	 Hackensack River—The Hackensack River was 

not sampled at the HOT during a storm. However, 

the chemistry of water/sediment discharged from the 

Oradell Reservoir could be compared with the composition from downstream of the lower Oradell dam 

(site HAC4), collected from an area affected by tidal 

action. The concentration ratio for total PCBs in the 

sediment is 1.9, indicating sediment below the lower 

dam contained about twice the total PCBs compared 

with the sediment leaving the reservoir. The relative concentration ratios indicate sediment collected 

from the tidally affected area had a higher abundance 

of mono+di- through the tetra-homologs – all other 

homologs were about equal in the storm and low-flow 

sediment. The ratio for the dissolved total PCBs (1.5) 

indicates downstream water contained about 50 percent 

more dissolved total PCBs than did the water leaving 

the reservoir. The homolog ratio of the water downstream of the lower Oradell dam was roughly equal in 

the tri-, tetra-, and penta-homologs.

The variation in the composition of the Passaic and Elizabeth Rivers sediment and water during storms is especially 

interesting. Plots of the relative stormflow/low-flow ratios of 

the individual PCB congener (in weight percentage) were prepared using a low-flow sample and stormflow sample, rather 

than average concentrations, to demonstrate these changes 

(figs. 7 to 10).

In the Passaic River sediment, the total PCB concentration decreased only slightly, from 256 ng/g in the Oct. 17, 

2001, low-flow sample to 238 ng/g in the Mar. 14, 2001, storm 

sample. This change (7 percent) may be insignificant, because 

it is within the estimated precision of the analytical work. The 

plot shows the storm sediment contained slightly less pentathrough octa-chlorinated isomers and was enriched in the 

mono+di-, tri-, and tetra-chlorinated homologs. Five distinct 

congeners are highly enriched in the storm sample—the significance of these isolated enrichments is unclear. The dissolved 

total PCB concentration in the storm sample (fig. 8) was lower 

than that in the low-flow sample, as shown in the plot, was the 

result of lower penta-, hexa-, and hepta- -chlorinated congeners in the storm sample.

The Elizabeth River showed a different response to a 

storm; the total PCB concentration in the sediment (fig. 9) 

decreased 75 percent from 3,050 ng/g in low-flow sediment 

(April 25, 2001, sample) to 725 ng/g in storm sediment (May 

22, 2001, sample). The sediment that was transported during the storm contained much higher abundance of only a 

few congeners, mainly from the penta- and hexa-chlorinated 

homologs. The remaining congeners remained at levels similar 

to those measured in sediment collected during low flow.

The absolute concentration of total PCBs in the dissolved phase (fig. 10) also decreased (53 percent) from 6,580 

pg/L (April 25, 2001, sample) to 3,080 pg/L (May 22, 2001, 

sample) during the storm. The congener ratios plot in a distinct 

pattern that increases from the tetra- up to the nona-homologs, 

where enrichements of near two to three times are observed. 

The pattern produced by the Elizabeth River data is unique 

among the rivers studied here, because the congener distribution of the dissolved phase changed greatly during the storm, 

although the absolute concentration of total PCBs decreased. 

Clearly, whatever the source of the water and sediment is during the storms, it had a great affect on the relative composition 

of this river.

Sediment-Water Partitioning

Hydrophobic organic contaminants such as PCBs will 

partition between coexisting water, sediment, carbon, and the 

gas phases in aqueous environments. Given sufficient time, 

contaminants will move between these phases until a thermodynamic and/or kinetic equilibrium is reached between uptake 

and release from each phase. To a large extent, phase partitioning is the dominant control on the fate and transport of chemical contaminants in the environment. Because of its importance, considerable effort has been placed on understanding 

the apparent water-sediment partitioning of organic chemicals. 

This partitioning is affected by temperature and other chemical-physical factors, for example, by the fact that as sediment 

repeatedly erodes, transports, and deposits in various environments in a river, it moves through different environments and 

conditions. As a result, river sediment and water are constantly 

attempting to reequilibrate with their environment. Although 

likely to be a kinetically controlled process, partitioning is 

commonly assumed to be an “instantanous equilibrium” process in fate and transport models of natural systems.

Semi-empirical models of equilibrium partitioning commonly involve two or more phases. In a two-phase model, the 

sorbate (PCBs or other organic compounds) is considered to 

be either in the particulate or dissolved phase. Other phases 

exist, for example, the non-filterable colloid fraction phase. In 

the work conducted here, colloidal particulates were not separated from the water and (along with the gas phase) are considered to contribute to the dissolved chemicals sequestered on 

the XAD columns. As described by Butcher and others (1998) 

and Schwarzenbach and others (1993), two-phase chemical 

partitioning can be described by:

Kda = Cp,a / (SS * Cd,a) (9)

where

Kda	 =	 the apparent partition coefficient;

p = particulate matter;

d = dissolved phase;

a = the apparent measure of concentration 

within the phase (based on filtration);

C = concentration of the chemical “a” in the 

indicated phase in mass per liter or mass 

per kilogram;

and

SS = the concentration of suspended solids in 

the sample, which includes inorganic and 

organic (abiotic and biotic) matter.

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 29
Figure 7. Ratio of concentration of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners in sediment in storm samples to the concentration in 

low-flow samples from the Passaic River, New Jersey.

Figure 8. Ratio of concentration of dissolved polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners in storm samples to the concentration in lowflow samples from the Passaic River, New Jersey.

Tri Tetra Penta Hexa Hept Octa

5.5

5.0

4.5

4.0

3.5

3.0

2.5

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0

RATIO OF WEIGHT PERCENT IN STORM SEDIMENT

TO THAT IN LOW-FLOW SEDIMENT SAMPLE

Sediment

Low-flow 10/17/01: Total PCB = 256 nanograms per gram

Storm 3/14/01: Total PCBs = 238 nanograms per gram

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150 160 170 180 190 200 210 220

PCB CONGENER NUMBER AND HOMOLOG GROUP

2.0

1.8

1.6

1.4

1.2

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0

RATIO OF WEIGHT PERCENT IN STORMWATER TO THAT IN LOW-FLOW WATER SAMPLES

Dissolved PCBs

Low-flow 10/17/01: Total PCB = 1,930 picograms per liter

Storm 3/14/01: Total PCBs = 1,300 picograms per liter

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150 160 170 180 190 200 210 220

PSB CONGENER NUMBER AND HOMOLOG GROUP

Tri Tetra Penta Hexa Hept Octa

30 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Figure 9. Ratio of concentration of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners in sediment in storm samples to the concentration in 

low-flow samples from Elizabeth River, New Jersey.

Tri Tetra Penta Hexa Hepta Octa

4.0

3.5

3.0

2.5

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0

RATIO OF WEIGHT PERCENT IN STORM SEDIMENT TO THAT IN

LOW-FLOW SEDIMENT SAMPLES

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150 160 170 180 190 200 210 220

PCB CONGENER NUMBER AND HOMOLOG GROUP

Elizabeth River sediment concentrations

Low-flow March 25, 2001: Total PCB = 3,050 nanograms per gram

Storm May 22, 2001: Total PCBs = 725 nanograms per gram

Figure 10. Ratio of concentration of dissolved polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners in storm samples to the concentration in lowflow samples from Elizabeth River, New Jersey.

4.0

3.5

3.0

2.5

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0

RATIO OF WEIGHT PERCENT IN STORMWATER TO THAT IN

LOW-FLOW WATER SAMPLES

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150 160 170 180 200 210 190 220

PCB CONGENER NUMBER AND HOMOLOG GROUP

Tri Tetra Penta Hexa Hepta Octa

Dissolved PCBs

Low-flow April 25, 2001: Total PCB = 6,580 picograms per liter

Storm May 22, 2001: Total PCBs = 3,080 picograms per liter

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 31
This equation reduces to:

Kda = Cp,a / Cd,a (10)

where

Cp,a = sediment normalized concentration of the 

chemical of interest

Sorption of hydrophobic organics such as PCBs occurs 

preferentially to organic matter associated with particles. For 

this reason, the partitioning is often described by

Koc = Cpoc / Cd,a (11)

where

Koc = organic carbon normalized distribution 

coefficient; and

Cpoc = particulate concentration of chemical 

normalized to either the mass of carbon 

or the percent fraction of carbon in the 

particulates.

A related constant that is commonly presented is Kom, 

the partitioning coefficient between water and solid organic 

matter (rather than organic carbon). Kom and Koc are related. 

The mass of organic carbon in a suspended-sediment sample is 

calculated using the measured POC concentration and volume 

of water filtered. The fraction of organic carbon (foc) in the 

particulate phase is calculated as:

f

oc = POC/SS (12)

For many natural materials that contain cellulose, lignin, 

fulvic acids from soils, humin, and humic acids derived from 

sediment and soils (Schwarzenbach and others, 1993), the 

fraction of organic matter (fom) relates to the foc by

f

om = 2 * foc (13)

This relation reflects the fact that organic matter is composed of about one-half organic carbon (Schwarzenbach and 

others, 1993). As a result, the relation between Kd, Koc, and 

Kom is:

Koc = Kd / f

oc (14)

Kom = Kd/f

om = Kd / 2foc (15)

showing that Kom will be one-half the equivalent Koc.

Partitioning is modeled using linear and non-linear 

regression analysis of the chemical concentrations in water 

and co-existing particulates. The calculated regression lines, 

called isotherms, allow the prediction of one phase concentration from the measurement or estimation of the concentration 

in the second phase. The slope of the regression line represents 

the average sediment-water concentration ratio and is equivalent to Kd or Koc. To accurately measure in situ partitioning, 

coexisting samples of the dissolved and particulate different 

phases must be collected with as little disturbance as possible 

to the chemical content of the sediment or water. As a result, 

most partitioning is studied by static experiments conducted 

in the laboratory where conditions can be controlled. The 

large volume sampling methods and the low-level analysis 

methods employed in this study allowed for evaluating the in 

situ partitioning, especially for samples collected during lowflow discharge. During low flow, the river discharge remains 

relatively constant, and thus so does the grain size of the sediment, the temperature, agitation, and volatilization. For these 

reasons, the partitioning of PCBs is best evaluated using only 

the low-flow sample data.

Partitioning constants for total PCBs were determined 

as the slopes of the best-fit regression lines to fit to nontransformed or logarithmic transformed data (fig. 11 to 13). 

Partitioning coefficients for the individual homolog groups 

were calculated as the logarithm of the average sedimentwater concentration ratio, or the average sediment carbonwater concentration ratio for each river (table 15) (note that 

the Elizabeth River sample from June, 2003 was not used in 

calculating the lines for all data in these figures). For some 

congeners where a large number of values were nondetected, 

the concentrations represent EDLs, which may bias the sediment-water ratios presented here.

A fairly strong correlation was found between the nontransformed total PCB concentrations (dissolved and sediment) in the low-flow samples (r2

=0.90), resulting in a Kd of 

396,461 L/Kg (fig. 11). Surprisingly, the correlation for the 

log-transformed concentrations was not as strong (r2=0.69) 

and resulted in a log Kd of 1.68 L/Kg (fig. 12). The relation 

generated when the carbon-normalized sediment concentrations were used is similar to the relation obtained for the sediment-normalized values (r2

=0.74) and resulted in a log Koc of 

1.67 L/Kg of carbon (fig. 13).

Each PCB homolog group will have unique partitioning properties, which are reflected in the variations in average sediment-water ratios (table 15) that were measured and 

in the different octanol-water partitioning coefficients that 

exist for each homolog. Octanol-water partitioning coefficients are experimentally derived values that describe the 

equilibrium partitioning between water and an organic solvent 

(octanol), which serves as a surrogate for natural organic 

matter. MacKay and others (2000) summarized the literature 

for experimentally derived octanol-water partitioning coefficients (Kow). A range of Kow values have been reported in the 

literature because of differences in experimental methodologies, analytical methods, temperature, and other experimental 

factors. Schwarzenbach and others (1993) described several 

empirical relations that relate ocatanol-water coefficients to 

measured Kom values. For example, a relation that Karickhoff 

32 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
(1981) developed for sorption of chlorinated hydrocarbons and 

chlorophenols in natural soils is:

log Kom = 0.88 * log Kow – 0.27 (16)

where

Kow	 =	 octanol-water partition coefficient, in units

of (mol/Kg octanol)/(mol/L water); 

and

Kom	 =	 organic matter distribution coefficient, in

units of (mol/kg organic matter) / (mol/L 

water).

This relation illustrates that Kom (and therefore Koc) values 

are predicted to be less than their corresponding Kow, which is 

likely because of the complex nature of natural organic matter 

compared with octanol.

The average sediment carbon-water concentration ratios 

for the different homolog groups in samples collected during low flow from the various rivers studied (table 15) can 

be compared with the range of reported Kow values, and the 

average Kow’s reported by Mackay and others, 2000) (fig. 14). 

Average sediment carbon-water concentration ratios range 

from 5.05 for the mono+di- congeners up to 6.95 for the decahomolog congeners. These ratios follow the general pattern 

observed in Kow’s, and show the higher chlorinated congener 

levels are more strongly favored to partition into organic 

carbon, or sorb onto solid matter, and thus have higher Kd or 

Koc constants.

 In general, average concentration ratios for the monothrough penta-homolog groups in the sample data fall within 

the range of reported Kow’s except perhaps for the mono+diand tetra- homologs which have minimum measured values 

less than their minimum respective Kow’s. The similarity in 

measured Koc and reported Kows suggests that (1) Kow can 

be used as surrogates for the PCB partitioning coefficients 

in these fresh waters, and (2) the sediment water partitioning 

is nearly that predicted by equilibrium partitioning. For the 

penta-chlorinated through deca-chlorinated congeners, however, the average measured ratios are less than the average Kow

values reported for these groups by Mackay and others (2000). 

For these compounds, using average Kow’s as a surrogate for 

Koc would over-predict the sediment or under-predict the dissolved concentration.

One other consideration when using these in situ coefficients is the influence of the uncertainy in the analytical 

measurements. As discussed by Bonin and Wilson (2006), the 

analytic uncertainty is 10 to 12 percent of the reported concentration. For the partitioning relation shown in figure 12, this 

uncertainty results in an uncertainty in a predicted concentration (sediment or water) of +/- 17 percent. An uncertainty of 

this magnitude can effect on the predictions made using an 

equilibrium-partitioning model approach.

Table 15. Average logarithmic sediment-water ratios for polychlorinated biphenyl homolog groups in samples collected during low 

flow on selected rivers in New Jersey.

[L/kg, liter per kilogram; octanol-water ratios from Mackay and others, 2000; --, not available]

River

Homolog Group

Mono+Di Tri Tetra Penta Hexa Hepta Octa Nona Deca Total

Log (L/kg of sediment)

Raritan 3.82 3.23 4.60 4.98 5.16 5.39 5.54 6.16 5.27 4.74

Passaic 4.42 4.58 4.99 5.60 5.93 6.36 7.17 -- -- 5.18

Rahway 4.59 4.97 5.42 5.84 6.15 6.43 6.95 7.25 -- 5.65

Elizabeth 4.49 5.22 5.77 6.07 6.40 6.71 7.03 7.80 7.72 5.76

Hackensack 4.10 4.16 4.90 5.46 5.69 5.80 6.03 -- -- 5.06

Average 4.28 4.43 5.14 5.59 5.87 6.14 6.54 7.07 6.49 5.28

Log (L/Kg of Carbon)

Raritan 4.99 4.61 5.73 6.08 6.17 6.14 5.98 5.99 6.30 5.83

Passaic 5.35 5.79 6.19 6.63 6.90 7.22 7.31 7.12 7.62 6.26

Rahway 5.36 5.47 5.86 6.25 6.57 6.58 6.35 6.25 6.35 6.09

Elizabeth 4.93 5.01 5.35 5.83 5.91 6.43 7.15 7.74 8.40 5.67

Hackensack 4.63 4.90 5.47 6.00 6.14 6.19 5.93 5.92 6.07 5.63

Average 5.05 5.16 5.72 6.16 6.34 6.51 6.54 6.60 6.95 5.90

 Log of octanol-water partition coefficients 

Maximum Kow 5.30 5.90 6.50 6.50 7.30 7.00 7.40 8.16 8.26 --

Average Kow 4.78 5.70 5.95 6.31 7.03 6.85 7.25 7.63 8.26 --

Minimum Kow 4.30 5.50 5.60 6.20 6.70 6.70 7.10 7.20 8.26 --

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 33
Figure 11. Relation between concentrations of total polychlorinated biphenyls in storm sediment and in water samples collected from 

selected rivers in New Jersey. (pg, picograms; L, liter; kg, kilogram)

3.5E+09

3.0E+09

0

SEDIMENT CONCENTRATION, IN PICOGRAMS PER KILOGRAM

0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 7,000 8,000 9,000

2.5E+09

2.0E+09

1.5E+09

1.0E+09

5.0E+08

DISSOLVED CONCENTRATION, IN PICOGRAMS PER LITER

All data

Sediment (pg/kg) = 389359 x Dissolved (pg/L) -2.0 x 10 8

r = 0.89, Kd = 389,360 L/kg 2

Low-flow samples only

Sediment (pg/kg) = 396461 x Dissolved (pg/L) -2.0 x 10 8

r = 0.90, Kd = 396,461 L/kg 2

Low flow only

Storm

Linear (Low flow only)

Figure 12. Relation between logrithmic concentration of total polychlorinated biphenyls in sediment samples and in water samples 

from selected rivers in New Jersey. (pg, picograms; L, liter; kg, kilogram)

10.0

9.5

5.0

LOG CONCENTRATION, IN PICOGRAMS PER KILOGRAM

2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 5.0

9.0

8.5

8.0

7.0

7.5

LOG DISSOLVED CONCENTRATION, IN PICOGRAMS PER LITER

All data

Log sediment (pg/kg) = 1.5002 x log dissolved (pg/L) + 3.5487

r = 0.590, Log Kd = 1.50 L/kg 2

Low-flow data only

Log sediment (pg/kg) = 1.6873 x log dissolved (pg/L) + 2.9359

r = 0.689, Log Kd = 1.68 L/kg 2

Low flow only

Storm

Linear (Low flow only)

6.5

5.5

6.0

34 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Figure 13. Relation between logrithmic concentrations of total polychlorinated biphenyls (carbon-normalized) in sediment and in water 

samples from selected rivers in New Jersey. (pg, picograms; L, liter; kg, kilogram)

11.0

10.5

6.0

LOG SEDIMENT, IN PICOGRAMS PER KILOGRAM

2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 5.0

10.0

9.5

9.0

8.0

8.5

LOG DISSOLVED CONCENTRATION, IN PICOGRAMS PER LITER

All data

Log sediment (pg/kg C) = log dissolved (pg/L) x 1.3158 + 5.2282

r = 0.642, Log Koc = 1.32 L/kg C 2

Low-flow data only

Log sediment (pg/kg C) = log dissolved (pg/L) x 1.669 + 4.0184

r = 0.74, Log Koc = 1.67 L/kg C 2

Low flow only

Storm

Linear (Low flow only)

7.5

6.5

7.0

Figure 14. Relation between chlorination level and logarithm of ratio of average concentration of polychlorinated biphenyls in 

sediment (carbon-normalized) to average dissolved concentration in samples from selected rivers in New Jersey, and the logarithm of 

octanol-water partitioning coefficient.

Raritan

Passaic

Rahway

Elizabeth

Hackensack

Octanol-water

9

8

1

LOG SEDIMENT-BOUND CONCENTRATION, IN PICOGRAMS PER GRAM OF CARBON/DISSOLVED CONCENTRATION, IN PICOGRAMS PER LITER

0 3 5 6 8 10

7

6

5

CHLORINATION LEVEL

4

2

3

0

1 2 4 7 9

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 35
Chlorinated Dioxins and Furans

The concentrations of 7 chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (CDD) and 10 dibenzo-p-furans (CDF) were measured 

in suspended sediment from the Raritan, Passaic, Rahway, 

Elizabeth, and Hackensack Rivers, the major tributaries to the 

Newark and Raritan Bays. Sediment was obtained from flowweighted composite samples collected during low-flow and 

storm discharge. These data are used to make interpretations, 

estimate toxicity, and to calculate riverine loads of chlorinated 

dioxins and furans to Newark and Raritan Bays from the 

watersheds above the HOT.

The chlorinated dioxin and furan compounds make 

up a class of 210 congeners having structures based on two 

aromatic rings connected by either one oxygen (for furans) or 

two oxygen atoms (for dioxins) (fig. 15). A varying number of 

chlorine atoms can attach to the rings, forming eight homolog 

groups or levels of chlorination. Congeners are numbered to 

indicate the positions of the chlorine atoms on the two-ring 

structures. A sub-group of the 7 dioxins and 10 furans have 

the chlorine atoms occupying the 2, 3, 7, and 8 position on the 

rings, such as 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodioxin (2,3,7,8-TCDD) and 

2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodifuran (2,3,7,8-TCDF) (fig. 15, table 16). 

These dioxin/furans are highly toxic to organisms and derive 

their toxicity from their 2,3,7,8-substituted, lateral or planar 

arrangements of the two rings that are of the appropriate size 

to bond to Ah-receptor sites on biologic cells (Barkovskii and 

Adriaens, 1996). Once bonded, the CDD or CDF molecule 

Table 16. The chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin (CDD) and dibenzop-difuran (CDF) compounds measured in samples collected 

from the Raritan, Passaic, Rahway, Elizabeth, and Hackensack 

Rivers, New Jersey.

[CAS, Chemical Abstract Service]

CAS number Compound

1746-01-6 2,3,7,8-Tetra-CDD

40321-76-4 1,2,3,7,8-Penta-CDD

19408-74-3 1,2,3,7,8,9-Hexa-CDD

39227-28-6 1,2,3,4,7,8-Hexa-CDD

57653-85-7 1,2,3,6,7,8-Hexa-CDD

35822-46-9 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-Hepta-CDD

3268-87-9 Octa-CDD

51207-31-9 2,3,7,8-Tetra-CDF

57117-41-6 1,2,3,7,8-Penta-CDF

57117-31-4 2,3,4,7,8-Penta-CDF

70648-26-9 1,2,3,4,7,8-Hexa-CDF

57117-44-9 1,2,3,6,7,8-Hexa-CDF

60851-34-5 2,3,4,6,7,8-Hexa-CDF

72918-21-9 1,2,3,7,8,9-Hexa-CDF

67562-39-4 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-Hepta-CDF

55673-89-7 1,2,3,4,7,8,9-Hepta-CDF

39001-02-0 Octa-CDF

interferes with normal cell activity. The other CDD/CDF 

compounds exhibit lesser toxicity because of their different 

chlorine configurations.

Dioxins and furans are present in nearly all environments and are formed in three general ways: by the burning 

of organic matter at high temperatures in the presence of 

chlorine and oxygen, during industrial processes based on 

chlorine chemistry, and through biochemical transformations 

of precursors such as chlorophenols and natural organic matter and using peroxidases and hydrogen peroxide as catalysts 

(Hagenmaier and others, 1994). Burning of organic wastes in 

an oxygen-rich atmosphere tends to produce dioxins, whereas 

burning in oxygen-poorer conditions tends to produce furans. 

Pyrogenic sources include waste incineration and the burning 

of coal, diesel, and gasoline fuel. Industrial processes include 

the production of paper and chlorophenol-based insecticides, 

pesticides, and herbicides, including the synthesis of sodium 

2,4,5-trichlorophenate (Umbreit and others, 1986). For 

example, 2,3,7,8-TCDD and other compounds were produced 

as impurities in the phenoxy-herbicide defoliant 2,4-D, which 

was produced in Newark, N.J., from 1940 to 1972 (Umbreit 

and others, 1986; Bopp and others, 1991).

Recent work has shown that 2,3,7,8-dioxins can be 

dechlorinated by bacteria naturally present in Passaic River 

sediment and, presumably, in other river sediments as well 

(Barkovskii and Adriaens, 1996; Albrecht and others, 1999). 

River sediments have high organic matter turnover, are 

predominantly anaerobic, and are very reduced, all suggesting that reductive dechlorination is a probable transformation 

mechanism operating in these environments and affecting 

CDDs (Albrecht and others, 1999) and, potentially, CDFs. 

Two pathways of dechlorination have been suggested, a 

mixed peri-lateral for non-2,3,7,8-substituted congeners and a 

peri-dechlorination pathway for the 2,3,7,8-substituted octaFigure 15. Molecular structure of (A) 2,3,7,8-tetrachloro-p-doxin 

(2,3,7,8-TCDD) and (B) 2,3,7,8-tetrachloro-p-difuran (2,3,7,8-TCDF).

O

Cl

Cl

Cl

Cl

O

Cl

Cl

Cl

Cl

O

2,3,7,8-TCDD

2,3,7,8-TCDF

A

B

36 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
through penta-CDD isomers, which ultimately can enrich 

2,3,7,8-TCDD. However, the 2,3,7,8-TCDD isomer was 

shown to further dechlorinate to tri-CDD, di-, and ultimately 

the mono-CDD congener (Barkovskii and Adriaens, 1996). 

Apparently, the peri-lateral dechlorination occurred through 

sub-populations of anaerobic non-spore-forming sediment 

microorganisms. Reductive dechlorination of PCDD congeners also can occur by metal-polyphenolic compounds or 

vitamins (Albrecht and others, 1999).

Methods

Only the sediment phase was analyzed for dioxins and 

furans in this program. Analysis was performed using USEPA 

method 1613B, an isotope dilution method that utilizes 

high-resolution gas chromatography high-resolution mass 

spectrometry (HRGC/HRMS) analysis methods. Dioxins and 

furans were resolved on a DB-5 gas-chromatography column, 

and if 2,3,7,8-TCDD or 2,3,7,8-TCDF were detected in a 

sample, a confirmation analysis was made using a DB-225 

chromatograph column.

Analytic results reported by the laboratory were in units 

of mass (picograms) per sample. These values were reduced 

to concentration (picograms per gram of sediment) using the 

mass of sediment calculated to have been captured on the filters. In calculating the average concentrations, the nondetected 

concentrations were replaced by one-half the detection-limit 

values.

Quality Assurance

Data quality and assurance steps taken in this study for 

the analysis of dioxins and furans are detailed by Bonin and 

Wilson (2006). Data quality was assessed using repeated 

analyses of SRM. Data assurance was evaluated by reviewing 

the IS recovery and potential contamination from sampling 

media as determined from field and laboratory blanks.

Recovery of Internal Standards

The analysis method is based on the assumption that the 

IS and native compounds in a sample are affected equally 

during sample processing and analysis. Anomalous recoveries 

of IS may suggest that chemical interferences by the sample 

matrix existed or that poor analytical work was performed.

The generally accepted range for acceptable IS recoveries 

for USEPA Method 1613B is 20 to 150 percent of the original 

spiked amount (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1994). 

Low recoveries of IS indicate loss during sample preparation; 

high recoveries may indicate error in the composition of the 

IS. Only two samples had low recoveries of IS:

1. The sample from the Passaic River, collected on Mar. 14, 

2001, had low recoveries (< 20 percent) for 1,2,3,6,7,8-

HxCDD; 2,3,7,8-TCDF; and 2,3,4,6,7,8-HxCDF.

2. The sample from the Elizabeth River, collected on 

May 22, 2001, had low recoveries for all IS with the 

exception of 2,3,7,8-TCDD. Recoveries for the CDD/

CDF IS ranged from 10 to 15 percent.

The low recoveries for the suite of IS (all except 

2,3,7,8-TCDD) in the Elizabeth River sample is troublesome. 

Although the cause is presently unknown, low IS recoveries of 

dioxin/furnas, as well as PCBs, PAHs, and pesticides, may be 

related to the very high concentration of POC in these samples. Low recovery of an IS increases the uncertainty in the 

calculated concentration and suggests that native compound 

was lost along with the added standard compound. In spite of 

the low recoveries, the data for these samples were included 

when calculating average concentrations.

Contamination of Blanks and Data Censoring

Contamination of filters and sampling equipment and 

analytical equipment can introduce bias in the measured 

concentrations. Filters used in the sampling were obtained 

pre-baked by the manufacturer and, thus, were likely to 

contain trace amounts of CDD/CDFs from the oven used for 

preparation. Also, CDD and CDF are very difficult to remove 

from laboratory glassware, resulting in low-level contamination in many commercial analytical laboratories. In this work, 

a blank-elimination procedure was instituted to remove data 

that may have been biased by sampling media or laboratory 

contamination. This procedure compares the measured mass of 

each analyte in a sample with its mass in the field and method 

blanks produced for each sample. A field blank and a method 

blank were prepared for each event sampled. Field blanks 

were prepared by exposing a pre-baked, unused GFF canister 

and flat filter to the environment during the time filters were 

being installed in the sampling equipment. Method blanks 

were prepared in the laboratory and consisted of a mixture of 

solid NaSO4

 and sand that were extracted identically to the 

samples.

Average concentrations of congeners measured in the 

field and method blanks, along with EDLs for compounds not 

detected in the blanks, are listed in table 17. The compounds 

commonly detected in the field blanks included OCDD, 

OCDF, along with lesser amounts of 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD 

and 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF. Typical masses in the blanks ranged 

from 5 to 400 pg/sample for these compounds. For compounds 

not detected in the field blanks, the EDLs ranged from 3 to 15 

pg/sample. Method blanks contained mainly OCDD; OCDF; 

1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD; and 1,2,3,4,7,8,9-HpCDF at values up 

to 66 pg/sample. The EDLs for the non-detected compounds 

were approximately 4 to 16 pg/sample. Most of the PCDD and 

PCDFs were measured at approximately the same concentration in the field and method blanks, although OCDD was 

occasionally measured in the field blanks at higher masses 

than in the method blanks. As discussed elsewhere, OCDD 

and other chlorinated dixion/furans may have entered the 

glass-fiber filters in the baking processes. These compounds 

would not have been introduced in the method blanks.

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 37
Table 17. Summary of masses of dioxins and furans and the estimated detection limits in method and field blanks.

[pg, picograms; EDL, estimated method detection limit; -- not detected]

Compound

Method Blanks Method Blank EDL Field Blank Field blank EDL

Average

(pg/sample)

Standard deviation

(percent of mean)

Average

(pg/sample)

Standard deviation

(percent of mean)

Average

(pg/sample)

Standard deviation

(percent of mean)

Average

(pg/sample)

Standard deviation

(percent of mean)

2,3,7,8-TCDD -- -- 16 55 -- -- 15 591,2,3,7,8-PeCDD -- -- 7.3 64 -- -- 6.5 591,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDD 4.6 143 6.1 49 -- -- 5.6 61

1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDD -- -- 6.3 48 -- -- 5.7 631,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDD -- -- 6.5 48 -- -- 5.9 591,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD 17 65 8.4 49 32 130 8.5 53

OCDD 66 79 11 66 410 90 13 662,3,7,8-TCDF -- -- 12 54 -- -- 11 58

1,2,3,7,8-PeCDF -- -- 7.2 58 -- -- 5.8 602,3,4,7,8-PeCDF -- -- 5.9 58 -- -- 4.7 621,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDF 4.7 98 3.9 56 6.5 78 3.1 58

2,3,4,6,7,8-HxCDF 8.5 21 4.1 51 -- -- 3.5 60

1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDF 12 -- 5.2 62 -- -- 3.2 591,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDF 2.6 140 4.5 40 -- -- 4.2 61

1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF 9.7 38 5.2 50 13 66 5.3 53

1,2,3,4,7,8,9-HpCDF 22 50 8.9 53 -- -- 7.8 54

OCDF 56 32 13 62 38 50 10 60

38 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Concentrations in the sediment samples were eliminated 

from the data set if the measured mass of a congener was less 

than or equal to five times the larger of the mass measured in 

the field or method blanks. Only two samples were affected by 

blank elimination: the Raritan River sample collected on Oct. 

4, 2001, where 1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDF was eliminated, and the 

Passaic River sample collected on Oct. 17, 2001, where OCDF 

was removed from the data set.

Concentrations

A summary of the EDLs is presented in table 18, blankcorrected concentrations are listed in table 19, and average 

concentrations are presented in table 20. Congener specific 

EDLs for non-detected congeners in samples average from 

4 to 16 pg/g (table 18), very similar to the range reported for 

method blanks (table 17).

Average sample concentrations calculated for several of 

the dioxin/furan compounds were based on a single measured concentration and/or entirely on EDLs. Compounds 

for which a high percentage of non-detectable concentrations were reported include 2,3,7,8-TCDD (16/21 samples) 

and 1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDF (19/21 samples). Other compounds 

with substantial percentages of non-detectable concentrations 

include 1,2,3,4,7,8,9-HpCDF (in the Raritan River samples 

only), 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDF (10/21 samples), and 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD 

(9/21 samples). The use of EDLs in calculating average 

concentration sets an upper limit on the average concentration 

but does not unequivocally demonstrate the presence of these 

compounds. The effects of replacing non-detectable concentrations with EDLs are especially of concern when comparing 

different chemistries graphically and when calculating toxic 

equivalencies. Also, as mentioned earlier, a number of samples 

had low recoveries of IS reported. These data were included in 

the evaluations made in this report, although their use introduces uncertainty in the calculated average concentrations and 

other interpretations that were made.

With the exception of three congeners, all other CDD 

and CDF compounds were routinely detected in the suspended 

sediment from these rivers. However, care must be taken when 

evaluating differences and averages for the congeners 2,3,7,8-

TCDD; 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDF; and 1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDF; which, as 

previously noted, had a large number of non-detected values. Average values calculated for these compounds may be 

biased and in large part represent only their EDLs, or, in some 

instances, a single measured concentration combined with 

several EDL values.

Average concentrations for the compounds commonly 

present (table 20, fig. 16) and for total CDD and CDF, demonstrate the similarities and differences among the concentrations of the various compounds within the different rivers. 

In all the rivers, the average total CDDs exceed the average 

total CDFs by a factor of 10 to 70. The high total CDD values 

result from very high concentrations of the OCDD congener in the individual samples, ranging from 1,500 pg/g up to 

48,000 pg/g; the concentrations of OCDF ranged from 27 pg/g 

to 2,900 pg/g (table 19). Other compounds having notably 

high average concentrations are 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD (240 

to 2,200 pg/g) and 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF (39 to 700 pg/g), the 

hexa-furans 1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDF (6.9 to 85 pg/g); 1,2,3,6,7,8-

HxCDF (6.1 to 120 pg/g); and 2,3,7,8-TCDF (7.7 to 51 pg/g). 

2,3,7,8-TCDD was detected in only four samples: the samples 

collected from the Passaic River on June 22, 2000, and Dec. 

15, 2000, the sample collected from the Raritan River on 

Mar. 21, 2002, and the Elizabeth River, June, 2003 sample. 

In all other samples, 2,3,7,8-TCDD was below its detection 

limit, which ranged from 15 to 26 pg/sample (corresponding 

to 15 to 26 pg/g for a 1-g sample). It is also noteworthy that 

the congener 1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDF was measured in only one 

sample (from the Passaic River). Apparently, this congener is 

not normally present in the tributary sediment or is affected by 

degradation processes.

The highest average concentrations of total CDD (26,400 

pg/g), total CDF (2,500 pg/g), total CDF (2,500 pg/g) and, 

thus, total CDD+CDF (28,900 pg/g) were from the Elizabeth 

River (table 20). The Elizabeth River average total CDD and 

total CDD+CDF concentrations were about twice those found 

in the Passaic, Raritan, and Rahway Rivers where total CDD 

was 10,800 to 11, 300 pg/g and total CDD+CDF was 11,500 

to 11,700 pg/g. The average concentration of total CDF in the 

Elizabeth River was about 3 times that in the Rahway River 

Table 18. Summary of estimated detection limits for 

nondetected dioxins and difurans in sediment samples collected 

from selected rivers in New Jersey.

[pg/g, picogram per gram; --, not applicable]

Congener

Maximum

Count1

Extimated detection limit

Minimum

(pg/g)

Maximum

(pg/g)

Average

(pg/g)

2,3,7,8-TCDD 16 0.87 17 6.6

1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD 9 .38 29 7.7

1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDD 1 11 11 11

1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDD 1 12 12 12

1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDD 0 -- -- --

1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD 0 -- -- --

OCDD 0 -- -- --

2,3,7,8-TCDF 2 9.8 15 12

1,2,3,7,8-PeCDF 10 .52 10 4.4

2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF 2 8.2 8.7 8.5

1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDF 1 7.4 7.4 7.4

2,3,4,6,7,8-HxCDF 2 3.2 6.9 5.0

1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDF 1 6.9 6.9 6.9

1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDF 19 .22 17.9 3.9

1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF 0 -- -- --

1,2,3,4,7,8,9-HpCDF 7 1.1 20 8.0

OCDF 0 -- -- --

1

 Maximum count of congeners that had non-detected concentrations, out 

of a total possible of 21 samples collected.

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 39
Table 19. Concentrations of dioxins and furans in suspended sediment from selected rivers in New Jersey.

[pg/g, picograms per gram; pg/L, picograms per liter; --, not detected; B, low-flow sample; S, storm sample; V, variable discharge; T, tidal sample; values in parentheses are one-half the reported detection limit; *, internal standard for this compound less than lower acceptable limit]

 River

Date sample 

collected

Flow 

regime

2,3,7,8-TCDD 

(pg/g)

1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD 

(pg/g)

1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDD 

(pg/g)

1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDD 

(pg/g)

1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDD 

(pg/g)

1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD 

(pg/g)

OCDD 

(pg/g)

Raritan June 27, 2000

B (2.5) (1.4) 8.3 5.3 10 390 13,000

Raritan April 13, 2001 S (8.5) (5.5) (5.5) (6.0) 13 440 28,000

Raritan Oct. 4, 2001

B (0.44) 1.3* 4.7 1.3 3.8 67 1,500

Raritan Mar. 3, 2002 S (0.70) 1.1 7.9 3.1 6.5 230 10,000

Raritan Mar. 21,2002 S 0.15* (0.19) 2.4 .71 2.0 71 2,500

Average 2.5 1.9 5.8 3.3 7.0 240 11,100

Passaic June 22, 2000

B 2.1 2.8 12 5.6 20 470 8,800

Passaic 1Dec. 15, 2000

V 150* 8.5* 25 8.2 35 620 7,500

Passaic Mar. 14, 2001 S (2.7) (1.7) 25 9.2 25 650 10,000

Passaic Oct. 17, 2001

B (4.6) (3.6) 21 9.4 19 550 12,000

Average 3.1 2.7 19 8.1 21 560 10,300

Rahway June 28, 2000

B (2.7) 7.8* 43 18 55 1,200 20,000

Rahway April 24, 2001

B (3.6) (2.4) 21 9.5 20 420 6,600

Rahway May 22. 2001 S (1.4) 4.5 15 5.4 13 310 5,300

Rahway Apr. 28, 2002 S (2.4) 5.1* 21 9.4 21 550 8,700

Average 2.5 4.9 25 11 27 620 10,200

Elizabeth June 29, 2000

B (2.3) 12* 46 24 58 1,300 15,000

Elizabeth April 25, 2001

B (8.4) 35 140 40 110 2,100 24,000

Elizabeth May 22. 2001 S (6.7) (5.1) 41* 19 34 680 8,700

Elizabeth June 4, 2003 S 12 39 170 87 190 4,700 48,000

Average 7.3 23 99 43 98 2,200 23,900

Hackensack June 23, 2000

B (1.1) (0.6) 4.8 3.8 7.6 170 2,900

Hackensack July, 19, 2002

B (1.1) 4.1* 32 10 28 720 6,300

Average 1.1 2.4 18 6.9 18 450 4,600

Hackensack Mar. 13, 2001

T (3.0) 8.1* 44 18 44 890 7,800

1 value not included when the average Passaic River values were calculated2 only detected values were used to calculate averages

40 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Table 19. Concentrations of dioxins and furans in suspended sediment from selected rivers in New Jersey.—Continued

[pg/g, picograms per gram; pg/L, picograms per liter; --, not detected; B, low-flow sample; S, storm sample; V, variable discharge; T, tidal sample; values in parentheses are one-half the reported detection limit; *, internal standard for this compound less than lower acceptable limit]

River

Date sample 

collected

Flow 

regime

2,3,7,8-TCDF

(pg/g)

1,2,3,7,8-

PeCDF

(pg/g)

2,3,4,7,8-

PeCDF

(pg/g)

1,2,3,4,7,8-

HxCDF

(pg/g)

2,3,4,6,7,8-

HxCDF

(pg/g)

1,2,3,6,7,8-

HxCDF

(pg/g)

1,2,3,7,8,9-

HxCDF

(pg/g)

1,2,3,4,6,7,8-

HpCDF

(pg/g)

1,2,3,4,7,8,9-

HpCDF

(pg/g)

OCDF

(pg/g)

Raritan June 27, 2000 B 19* (1.2) 8.9* 17 3.2 14 (1.0) 76 (1.9) 170

Raritan April 13, 2001 S (7.4) (5.1) (4.4) (3.7) (3.5) (3.5) (4.9) 38 (10) 130Raritan Oct. 4, 2001 B 1.5* (.26) 1.5* BE 1.0 1.7 (.29) 10 (.52) 20

Raritan Mar. 3, 2002 S 8.8* 2.3 3.8* 7.2 (1.6) 9.3 (1.9) 57 (3.0) 110Raritan Mar. 21,2002 S 2.0* .40 .60 1.9 .55 1.9 (.11) 16 .87 27

Average 7.7 1.8 3.8 7.5 2.0 6.1 1.6 39 3.3 91

Passaic June 22, 2000 B 16 4.9 5.6* 14 6.4 20 (.50) 140 9.1 560

Passaic 1Dec. 15, 2000 V 120* 20 51 340 26 180 2.0 1,200 47 2,300

Passaic Mar. 14, 2001 S (5.0) 13 7.5* 13 5.3 17 (1.3) 130 (2.3) 170Passaic Oct. 17, 2001 B 16 (3.0) 12* 14 8.5 14 (1.8) 140 9.5 340

Average 12 6.9 8.4 14 6.7 17 1.2 140 6.9 360

Rahway June 28, 2000 B 96* 15 39* 69 27 87 (1.4) 390 29 1,000

Rahway April 24, 2001 B 34 (2.4) 11 25 11 28 (1.8) 140 8.6 280

Rahway May 22, 2001 S 17 (2.0) 6.5 15 6.8 20 (1.4) 99 6.5 160Rahway Apr. 28, 2002 S 21* (1.4) 8.2* 22 11 18 (.90) 180 8.0 330

Average 42 5.2 16 33 14 38 1.4 200 13 440

Elizabeth June 29, 2000 B 58* 17 37* 87 32 180 (1.4) 390 31 1,000

Elizabeth April 25, 2001 B 98 24 61 130 57 160 (3.4) 840 50 1,300

Elizabeth May 22, 2001 S 26 (4.8) (3.8) 36 16 50 (4.5) 260 (8.0) 410

Elizabeth June 4, 2003 S 24 31 36 88 74 91 BE 1,300 100 2,900

Average 51 19 34 85 45 120 3.1 700 47 1,400

Hackensack June 23, 2000 B 12* (0.8) 4.3* 9.4 4.3 8.2 (.50) 56 (1.5) 140

Hackensack July, 19, 2002 B 9.9 3.4 4.8 37 9.8 15 (.50) 250 15 420

Average 11 2.1 4.6 23 7.1 12 0.5 150 8.3 280

Hackensack Mar. 13, 2001 T 18* (1.7) 6.5* 26 11 42 (1.6) 260 19 290

1 value not included when the average Passaic River values were calculated2 only detected values were used to calculate averages

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 41
Table 19. Concentrations of dioxins and furans in suspended sediment from selected rivers in New Jersey.—Continued

[pg/g, picograms per gram; pg/L, picograms per liter; --, not detected; B, low-flow sample; S, storm sample; V, variable discharge; T, tidal sample; values in parentheses are one-half the reported detection limit; *, internal standard for this compound less than lower acceptable limit]

River

Date sample 

collected

Flow 

regime

Total CDD

(pg/g)

Total CDF

(pg/g)

Total CDD+CDF

(pg/g)

Total CDD + CDF

(pg/L)

2,3,7,8-TCDD 2(pg/L)

Raritan June 27, 2000

B 13,400 312 13,700 40.5 ND (.014)

Raritan April 13, 2001 S 28,500 211 28,700 843 ND (.490)

Raritan Oct. 4, 2001

B 1,550 37 1,590 94.6 ND (.050)

Raritan Mar. 3, 2002 S 10,600 205 10,800 675 ND (.090)

Raritan Mar. 21,2002 S 2,580 51 2,630 691 0.04

Average 11,300 163 11,500 469 0.04

Passaic June 22, 2000

B 9,310 771 10,100 143 0.03

Passaic 1Dec. 15, 2000

V 8,250 4,290 12,500 77.3 0.92

Passaic Mar. 14, 2001 S 10,700 364 11,100 166 ND (.080)

Passaic Oct. 17, 2001

B 12,600 558 13,200 108 ND (.080)

Average 10,900 564 11,500 139 0.03

Rahway June 28, 2000

B 21,300 1,750 23,100 71.1 ND (.017)

Rahway April 24, 2001

B 7,080 541 7,620 64.5 ND (.060)

Rahway May 22. 2001 S 5,650 334 5,980 213 ND (.100)

Rahway Apr. 28, 2002 S 9,330 601 9,930 412 ND (.190)

Average 10,800 807 11,700 190 ND

Elizabeth June 29, 2000

B 16,400 1,830 18,200 73.9 ND (.018)

Elizabeth April 25, 2001

B 26,400 2,720 29,100 86.8 ND (.050)

Elizabeth May 22,2001 S 9,490 819 10,300 1,600 ND (2.10)

Elizabeth June 4, 2003 S 53,200 4.64 57,840 2,240 .45

Average 26,400 2,500 28,900 1,000 .45

Hackensack June 23, 2000

B 3,180 236 3,420 13.2 ND (.009)

Hackensack July, 19, 2002

B 7,100 766 7,870 72.6 ND (.020)

Average 5,100 501 5,600 42.9 ND

Hackensack Mar. 13, 2001

T 8,820 676 9,500 172 ND (.110)

1 value not included when the average Passaic River values were calculated2 only detected values were used to calculate averages

42 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Table 20. Average concentrations of dioxins and furans in suspended sediment from selected rivers in New Jersey.

[pg/g, picograms per gram; *, average of 1 or less detected concentrations plus estimated detection limit values; --, not applicable]

Compound

Raritan River Passaic River1 Rahway River Elizabeth River Hackensack2

Concentration 

(pg/g)

Percent of 

total

Concentration 

(pg/g)

Percent of 

total

Concentration 

(pg/g)

Percent of 

total

Concentration 

(pg/g)

Percent of 

total

Concentration 

(pg/g)

Percent of 

total

2,3,7,8-TCDD 2.5* 0.02 3.1* 0.03 2.5* 0.02 7.3* 0.03 1.1* 0.02

1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD 1.9 .02 2.7* .02 4.9 .04 23 .08 2.4* .04

1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDD 5.8 .05 19 .17 25 .21 98 .34 18 .32

1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDD 3.3 .03 8.1 .07 11 .09 43 .14 6.9 .14

1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDD 7.0 .06 21 .18 27 .23 99 .34 18 .32

1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD 240 2.1 560 4.8 620 5.3 2,200 7.6 450 8.0

OCDD 11,000 96 10,300 90 10,200 87 24,000 83 4,600 82

2,3,7,8-TCDF 7.7 .07 12 .10 42 .36 51 .18 11 .20

1,2,3,7,8-PeCDF 1.8 .02 6.9 .06 5.2* .04 19 .07 2.1 .04

2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF 3.8 .03 8.4 .07 16 .14 34 .12 4.6 .08

1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDF 7.5 .06 14 .12 33 .28 85 .29 23 .41

2,3,4,6,7,8-HxCDF 2.0 .02 6.7 .06 14 .12 45 .16 7.1 .13

1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDF 6.1 .05 17 .15 38 .33 120 .41 12 .21

1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDF 1.6 .01 1.2* .01 1.4* .01 3.1 .01 .50* .01

1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF 39 .34 140 1.1 200 1.7 700 2.4 150 2.7

1,2,3,4,7,8,9-HpCDF 3.3 .03 6.9 .06 13 .11 47 .16 8.3 .15

OCDF 91 .78 360 3.1 440 3.8 1,400 4.8 280 5.0

Total CDD 11,300 98 10,900 95 10,800 93 26,400 91 5,100 91

Total CDF 160 1.4 560 4.9 810 6.9 2,500 8.7 500 8.9

Total CDD + CDF 11,500 100 11,500 100 11,600 100 28,900 100 5,600 100

Total CDD+CDF, pg/L 470 -- 140 -- 190 -- 1,000 -- 43 --

1 The results from the Passaic River Dec. 15, 2000 sample were not included in these values.2 The Hackensack Oct. 19, 2001 and the Mar. 13, 2001 were not included in these values.

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 43
(807 pg/g), five times that in the Passaic and Hackensack 

Rivers (507 to 564 pg/g) and 16 times that in the Raritan River 

(163 pg/g). The lowest average total concentration were in the 

Hackensack River (5,100 pg/g CDD, 501 pg/g CDF, and 5,600 

pg/g CDD+CDF).

Anomalous Concentrations

Several samples were removed from the data set before 

calculating averages. The Passaic River sample collected Dec. 

15, 2000 was removed from the data set. As discussed previously, this sample is not considered to be representative of the 

river during a storm event. In addition to having anomalously 

elevated concentrations of total PCBs and dioxin/furans, the 

congener patterns (PCB and CDD/CDF) for this sample differed greatly from all other samples collected in the freshwater 

tributaries. On this basis, this sample was removed from the 

data set before calculating the average concentrations. The 

Hackensack River sample from Oct. 19, 2001, was removed 

because it was reported by the laboratory to have been 

contaminated by glassware. This sample was removed from 

the data set and is not being considered in this study. The 

Hackensack River sample collected Mar. 2001 from the tidal 

portion of the river was not included when calculating average 

concentrations for this river.

Relation of Whole-Water Concentrations to Water-Quality 

Criteria

Whole-water concentrations of dioxin/furans were calculated from the sediment data by multiplying the measured 

values by the geometric mean SS concentration. The resulting 

whole-water concentrations for total PCDD + PCDF and for 

the 2,3,7,8-TCDD congener are listed for each sampled event 

in table 19. Presently, a surface-water-quality standard (5 x 

10-9 μg/L, 0.005 pg/L) has been set only for 2,3,7,8-TCDD in 

fresh surface water and saline estuarine and coastal waters. 

This level is the carcinogenic effect based human-health criteria as a 70-year average concentration with no exceedance and 

is based on a risk level of one-in-one-million.

Only a few of the sampled events found the 2,3,7,8-

TCDD congener concentration to be above the EDL and the 

water-quality standard: the Raritan River (Mar. 21, 2002), 

the Passaic River (June 22, 2000, and Dec. 15, 2000), and the 

Elizabeth River (June 4, 2003). In all other samples, the concentration for this compound is reported as non-detectable.

Similar to PCBs, dioxins and furans strongly partition 

into the sediment phase in the environment. Therefore, wholewater concentrations are largely a function of the amount of 

suspended sediment in the river at the time of sample collection. For example, consider a sediment having a 2,3,7,8-

TCDD concentration of 7 pg/g, slightly greater than the 

0.1

1.0

10.0

100.0

1,000.0

10,000.0

100,000.0

CONSTITUENT CONCENTRATION, IN PICOGRAMS PER GRAM

Raritan River

Passaic River

Rahway River

Elizabeth River

Hackensack River

2,3,7,8-TCDD

1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD

1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDD

1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDD

1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDD

1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD

OCDD

2,3,7,8-TCDF

1,2,3,7,8-PeCDF

2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF

1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDF

2,3,4,6,7,8-HxCDF

1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDF

1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDF

1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF

1,2,3,4,7,8,9-HpCDF

OCDF

Figure 16. Concentrations of individual dioxin and difuran compounds in average sediment from selected rivers in New Jersey.

44 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
average EDL for 2,3,7,8-TCDD (6.6 pg/g, the average value 

of non-detected concentrations, table 18). The surface-water 

quality standard would be exceeded whenever the SS content of river water exceeded 2 mg/L or more of SS (having a 

2,3,7,8-TCDD concentration of 7 pg/g). Concentrations of SS 

in excess of 2 mg/L are commonly measured in all the rivers 

sampled in this study even during low-flow conditions.

Relative Concentrations

The contribution of each CDD and CDF compound to 

the total CDD+CDF concentration in the samples, termed 

the relative or percent concentration, helps illustrate the differences among the various rivers and provides insight into 

possible sources for these compounds to the environment. 

Relative concentrations were calculated by dividing the average concentration of each congener by the sum of the average 

concentrations of CDD and CDF congeners. Care must be 

taken when evaluating profiles for congeners having multiple 

nondetected values, such as 2,3,7,8-TCDD, because the relative concentrations may represent the EDL. Generally, relative 

concentrations of less than 0.1 are likely to represent the 

detection limit rather than a measured concentration.

Two observations are made regarding the relative composition of dioxin/furans in these rivers. First, the dioxins 

were the dominant suite of compounds; the percentage of total 

CDDs in the sediment ranged from 91 to 98 percent, and the 

percentage of total CDFs ranged from over 1 to near 9 percent 

(table 20). Secondly, CDFs in the Elizabeth and Hackensack 

Rivers made up a higher percentage (approximately 9 percent) 

of the total CDD+CDFs than in the other rivers. This may 

indicate a similar dioxin/furan source(s) exist in these basins. 

It is also interesting to note that the relative distribution of the 

CDD and CDF congeners in the Elizabeth and Hackensack 

Rivers was similar to one another (fig. 17).

The percent contribution of the individual CDD and 

CDF congeners to the average concentration of sediment in 

each river is shown in figure 17. Although the percentage 

each congener contributes to the weight of total CDD+CDFs 

may differ between rivers, the relative congener profiles were 

very similar in all the rivers especially for the Elizabeth and 

Hackensack Rivers; the lowest percentages of trace and minor 

components were generally in the Raritan River. OCDD was 

the dominant species accounting for 82 to 96 percent of the 

total CDD + CDF. Small (percentage) changes in the OCDD 

concentration caused large shifts in the percent contribution of 

the trace congeners. However, the similarity in contribution of 

each congener among the different rivers resulted in the similar patterns observed on these plots (similar changes between 

adjacent congeners).

Because of the overwhelming dominance of OCDD, a 

more unique characterization of the sediment may be found 

0.010

0.100

1.000

10.000

100.000

PERCENT OF TOTAL DIOXIN PLUS DIFURAN MASS

Raritan River

Passaic River

Rahway River

Elizabeth River

Hackensack River

2,3,7,8-TCDD

1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD

1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDD

1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDD

1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDD

1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD

OCDD

2,3,7,8-TCDF

1,2,3,7,8-PeCDF

2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF

1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDF

2,3,4,6,7,8-HxCDF

1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDF

1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDF

1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF

1,2,3,4,7,8,9-HpCDF

OCDF

Figure 17. Average percent contribution of all 2,3,7,8-substituted dioxins and firans in sediment samples frm selected rivers in New 

Jersey.

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 45
in the contribution of the minor congeners, those accounting for 1 to 10 percent of the total. The trace congeners, 

accounting for < 1 percent of the total, may also be a useful 

characterization, but the contributions of these congeners can 

be greatly affected by analytical error and by the averaging 

of EDLs. Also, small differences in absolute concentration 

of trace components can represent a large difference in their 

percent contribution and will plot with a large displacement 

between points on a log-scale diagram. Likewise, large differences in the absolute concentrations of major components 

will represent a small difference in percentage but will not be 

represented on the log-scale plot. It is the similarity in patterns 

(“fingerprints”) formed by the compounds (resulting from the 

difference in percentage between adjoining compounds) that 

may provide the best insight into the sediment composition.

Inspection of the average concentrations (table 20) and 

the concentration profiles (fig. 17) shows that the contributions of the minor and trace CDDs and CDFs were remarkably 

similar among the rivers. For the congeners 2,3,7,8-TCDD and 

1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDF, the similarity is the result of similar EDLs 

because these congeners were almost entirely not detected 

in the samples. The dioxin 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD and, with 

the exception of the Raritan River, the furans 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-

HpCDF and OCDF, and (occasionally) 1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDF 

were minor contributors to the total CDD+CDF in all rivers. 

All the other congeners were trace contributors, accounting for 

0.1 to 1 percent of the total.

Because of the dominance of the OCDD and OCDF 

congeners, and the fact that for several of the congeners only 

a few measurable values were available, a subset of the data 

were selected to provide a more useful “fingerprint” or congener profile for the rivers. This subset was selected on the basis 

of the work of Fernandez and others (2004), who showed that 

eight of these congeners were responsible for the majority of 

dixons/furans in livers of tomcod collected from the Hudson 

River and from Newark Bay. Atlantic tomcod, Microgadus 

tomcod, is a bottom-dwelling fish species in Atlantic coast 

estuaries. Tomcod spawn near the salt-water freshwater interface in estuaries, and although they may roam, they probably 

do not move into coastal waters (Fernandez and other, 2004). 

For the fish data collected by Fernandez and others (2004), 

eight congeners were responsible for 87 percent of the average 

CDD/CDF toxicity as measured in the whole-fish fillets. These 

eight congeners were also dominant in the tissue of fish, crabs, 

and lobsters collected from Newark Bay and the New York 

Bight by Rappe and others (1991). The subset of congeners, 

therefore, represents the most important of the CDD and CDFs 

in the environment, in that these are the major congeners that 

accumulate in the organs of higher trophic-level aquatic organisms living in the estuary. The relative concentrations of this 

subset of congeners in the average sediment were recalculated 

and are presented in figure 18.

Although still similar among the rivers, the congener 

profiles generated using this subset show more displacement 

1.00

10.00

100.00

CONGENER

PERCENT OF TOTAL DIOXIN PLUS DIFURAN MASS

IN SUBSET OF CONGENERS

Raritan River

Passaic River

Rahway River

Elizabeth River

Hackensack River (FW)

Hackensack River tidal

2,3,7,8-TCDD

1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD

1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDD

1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDD

2,3,7,8-TCDF

1,2,3,7,8-PeCDF

2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF

1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDF

River

Mass in subset,

in picograms

per gram

Total mass,

in picograms

per gram

Percent

by subset

Raritan

Passaic

Rahway

Elizabeth

Hackensack

38

87

160

416

79

11,700

11,400

11,900

28,900

5,570

0.32

0.77

1.34

1.44

1.4

Figure 18. Average percent contribution of selected 2,3,7,8-substituted dioxin/furans in sediment samples from selected rivers in New 

Jersey. [These congeners were selected based on their contribution to the total dioxin/furan load in fish reported by Fernandez, 2004.]

46 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
between rivers than did the profiles constructed using the 

entire CDD/CDF data set (fig. 17). For example, in the Passaic River, the 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDF congener made up roughly 8 

percent by weight of the subset; in the other rivers, its contribution ranged between 1.5 and 5 percent. Compounds such 

as 2,3,7,8-TCDF, 1,2,3,7,8-HxCDD and perhaps 1,2,3,4,7,8-

HxCD also show differences on this figure. The 2,3,7,8-

TCDD congener in the Passaic and Raritan Rivers contributed 

between 5 and 8 percent of the total mass of this subset, which 

is much greater than the approximately 2 percent contribution in the other rivers. It must be recalled, however, that the 

contribution of this congener in the rivers is mainly the result 

of the detection level reached in the analytical methods. As 

described below, the 2,3,7,8-TCDD and 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD 

congeners are the most toxic of the CDD/CDFs and are followed by the 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF congener. When recast using 

this subset, this latter congener represented between 5 and 11 

percent of the mass.

Concentrations During Stormflow and Low Flow

Relative congener profiles were developed for each sample in order to discern if differences existed in the composition 

of sediment transported under low-flow and storm discharge 

(figs. 19 to 23). The following observations are made regarding the composition of sediment transported during storms:

•	 Raritan River—The low-flow sample collected Oct. 4, 

2001, had higher percentages of the trace dioxin congeners than were present in the other samples collected 

from the Raritan River (fig. 19). This is because of the 

low concentration (and percent contribution) of OCDD 

in this sample compared with that of the OCDD in 

the other samples. The percent contribution of OCDD 

and the trace congeners in the other low-discharge 

sample (collected June 22, 2000) were very similar to 

the contribution in the storm samples except for the 

sample from Apr. 13, 2001. The storm sample collected on Apr. 13, 2001, also had a different trace-congener profile from the other samples; the percentage 

of penta-CDD, hexa-CDD, penta-CDF, and hexa-CDF 

compounds were much lower than the percentages in 

other samples collected from this river. The absolute 

concentrations of the congeners, with the exception 

of OCDD, were also lower in this sample, with many 

being reported as non-detected. Close inspection shows 

that the detection limits, however, were higher for this 

sample than in any other sample. OCDD in this sample 

was at the highest concentration of any of the samples 

collected in this river, which, together with the low 

concentrations of the other congeners, explains the different relative concentration profile for this sample.

Figure 19. Percent contribution of individual dioxins and difurans congeners in samples from the Raritan River, New Jersey. [MDD, 

mean daily discharge, in cubic feet per second; MMDD, maximum mean daily discharge reached during event]

Base-flow sampled 6/27/00, MDD = 286

Base-flow sampled 10/4/01, MDD = 180

Storm sampled 4/13/01, MMDD = 3,340

Storm sampled 3/3/02, MMDD = 3,690

Storm sampled 3/21/02, MMDD = 7,880

100

10

1

0.1

0.01

PERCENT OF TOTAL DIOXIN PLUS DIFURAN MASS

2,3,7,8-TCDD

1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD

1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDD

1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDD

1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDD

1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD

OCDD

2,3,7,8-TCDF

1,2,3,7,8-PeCDF

2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF

1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDF

2,3,4,6,7,8-HxCDF

1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDF

1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDF

1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF

1,2,3,4,7,8,9-HpCDF

OCDF

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 47
•	 Passaic River—All samples, except the one collected 

on Dec. 15, 2000, had a very similar composition 

(fig. 20). The Dec. 15, 2000, sample is clearly different, having much higher percentages of 2,3,7,8-TCDD 

(approximately 1 percent), 2,3,7,8-TCDF and the 

penta-CDF and hexa-CDF compounds. This observation is consistent with the unique PCB composition of 

this sample, described earlier. The cause for the higher 

relative concentrations of the dioxins and PCBs is 

unknown at present and may be an artifact of timing of 

the collection of this sample (favoring capture of finegrained materials) or of lab contamination.

•	 Rahway and Elizabeth Rivers—The composition 

of sediment was similar among these rivers, and 

within each river, the composition was similar among 

low-flow and storm discharge samples (figs. 21 and 

22). The concentrations of CDDs and CDFs in the 

Elizabeth River were much higher than present in the 

other rivers, especially for OCDD in the June 4, 2003, 

sample from the Elizabeth River, which had OCDD 

concentrations two to three times greater than in any 

other sample.

•	 Hackensack River—The congener profile of the 

sediment collected from the Oradell Reservoir outfall 

had a very similar profile to that of the sediment collected downstream of the lower dam (sample HAC4) 

(fig. 23).

Sources of Dioxins and Furans

The relative-concentration congener profiles may provide 

insight into the source(s) of the dioxins and furans and also 

serve as a baseline for evaluating changes in the sediment 

chemistry of the river as it moves into the estuary. The dioxin/

furan chemistry of the sediment is the result of emissions, 

atmospheric deposition, and other sources present in the local 

river basins and throughout the region as well. Comparing 

the congener profiles to the profiles for the various sources 

may provide insight to the source(s) and pathways that affect 

CDD/F in the environment and in river sediments (Naf and 

others, 1992; Fiedler and others, 1995; Wenning and others, 

1992; and Wenning and others, 1993). The similarity between 

the congener profiles for each basin (figs. 16 and 17) suggests common, region-wide source(s) dominate over localized 

processes. Cleverly and others (1997) constructed dioxin/furan 

profiles for many different emission sources using the USEPA 

Dioxin Database (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 

2001). Profiles were presented for sources including municipal, medical, and hazardous-waste incinerators; cement kilns 

burning hazardous wastes; oil-fired industrial burners; coal- or 

wood-fired burners; automobile engines burning unleaded 

fuel; truck engines burning diesel fuel; secondary aluminum 

smelters; and sewage sludge incinerators. Profiles were also 

presented for liquid effluent from bleached chlorine paper 

pulp mills and trace dioxin/furan content of laboratory grade 

Figure 20. Percent contribution of individual dioxin and difuran congeners in sediment samples from the Passaic River, New Jersey. 

[MDD, mean daily discharge, in cubic feet per second; MMDD, maximum mean daily discharge reached during event]

Base-flow sampled 6/22/00, MDD = 821

Base-flow sampled 10/17/01, MDD = 171

Storm sampled 3/14/01, MMDD = 2,210

Variable flow sampled 12/15/00, MMDD = 791

100

10

1

0.1

0.01

PERCENT OF TOTAL DIOXIN PLUS DIFURAN MASS

2,3,7,8-TCDD

1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD

1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDD

1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDD

1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDD

1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD

OCDD

2,3,7,8-TCDF

1,2,3,7,8-PeCDF

2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF

1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDF

2,3,4,6,7,8-HxCDF

1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDF

1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDF

1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF

1,2,3,4,7,8,9-HpCDF

OCDF

48 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Figure 21. Percent contribution of individual dioxin and difuran congeners in sediment samples from the Rahway River, New Jersey. 

[MDD, mean daily discharge, in cubic feet per second; MMDD, maximum mean daily discharge reached during event]

Baseflow sampled 6/28/00, MDD = 25

Baseflow sampled 4/25/01, MDD = 27

Storm sampled 5/22/01, MMDD = 424

Storm sampled 4/28/00, MMDD = 585

100

10

1

0.1

0.01

PERCENT OF TOTAL DIOXIN PLUS DIFURAN MASS

2,3,7,8-TCDD

1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD

1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDD

1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDD

1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDD

1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD

OCDD

2,3,7,8-TCDF

1,2,3,7,8-PeCDF

2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF

1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDF

2,3,4,6,7,8-HxCDF

1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDF

1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDF

1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF

1,2,3,4,7,8,9-HpCDF

OCDF

0.01

0.10

1.00

10.00

100.00

PERCENT OF TOTAL DIOXIN PLUS DIFURAN MASS

Low flow sampled June 29, 2000 MDD = 11

Low flow sampled April 25, 2001 MDD = 10

Storm sampled May 22, 2001 MMDD = 586

Storm sampled June, 4, 2003 MMDD=555 

2,3,7,8-TCDD

1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD

1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDD

1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDD

1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDD

1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD

OCDD

2,3,7,8-TCDF

1,2,3,7,8-PeCDF

2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF

1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDF

2,3,4,6,7,8-HxCDF

1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDF

1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDF

1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF

1,2,3,4,7,8,9-HpCDF

OCDF

Figure 22. Percent contribution of individual dioxin and difuran congeners in sediment samples from the Elizabeth River, New Jersey. 

[MDD, mean daily discharge, in cubic feet per second; MMDD, maximum mean daily discharge reached during event]

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 49
pentachlorophenol and in the various esters and salts of the 

defoliant 2,4-D and 2,4-T.

The concentration profiles for the river sediments were 

compared graphically with the profiles presented by Cleverly 

and others (1997) to determine if a single, dominant source 

profile was evident. The river sediment profiles do not match 

any single source profile exactly for all compounds, suggesting that multiple sources of CDD/CDF exist in the New Jersey 

area. However, the emission produced by diesel-fuel powered 

heavy truck engines (sampled as gas in Baltimore Harbor 

tunnel) (fig. 24) has a similar profile to the sediment profiles 

for many of the congeners, except that the emission pattern is 

displaced upwards from the sediment pattern. This offset can 

be explained by the greater percentage of OCDD in the river 

sediment than in the diesel emission (fig. 25).

 Upon close inspection, other subtle differences were 

found; for example, a slightly higher percentage of 2,3,7,8-

TCDD; 1,2,3,5,6,7,8-HxCDD; 2,3,4,6,7,8-HxCDF; and 

1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDF existed in the diesel-engine emission profile (fig. 25). Higher concentrations of hexa- and penta-CDD 

isomers were found in the emissions of waste incineration 

(Thomas and Sprio, 1996), a source that may have affected 

sediment in these river basins as well. The general similarity 

in profile shapes indicates that diesel-engine emissions may be 

a major contributor to the dioxins and furans in these rivers, 

while the differences in patterns indicate other sources must 

also contribute, and/or that the CDD/CDF have been degraded 

(Naf and others, 1992; Fiedler and others, 1995; Wenning and 

others, 1992; Wenning and others, 1993). It has been noted by 

several researchers that CDD/CDF congener concentrations 

can be affected by dechlorination reactions involving natural 

bacteria (Albrecht and others, 1999; Barkovskii and Adriaens, 

1996).

Figure 23. Percent contribution of individual dioxin and difuran congeners in sediment samples from the Hackensack River, New 

Jersey. [MDD, mean daily discharge, in cubic feet per second; NA, not applicable]

Freshwater sampled June 23, 2000, MDD = 14

Freshwater sampled July 19, 2002, MDD = 2.3

Tidal influenced water sampled March 13, 2001, MDD = NA

100

10

1

0.1

0.01

PERCENT OF TOTAL DIOXIN PLUS DIFURAN MASS

2,3,7,8-TCDD

1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD

1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDD

1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDD

1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDD

1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD

OCDD

2,3,7,8-TCDF

1,2,3,7,8-PeCDF

2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF

1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDF

2,3,4,6,7,8-HxCDF

1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDF

1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDF

1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF

1,2,3,4,7,8,9-HpCDF

OCDF

50 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Figure 24. Congener profiles of dioxin and difuran congeners in average river sediments from selected rivers in New Jersey, and in 

diesel engine emission.

100

10

1

0.1

0.01

PERCENT OF TOTAL DIOXIN PLUS DIFURAN MASS

2,3,7,8-TCDD

1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD

1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDD

1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDD

1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDD

1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD

OCDD

2,3,7,8-TCDF

1,2,3,7,8-PeCDF

2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF

1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDF

2,3,4,6,7,8-HxCDF

1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDF

1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDF

1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF

1,2,3,4,7,8,9-HpCDF

OCDF

Raritan River

Passaic River

Rahway River

Elizabeth River

Hackensack River

Diesel emission

Figure 25. Congener profiles of dioxin and difuran congeners in average river sediments from selected rivers in New Jersey, and in 

diesel engine emission with the octa-chlorinated compounds removed.

100

10

1

0.1

0.01

PERCENT OF TOTAL CDD+CDF MASS

2,3,7,8-TCDD

1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD

1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDD

1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDD

1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDD

1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD

OCDD

2,3,7,8-TCDF

1,2,3,7,8-PeCDF

2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF

1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDF

2,3,4,6,7,8-HxCDF

1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDF

1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDF

1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF

1,2,3,4,7,8,9-HpCDF

OCDF

Raritan River

Passaic River

Rahway River

Elizabeth River

Hackensack River

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 51
Sediment Toxicity

The toxicity of the sediment caused by the presence of 

dioxins, furans, and dioxin-like PCBs (Safe, 1990) can be 

estimated using the toxic equivalencies (TEQ) calculated for 

each sample. TEQs are calculated by multiplying the concentrations of the individual CDD and CDFs by a compound-specific toxic equivalency factor (TEF). The individual compound 

TEQs are then summed to obtain an overall TEQ for the 

sample:

TEQ = Σ (TEFn * Cn) (17)

where

TEQ = toxic equivalencies, in units of pictogram 

per gram as 2,3,7,8-TCDD;

TEFn = toxic equivalency factor for compound n; 

and

Cn = concentration of compound n, in picogram 

per gram.

The TEFs used in this work (table 21) are from the World 

Health Organization (VanLeeuwen, 1997). The TEQ procedure 

is based on assigning a TEF of 1 for the 2,3,7,8-TCDD compound, and a value less than unity for other CDD and CDFs 

(and dioxin-like co-planar PCBs) (VanLeeuwen, 1997). TEF 

values are assigned on the basis of the relative toxicity of the 

compound, as determined from studies that have determined 

the toxic effects to aquatic and benthic organisms caused by 

exposure to different concentrations of the CDD and CDFs. 

For example, it has been found that 10,000 pg of OCDD will 

produce the toxic effects equivalent to 1 pg of 2,3,7,8-TCDD; 

therefore, the TEF for OCDD is 1/10,000 or 0.0001.

The average composition for each river, determined from 

low-flow and storm samples (table 20), was multiplied by the 

respective TEF value (table 21) to obtain an average TEQ for 

each river (table 22). The Passaic River sample from Dec. 

2000, and the Hackensack River sample (tidal) collected on 

Mar. 2001, were not included when average TEQs were calculated. For the purpose of calculating average concentrations, 

all nondetected concentrations were replaced by one-half the 

respective sediment-mass normalized detection limit. Because 

the compounds most commonly not detected are also the 

compounds with the highest TEF factors ( 2,3,7,8-TCDD and 

1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD), substantial amounts of the calculated sediment toxicity may be the result of analytical detection levels. 

This occurs in spite of the fact that the analytical procedures 

used in this work, and the large masses of sediment collected, 

provided the lowest possible achievable detection levels.

The average total TEQs (total toxicity from CDD + CDF 

compounds) ranged from 14 pg/g in the Raritan River up to 

135 pg/g in the Elizabeth River (table 22), demonstrating that 

dioxin/furan toxicity existed in the sediment from all rivers 

studied. For reference, Ehrlich and others (1994) reported 

total TEQs for bottom-sediment samples from the upper 

Passaic River (collected from the pond above Dundee Dam) 

ranged from 2.3 to 156 pg/g, which are similar to the values 

calculated in this study. They also reported TEQs for bottom 

sediment from the lower estuary of the Passaic River up to 

5,458 pg/g.

The contribution to the total TEQ by each of the individual dioxin and furan compounds differed among the rivers 

and can be shown by calculating the relative percentage of 

the total TEQ contributed by each CDD or CDF compound 

(table 22). TEQ congener profiles can be plotted to demonstrate the differences that existed among the rivers (fig. 26). 

These profiles are similar to the concentration-based congener 

profiles presented earlier but may be more unique to each river 

because the dominance of OCDD is removed (fig. 17).

 The dioxin and furan compounds contributed roughly 

equally to the toxicity of these sediments; the dioxin congeners contributed from 48 percent of the TEQ in the Rahway 

River to a maximum of 68 percent in the Raritan River. The 

individual congeners can be classified as being major contributors to the toxicity if they contribute 10 or more percent 

of the total, minor contributors if they represent between 5 and 

10 percent, and trace if they represent less than 5 percent of 

the total TEQ. Using this scheme, the following compounds 

were major contributors to the sediment toxicity in each river:

1. Raritan River: 2,3,7,8-TCDD; 1,2,3,7,8-PCDD; 2,3,4,7,8-

PCDF; and 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD.

2. Passaic River: 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD; 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF; 

and 2,3,7,8-TCDD, 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD.

3. Rahway River: 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF; 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD; 

and 1,2,3,7,8-PCDD, 2,3,7,8-TCDF.

Table 21. Toxic equivalency factors for 2,3,7,8-substituted 

dioxins and furans.

Compound

Toxic equivalency 

factor1

2,3,7,8-Tetra-CDD 1

1,2,3,7,8-Penta-CDD 1

1,2,3,7,8,9-Hexa-CDD .1

1,2,3,4,7,8-Hexa-CDD .1

1,2,3,6,7,8-Hexa-CDD .1

1,2,3,4,6,7,8-Hepta-CDD .01

Octa-CDD .0001

2,3,7,8-Tetra-CDF .1

1,2,3,7,8-Penta-CDF .05

2,3,4,7,8-Penta-CDF .5

1,2,3,4,7,8-Hexa-CDF .1

1,2,3,6,7,8-Hexa-CDF .1

2,3,4,6,7,8-Hexa-CDF .1

1,2,3,7,8,9-Hexa-CDF .1

1,2,3,4,6,7,8-Hepta-CDF .01

1,2,3,4,7,8,9-Hepta-CDF .01

Octa-CDF .0001

1

 Values from World Health Organization, 1997 list, Van Leeuwen, 1997.

52 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Table 22. Average toxic equivalencies (TEQs) for suspended sediment in selected rivers in New Jersey.

[pg/g, picograms per gram; Averages calculated with non-detected concentrations replaced by one-half the detection limit]

Compound Raritan Passaic1 Rahway Elizabeth Hackensack2

TEQ

(pg/g)

Percent of 

total

TEQ

(pg/g)

Percent of 

total

TEQ

(pg/g)

Percent of 

total

TEQ

(pg/g)

Percent of 

total

TEQ

(pg/g)

Percent of 

total

2,3,7,8-Tetra-CDD 2.5 18 3.1 11 2.5 5.7 7.3 5.4 1.1 5.0

1,2,3,7,8-Penta-CDD 1.9 14 2.7 9.6 4.9 11 23 17 2.4 11

1,2,3,7,8,9-Hexa-CDD .58 4.1 1.9 6.7 2.5 5.7 9.9 7.3 1.8 8.2

1,2,3,4,7,8-Hexa-CDD .33 2.4 .80 2.9 1.1 2.5 4.3 3.2 .69 3.1

1,2,3,6,7,8-Hexa-CDD .70 5.0 2.1 7.4 2.7 6.1 9.8 7.3 1.8 8.2

1,2,3,4,6,7,8-Hepta-CDD 2.4 17 5.6 20 6.2 14 22 16 4.5 20

Octa-CDD 1.1 7.9 1.0 3.5 1.0 2.3 2.4 1.8 .46 2.1

2,3,7,8-Tetra-CDF .78 5.6 1.2 4.3 4.2 9.5 5.1 3.8 1.1 5.0

1,2,3,7,8-Penta-CDF .09 .64 .35 1.2 .26 .59 .95 .70 .10 .46

2,3,4,7,8-Penta-CDF 1.9 14 4.2 15 8.0 18 17 13 2.3 10

1,2,3,4,7,8-Hexa-CDF .75 5.4 1.4 5.0 3.3 7.5 8.5 6.3 2.3 10

2,3,4,6,7,8-Hexa-CDF .20 .14 .67 2.4 1.4 3.2 4.5 3.3 .71 3.2

1,2,3,6,7,8-Hexa-CDF .61 4.4 1.7 6.0 3.8 8.6 12 8.9 1.2 5.5

1,2,3,7,8,9-Hexa-CDF .16 1.1 .12 .43 .14 .32 .31 .23 .050 .23

1,2,3,4,6,7,8-Hepta-CDF .39 2.8 1.4 4.6 2.0 4.6 7.0 5.2 1.5 6.8

1,2,3,4,7,8,9-Hepta-CDF .033 .23 .069 .25 .13 .29 .47 .35 .083 .38

Octa-CDF .009 .08 .036 .14 .044 .10 .14 .10 .028 .13

Total CDD+CDFF 14 100 28 100 44 100 135 100 22 100

Total CDD 9.5 68 17 58 21 48 79 58 13 58

Total CDF 4.9 35 11 42 23 52 56 42 9.4 42

1 Average does not include the sample collected on Dec. 15, 2000.2 Average does not include samples collected on July 19, 2002, and Mar. 13, 2001.

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 53
4. Elizabeth River; 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD; 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF; 

1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD.

5. Hackensack River: 1,2,3,4,6,7,8,-HpCDD; 1,2,3,7,8-

PeCDD; 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF; and 1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDF.

Again, it is important to note that several of the major 

contributors to sediment toxicity, such as 2,3,7,8-TCDD and 

1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD, were not detected in the samples, and their 

contribution to sediment toxicity was the result of using onehalf the EDLs as surrogate concentrations in the calculations.

As described previously, a subset of eight congeners 

were the major contributors to the toxic body-burden of 

Tomcod collected from Newark Bay and the Hudson River 

estuary reported by Fernandez and others (2004). Using this 

subset, a congener profile “fingerprint” was developed (fig. 

27) that removed the dominance of the OCDD and OCDF 

congeners, the compounds that contributed over 90 percent 

of the total 2,3,7,8-substituted mass in the tributary sediment. 

The dominance of these two compounds is removed when the 

relative TEQ values are considered, because of the very small 

TEF constants for the octa-chlorinated compounds (table 21). 

The eight congeners selected from the fish data contributed 

a majority of the toxicity of the sediment (61 to 71 percent 

of the total TEQ) (fig. 27). Again, the contribution of two of 

the congeners (2,3,7,8-TCDD and 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD) are the 

result of replacing their nondetected values with 1⁄2 the EDL. 

The selection of a subset of congeners increased the apparent contribution of these congeners to the toxicity profile 

of the sediment. However, one additional congener contributed substantially (14 to 20 percent) to the sediment toxicity 

(1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD) but was not a major contributor to 

the fish toxicity. 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD contributed, on average, 0.3 percent of the total TEQ and 7.8 percent of the total 

CDD+CDF mass in the fish collected by Fernandez and others 

(2004). Apparently, this hepta-chlorinated congener is not 

readily accumulated by these fish. The large TEQ this congener contributed to the total TEQ of the freshwater sediment 

(fig. 27) indicates it should be considered in the subset used 

to represent and study the CDD/CDF profile of the river and 

estuary sediment.

An important observation regarding the dioxin/furan 

toxicity values is that the high percentage of 2,3,7,8-TCDD 

in the Passaic and Raritan Rivers (10-15 percent) results 

from only one sample from each river. During other sampling 

events, this congener was not present. 1,2,3,7,8-penta-CDD; 

1,2,3,4,6,7,8-Hepta-CDD; and 2,3,4,7,8-Penta-CDF are present in each river in all samples and represent the principle 

source of toxicity in these rivers. Further sampling would be 

needed to verify the presence of 2,3,7,8-TCDD in the Passaic 

and Raritan Rivers.

Toxicity also comes from the presence of dioxin-like 

PCBs. As discussed earlier, TEF values have been generated 

for the 13 co-planar PCBs and can be used to generate a TEQ 

for the PCB compounds (Safe, 1990) (table 23). Average 

TEQs from co-planar PCBs ranged from 5.3 pg/g in the Hackensack River up to 66 pg/g in the Elizabeth River. When combined with the dioxin/furan TEQs, total average TEQ values 

25

20

15

5

PERCENT OF TOTAL TOXIC EQUIVALENT QUOTIENT

2,3,7,8-TCDD

1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD

1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDD

1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDD

1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDD

1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD

OCDD

2,3,7,8-TCDF

1,2,3,7,8-PeCDF

2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF

1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDF

2,3,4,6,7,8-HxCDF

1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDF

1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDF

1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF

1,2,3,4,7,8,9-HpCDF

OCDF

Raritan River

Passaic River

Rahway River

Elizabeth River

Hackensack River

10

0

Figure 26. Percent contribution of all 2,3,7,8-substituted dioxin and difuran congeners to the toxic equivalencies (TEQ) calculated for 

average sediment from selected rivers in New Jersey.

54 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
ranged from 20 pg/g in the Raritan River up to 201 pg/g in the 

Elizabeth River. The percentage of the total TEQ due to coplanar PCBs ranged from 20 percent in the Hackensack River 

up to 33 percent in the Elizabeth River (table 23). Similar to 

the dioxin/difurans, the toxicity calculated here for several of 

the PCBs, for example, #81, #126, and #169, is the result of 

using one-half the EDL values for non-detected congeners.

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

The concentrations of 24 PAHs, including the 16 classified by the USEPA as priority pollutants, were measured 

in water and suspended sediment from the Raritan, Passaic, 

Rahway, Elizabeth, and Hackensack Rivers, the major tributaries to the Newark and Raritan Bays. Concentrations were 

measured in large-volume, flow-weighted composite samples 

of sediment and composite grab samples of water collected 

during low-flow and storm discharges. These data are used to 

make interpretations and to calculate riverine loads of PAH 

compounds to Newark and Raritan Bays from the watersheds 

above the HOT.

The PAH compounds consist of multiple (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 

more) aromatic rings fused together by shared carbon atoms 

(fig. 28). Naphthalene, the simplest of the joined aromatic 

structures, consists of two joined aromatic rings and forms 

the primary structure for the heavier PAHs. The larger PAHs 

have linear and block-like structures formed by the fusion 

of multiple rings. Several PAHs have isomers, for example, 

benzo(a)anthracene and chrysene, that contain four aromatic 

rings in different structural arrangements. Other important 

isomers include anthracene and phenanthracene (three rings), 

flouranthene and pyrene (four rings), benzo(b)flouranthene 

and benzo(a)pyrene (five rings), and indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene 

and benzo(ghi)perylene, which have six rings. Isomers are 

distinguished by the addition of letters such as (a), (b), (j), 

(k) or (ghi) that identify the different structures. PAHs such 

as naphthalene and phenanthrene may also be amended with 

alkyl-groups, typically one to three methyl, ethyl, or propyl 

1.00

10.00

100.00

PERCENT OF TOTAL DIOXIN PLUS DIFURAN TEQ IN SUBSET OF CONGENERS

Raritan River

Passaic River

Rahway River

Elizabeth River

Hackensack River

2,3,7,8-TCDD

1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD

1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDD

1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDD

2,3,7,8-TCDF

1,2,3,7,8-PeCDF

2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF

1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDF

River

TEQ in subset,

in picograms

per gram

Total TEQ,

in picograms

per gram

Percent

by subset

Raritan

Passaic

Rahway

Elizabeth

Hackensack

9.1

17 

27 

86 

0.6 

14

28

44

135

22

65

60

66

64

58

Figure 27. Percent contribution of selected 2,3,7,8-substituted dioxin and furan congeners to the toxic equivalencies (TEQ) calculated 

for average sediment from selected rivers in New Jersey.

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 55
Table 23. Average toxic equivalencies (TEQs) for the dioxin-like co-planar polychlorinated biphenyl compounds in sediment and water from selected rivers in New Jersey.

[pg/g, picograms per gram as 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorinated dioxin; pg/L, picograms per liter as 2,3,7,8-TCDD; PCB#, polychlorinated biphenyl congener number; --, not detected or not applicable]

PCB # TEF1

Raritan Passaic Rahway Elizabeth Hackensack2

pg/g TEQ pg/g TEQ pg/g TEQ pg/g TEQ pg/g TEQ

77 0.0005 120 0.061 1,300 0.633 1,200 0.598 4,600 2.28 210 0.10281 .0001 30 .003 40 .004 43 .004 160 .016 24 .002

105 .0001 820 .082 4,600 .457 6,500 .653 15,000 1.48 1,700 .166114C .0005 66 .033 420 .208 540 .268 1,100 .562 100 .051

118 .0001 1,800 .181 9,300 .927 14,000 1.41 32,000 3.19 4,100 .408123 .0001 35 .003 210 .021 350 .035 700 .070 67 .007

126 .1 47 4.65 70 7.00 140 13.7 440 44.1 39 3.90

156 .0005 250 .124 1,100 .567 1,900 .965 7,900 3.92 770 .385157 .0005 43 .022 270 .135 390 .196 1,300 .647 -- --

167 .00001 110 .001 490 .005 910 .009 4,200 .042 290 .003

169 .01 32 .319 85 .845 78 .775 350 3.46 10 .100170 1.0001 550 .055 1,900 .193 4,500 .445 49,000 4.95 1,300 .128180 1.00001 1,400 .014 4,800 .048 11,000 .113 140,000 1.44 3,500 .035189 .0001 32 .003 93 .009 200 .020 1,900 .189 52 .005Total from PCBs -- 5,300 5.5 25,000 11 42,000 19 260,000 66 12,000 5.3Total TEQ from 

CDD+CDF

-- -- 14 -- 28 -- 44 -- 135 -- 22

Total TEQCDD+CDF+PCB

-- -- 20 -- 37 -- 63 -- 201 -- 27

Percentage of total 

TEQ due to PCBs

-- -- 29 -- 30 -- 30 -- 33 -- 20

1 TEQ from van Leeuwen, 1997.2 does not include samples collected on July 19, 2002 and Mar. 13, 2001.

56 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Figure 28. Structures of selected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Naphthalene

MW 128.16 CAS 91-20-3

2,6-Dimethylnaphtalene

MW 156.23 CAS 581-40-2

CH

CH3

3

Fluorene

MW 166.2 CAS 86-73-7

Pyrene

MW 202.26 CAS 129-00-0

Acenaphthene

MW 154.2 CAS 83-32-9

Acenaphthylene

MW 152.2 CAS 208-96-8

Phenanthrene

MW 178.23 CAS 85-01-8

Anthracene

MW 178.23 CAS 120-12-7

Benzo[a]anthracene

MW 228 CAS 56-55-3

Benzo[b]fluoranthene

MW 252 CAS 205-99-2

Benzo[a]pyrene

MW 252.3 CAS 50-32-8

Benzo[g,h,i]perylene

MW 276 CAS 191-24-2

Bibenz[a,h]anthracene

MW 278.32 CAS 53-70-1

Benzo[k]fluoranthene

MW 252 CAS 70-08-9

Chrysene

MW 228.2 CAS 218-01-9

More Stable Isomer Less Stable Isomer

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 57
groups. The number of these additions and their positions are 

indicated by integers amended to the parent compound name.

The aromaticity of the benzene ring structure results in a 

high degree of stability and toxicity in the environment (Morrison and Boyd, 1987). The different shapes of the isomers, 

however, can lead to different degrees of stability in the 

environment. PAH compounds have mutagenic and carcinogenic properties related to their ability to disrupt DNA. There 

is some indication the methylated-forms may be more toxic 

than the parent compound (Morrision and Boyd, 1987). The 

most toxic of the PAHs, benzo(a)pyrene, can react directly 

with guanine present on the DNA and RNA in human cells. 

Other PAH molecules can also interact with DNA but form an 

epoxide intermediate that reacts with the nucleic acid DNA in 

the same manner as benzo(a)pyrene. The attachment of a large 

PAH hydrocarbon to guanine prevents it from fitting into the 

DNA molecule and keeps it from bonding to a cystine in the 

opposite DNA strand in a cell during division. This damage 

may lead to mutations and eventually carcinogenesis (Morrision and Boyd, 1987).

PAHs are residual compounds in the heavy fraction of 

raw hydrocarbons and coal, in refined petroleum products 

(gasoline, kerosene, diesel fuel, and heating oil), and in 

heavier petroleum distillates such as asphalt, coal tar, and creosote. PAHs may dissolve directly from sources such as newly 

paved asphalt, from oils and greases that collect on parking 

lots and roads, or from oily wastes derived from industrial 

activity. PAHs can form during incomplete combustion of 

coal, wood, or hydrocarbon fuels and whenever organic wastes 

are burned, where they condense from the gaseous emissions 

and attach themselves directly to soot particles washed out by 

precipitation. Also, the lower molecular weight PAHs are sufficiently volatile and soluble that they can dissolve from gases 

directly into precipitation.

The 24 distinct PAH compounds that were measured in 

this study included the 16 USEPA listed Priority Pollutants 

along with 8 methylated napthalenes and a methylated-phenanthrene compound (table 24). Additionally, the total C2 and 

C3 alklynaphthalenes, which are the sum of all alkylated 

naphthalenes having two or three substitution groups, respectively, were measured. The 24 PAHs can be separated into 

two groups on the basis of molecular weight; low-molecular 

weight PAHs (Lmw PAHs) having molecular weights of less 

than 202 g/mole, and high-molecular weight PAHs (Hmw 

PAHs) having molecular weights greater than 202 g/mole. The 

physical-chemical properties of these PAH compounds vary 

systematically with the increase in structure complexity and 

molecular weight (table 24). Examples include the decrease 

in solubility, the increase in hydrophobicity (as measured by 

the octanol-water partitioning coeffcient), and the decrease in 

vapor pressure (a measure of the ease at which a compound 

transfers to the gas phase) with increasing molecular weight. 

Much of the distribution, transport, and fate of the PAHs 

through the environment can be explained in light of these 

properties.

Methods

Unlike the other dissolved organic species measured 

in this study, the dissolved PAHs could only be measured in 

composite whole-water grab samples. The XAD-2 resin could 

not be used to sample the dissolved PAH phase because it is 

known to produce substantial quantities of naphthalene compounds as it ages (D. Thal, STL Laboratories, oral commun., 

2000). These autochronously produced compounds would 

swamp many of the dissolved native compounds of interest 

present in the river water. The composite grab samples were 

produced by collecting aliquots (100 mL) of unfiltered river 

water concurrently with the collection of river water processed 

for suspended-sediment analysis. Typically, 4 L of sample 

were collected during each event, from which 1 or 2 L were 

ultimately extracted for dissolved PAHs. PAHs in the sediment 

phase were measured on the composite sediment collected by 

filtering river water through a glass fiber canister and flat filters. The sediment was extracted and analyzed for PAHs along 

with PCBs, pesticides, and dioxin/furans.

Laboratory analysis was done following a modification 

of the California-Air Resources Method CARB-410 (California Environmental Protection Agency Air Resources Board, 

1997), which is an isotope-dilution method using low-resolution GC/MS for analysis (Bonin and Wilson, 2006). The 

method was adjusted to increase sensitivity after the May 2001 

samples had been analyzed. This was done by adjustments to 

the GC/MS and by doubling the volume of dissolved sample 

extracted (to 2L). These modifications lowered the reported 

detection levels and concurrently the concentrations flagged as 

non-detectable.

Quality Assurance

Data quality and assurance were evaluated using the IS 

recoveries and the concentrations measured in the various field 

and method blanks that were prepared.

Recovery of Internal Standards

Recoveries of IS were considered acceptable if between 

20 and 150 percent. Two sediment samples had low recoveries 

of almost all IS, the sample collected from the Elizabeth River 

on May 22, 2001, and the sample from the Hackensack River 

collected on Oct. 19, 2001. As mentioned, the Elizabeth River 

sample from May 2001 also had low recoveries of the IS for 

PCB and dioxin, which were attributed to the high particulate 

carbon content of this sample. Several of the naphthalene 

compounds in the sediment from the Passaic River (Mar. 14, 

2001), the Rahway River (Apr. 24, 2001), and the Hackensack 

River tidal (Mar. 13, 2001) also were affected by low recoveries of IS.

Low recoveries of IS may have resulted in biased concentrations in these samples. The sediment data were not censored 

because of low recovery of IS, and all samples were used 

58 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Table 24. Properties of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) measured in this study.

[mg/L, milligrams per liter; Pa, pascals; atm3/mol, pressure in cubic atmospheres per mole; L, liters;--, value not reported; CAS, Chemical Abstract Service; data are from Mackay and others (2000)]

PAH CAS number Formula

Number of Rings 

in structure1

Molecular weight

(grams per mole)

Solubility 

(mg/L)

Log Kow

(mole/L/mole/L)

Vapor pressure

(Pa)

Henry’s Law constant

 (atm3/mol)

Low molecular weight PAHs

Naphthalene 91-20-3 C10H8 2 128.16 31 3.37 10.4 43.0

1-Methylnaphthalene 90-12-0 C11H10 2 142.20 28.0 3.87 8.84 44.92-Methylnaphthalene 91-57-6 C11H10 2 142.20 25.0 3.86 -- --2,6-Dimethylnaphthalene 581-40-2 C12H12 2 156.23 1.7 4.31 -- --2,3,5-Trimethylnaphthalene 2245-38-7 C13H14 2 170.14 2.1 5.00 -- --Acenaphathene 83-32-9 C12H10 2+ 154.21 -- 3.92 .3 12.17

Acenaphthylene 208-96-8 C12H8 2+ 150.13 16.1 4.00 .9 8.40

Biphenyl 92-52-4 C12H10 2 154.13 7 3.90 1.30 28.64Fluorene 86-73-7 C13H10 2+ 166.14 1.98 4.18 .09 7.00Anthracene 120-12-7 C14H10 3 178.15 .045 4.54 .001 3.96Phenanthrene 85-01-8 C14H10 3 178.15 1.1 4.57 .02 3.241-Methylphenanthrene 832-69-6 C15H12 3 192.26 .27 5.14 -- --

High molecular weight PAHs

Fluoranthene 206-44-0 C16H10 3+ 202.18 0.24 5.22 .00123 .957Pyrene 129-00-0 C16H10 4 202.26 .132 5.18 .0006 .92Chrysene 218-01-9 C18H12 4 228.20 .002 5.60 5.7x10-7 .065

Benzo(a)anthracene 56-55-3 C18H12 4 228.20 .011 5.91 2.80x10-5 .581Benzo(b)fluoranthene 205-99-2 C20H12 4+ 252.32 .0015 5.80 5.00x10-7 1.236Benzo(k)fluoranthene 207-08-9 C20H12 4+ 252.32 .0008 6.00 5.20x10-8 .018Benzo(a)pyrene 50-32-8 C20H12 5 252.22 .0038 6.04 7.00x10-7 .046Benzo(e)pyrene 192-97-2 C20H12 5 252.22 .0040 6.04* 7.40x10-7 .020Perylene 198-55-0 C20H12 5 252.32 .0004 6.25 1.40x10-8 .0088Indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene 193-39-5 C22H12 5 276.24 -- -- -- --

Benzo(ghi)perylene 191-24-2 C21H16 6 268.36 .0003 6.50 -- .075Dibenz(a,h)anthracene 53-70-1 C22H14 5 278.35 .0006 6.75 3.70x10-10 1.72x10-4

1 (+) reported for number of rings specifies the presence of a partial bridging ring in the structure.

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 59
to calculate average concentrations. None of the dissolved 

samples had IS with unacceptable recoveries.

Contamination of Blanks and Data Censoring

PAHs derived from fossil-fuel combustion are ubiquitous 

in urban areas. Additionally, analytical laboratories that handle 

sediments containing high levels of PAHs commonly have 

problems with the contamination of glassware, solvents, and 

the laboratory air. Samples are easily contaminated by PAH 

compounds that exist in the field and laboratory, so special 

care was given to consider the effects of sample-contamination 

bias in the concentrations.

The possible bias in field samples caused by field or laboratory contamination was considered in this work by using the 

“maximum blank-elimination” procedure as directed by the 

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. PAHs in 

samples having concentrations that were within a factor of five 

times the highest concentration in the associated field or laboratory blanks were removed from the data set. As discussed 

below, blank elimination greatly affected the dissolved PAH 

data set produced in this study.

Field and laboratory method blanks were produced for 

the sediment and aqueous samples collected in this work. 

Field blanks for sediment samples were prepared by exposing 

an unused filter to the atmosphere during the time when filters 

were being installed in the sampling apparatus. The field blank 

for aqueous samples consisted of a bottle of laboratory water 

left opened in the bottom of the sampling chamber for the 

duration of the composite sample collection. Because of cost, 

only one filter and one dissolved blank could be analyzed per 

sampling event, which commonly involved sampling at two or 

three sites. Generally, about 50 percent of the samples did not 

have a field blank collected at the same location as the sample. 

Therefore, it is possible that PAH data were eliminated 

because of a blank prepared at a location far from the actual 

sampled location. Laboratory method blanks were prepared 

using sand and sodium sulfate for solid materials or laboratory 

water for dissolved samples.

Average concentrations of the field and laboratory 

method blanks for the aqueous and sediment samples are 

presented in table 25. Measurable concentrations of most 

or all PAHs were found in the field and method blanks. For 

description purposes, concentrations were classified as being 

“high” if they were greater than 10 ng/L (for dissolved) or 10 

ng/sample for sediment. The 10 ng level is roughly the median 

concentration of the PAHs detected in the blanks that were 

prepared.

Aqueous Method Blanks

Of the 26 compounds measured in the aqueous samples, 

7 compounds were present one or less times in the aqueous method blanks: 2,3,5-trimethylnapthalene, anthracene, benzo(b)fluoranthene and benzo(k)fluoranthene, 

benzo(a)pyrene and benzo(e)pyrene, and perylene. Of the 

remaining 19 compounds present in three or more method 

blanks, 4 compounds were consistently present at high (greater 

than 10 ng/L average) concentrations: naphthalene, 2-methylnapthalene, 2,6-dimethylnaphthalene, and the total of the 

C2-alkylnapthalenes. All other compounds were detected at 

concentrations less than 10 ng/L.

Aqueous Field Blanks

PAHs that were consistently detected at high (greater than 

10 ng/L average) concentration in the aqueous field blanks 

included naphthalene, 1-methylnaphthalene, 2-methylnapthalene, and the total of the C2-alkylnapthalenes. All other 

compounds were detected at less than 10 ng/L. Compounds 

that were not present, or were present in only a few of the 

field blanks, included 2,3,5-trimethylnapthalene, benzo(a) and 

benzo(e)pyrene, anthracene, and perylene.

Filter Method Blanks

Compounds at high concentrations (greater than 10 ng/

sample average) in the filter method blanks included naphthalene, biphenyl, 2-methylnapthalene, 1-methylphenanthrene, 

pyrene, dibenzo(a,h)anthracene, indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene, 

benzo(ghi)perlyene, and the C2- and C3-alkylnapthalenes.

Filter Field Blanks

Eighteen PAHs were present at high concentrations 

(greater than 10 ng/sample average) in all the filter field 

blanks. Only the compounds 2,3,5-trimethylnapthalene, fluorene,1-methylphenanthrene, chrysene, and benz(a)anthracene 

did not consistently exceed the 10 ng/sample average level in 

the filter field blank. All remaining PAHs in the field blanks 

had masses generally exceeding their values in the method 

blanks.

The aqueous method blanks contained a very similar suite 

of PAH compounds at about one-half the masses measured 

in the field blanks, indicating that laboratory contamination 

accounted for roughly one-half of the blank contamination. 

Several compounds (naphthalene, 1-methylphenanthrene, 

acenaphthene, acenaphthylene, and pyrene) were detected 

in the filter field blanks at concentrations four to five times 

greater than in the filter method blanks. Contamination of the 

sediment samples was apparently associated with the preparation of the filters, because the filter field blanks contained 

the same suite of PAHs as did the filter method blanks, but at 

much greater masses. The filters may have become contaminated during baking or during handling in the field. However, 

the vast majority of the PAHs in the sediment samples were 

detected at masses greatly exceeding those in the filter field 

or method blanks, so few of the compounds were ultimately 

eliminated from the sample data set. The naphthalenes were 

the compounds most affected by contamination of the filter 

blanks.

Because of the much lower concentrations in the river 

water and the small volumes (1 to 2 L) of water extracted, 

a large number of aqueous sample data (10 to 100 percent, 

60 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Table 25. Average masses of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in method blanks, field blanks, and samples.

[ ng, nanograms]

Aqueous method blanks Aqueous field blanks Filter method blanks Filter field blanks

Number of 

detections 

(12 max)

Average 

(ng/sample)

Standard 

deviation 

(ng/sample)

Number of 

detections 

(10 max)

Average 

(ng/sample)

Standard 

deviation 

(ng/sample)

Number of 

detections 

(7 max)

Average 

(ng/sample)

Standard 

deviation 

(ng/sample)

Number of 

detections 

(8 max)

Average 

(ng/sample)

Standard 

deviation 

(ng/sample)

Naphthalene 10 18 7.5 10 64 33 6 33 11 7 45 42

Biphenyl 4 3.3 1.1 7 7.7 1.2 5 15 14 5 13 10

Acenaphthene 5 2.0 1.8 8 4.3 1.2 3 3.3 1.9 3 19 26

1-Methylnaphthalene 8 7.0 5.3 10 15 5.5 6 8.6 3.4 7 9.8 6.8

2-Methylnaphthalene 10 11 8.4 10 30 12 6 17 8.7 6 20 11

2,6-Dimethylnaphthalene 7 13 12 8 6.7 2.2 4 7.8 6.0 3 11 7.9

2,3,5-Trimethylnaphthalene 1 6.1 -- 0 -- -- 1 3.5 -- 1 .70 --

Acenaphthylene 3 .88 .38 3 4.2 1.0 3 3.7 2.8 3 16 16

Fluorene 7 1.5 1.0 10 3.5 1.4 3 2.5 1.6 4 4.3 1.7

Anthracene 1 1.1 -- 2 1.4 .70 0 -- -- 0 -- --

Phenanthrene 10 3.5 1.4 10 6.6 2.3 6 6.9 3.9 5 11 6.8

1-Methylphenanthrene 5 1.7 .89 3 7.1 6.8 1 26 -- 6 5.7 3.6

Fluoranthene 5 1.5 .30 10 3.3 1.5 4 6.3 6.5 5 11 14

Pyrene 5 3.4 2.9 10 7.5 12 5 22 43 6 9.6 14

Chrysene 4 .95 .55 8 2.9 .90 3 4.2 4.3 6 7.0 10

Benz(a)anthracene 4 .80 .72 6 2.3 1.0 3 3.4 3.2 5 6.3 8.7

Benzo(b)fluoranthene 1 1.1 -- 4 4.7 1.3 2 3.9 2.9 2 36 48

Benzo(k)fluoranthene 0 -- -- 4 4.0 2.0 1 1.1 -- 2 40 54

Benzo(a)pyrene 0 -- -- 1 6.9 -- 1 1.7 -- 2 46 62

Benzo(e)pyrene 0 -- -- 1 5.6 -- 1 1.1 -- 2 37 50

Dibenz(a,h)anthracene 5 2.4 1.4 10 6.7 2.8 3 17 13 5 14 7.2

Indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene 5 4.5 4.4 10 7.1 2.6 4 13 7.0 4 16 13

Perylene 0 -- -- 1 3.4 1 1.8 -- 2 14 19

Benzo(ghi)perylene 5 4.7 5.7 9 6.2 2.3 3 15 13 5 15 8.4

C2 Alkylnaphthalenes 11 24 18 9 31 14 4 26 5.7 5 125 115

C3 Alkylnaphthalenes 9 7.7 11 9 8.8 6.1 4 11 8.9 5 13 13

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 61
depending upon compound) were censored from the data set 

because of contamination of blanks. The following compounds 

were censored from over half of the dissolved samples: 

naphthalene, biphenyl, phenantrene, acenaphthene, 1- and 2-

methylnapthalene, 2,6-dimethylnapthalene, and flourene, and 

in a lesser number of samples, dibenzo(a,h)anthracene and the 

C2- and C3-alkylnapthalenes.

Concentrations

The concentrations of the PAH compounds measured 

in the suspended sediment and river water, and the reported 

detection limits, are listed in tables 26 through 29. Average 

values for each compound are presented in tables 30 and 31, 

and average sediment concentrations normalized to organic 

carbon are listed in table 32. Average concentrations were 

calculated using the blank-eliminated data set with the nondetected values replaced by one-half the reported EDL. For 

consistency with the PCB and dioxin data sets, the average 

values for the Passaic River were calculated without the Dec. 

15, 2000, sample, and the average for the Hackensack River 

does not include the samples collected Mar. 14, 2001 (tidal). 

Average detection limits were calculated for samples collected 

prior to June 2001 (excluding the June 2000 samples, which 

had detection levels arbitrarily set at 25 ng), and for samples 

collected after June 2001. This separation was because of the 

improved analytical methods mentioned earlier.

 Average detection limits for dissolved compounds present in the samples typically ranged from 1 to 9 ng/L for the 

earlier samples (pre-June 2001) and 0.15 to 0.6 ng/L for the 

later group of samples (post June 2001). Higher detection 

levels were achieved for the C2- and C3- alkylnaphthalenes 

(table 26). The typical range of detection levels for the nondetected dissolved compounds ranged from 1.5 to 8.9 ng/L for 

the earlier sample set. Very few of the later group of dissolved 

samples had nondetected compounds. Detection levels were 

0.4 ng/L for the three compounds that were not detected in the 

post-June 2001 samples (2,3,5-trimethylnaphthalene, perylene, 

and dibenz(a,h)anthracene). These data demonstrate that the 

modifications made to the dissolved PAH analyses after the 

analysis of the May 2001 sample provided sufficiently low 

detection levels that allowed nearly all compounds to be 

detected in the water samples.

Average detection levels for detected compounds in the 

sediment samples ranged from 1.5 to 10 ng/g for the earlier 

samples (with the exception of the C2- and C3-alkylnaphthalenes that had detection levels of 59 ng/g), and 0.4 to 4 ng/g 

for the later group of samples. Very few nondetected values 

were produced for the PAH compounds in the sediment phase. 

The detection levels for those few compounds that were not 

detected in this phase were nearly identical to the levels for 

detected concentrations.

Average concentrations (table 30) for several of the dissolved PAH compounds (naphthalene, 1- and 2-methylnaphthalene, 2,3,5-trimethylnaphthalene, biphenyl, and the C2- and 

C3- alkylnaphthalenes) were based on either a single measured 

value (generally samples after May 2001) and/or entirely on 

the EDL. The use of EDLs in calculating average values sets 

an upper limit on the average concentration (and, therefore, 

loads) but does not unequivocally demonstrate the presence of 

these compounds in the sample.

The PAHs were present in measurable concentrations 

in all sediment samples, although their concentrations varied 

over a large range within and among the different rivers (table 

27). The concentrations of total sediment-bound PAHs (the 

sum of the concentrations of the individual PAHs) ranged from 

230 ng/g in the Raritan River (Oct. 2001) up to 340,000 ng/g 

in the Elizabeth River (June 4, 2003). Average concentrations 

of the individual PAHs (calculated with the Passaic Dec. 15, 

2000 sample removed to be consistent with the calculations 

of PCB and dioxin averages) were highest in the Elizabeth 

River. The elevated concentrations in the Elizabeth River were 

from the low-flow sample collected during April 2001, and the 

storm event in June 2003. The average concentration of total 

PAHs in the sediment were 11,200 ng/g in the Raritan ,14,700 

ng/g in the Hackensack, 17,600 ng/g in the Passaic, 28,000 

ng/g in the Rahway, and 129,000 ng/g in the Elizabeth Rivers 

(table 31).

Plotting the average concentrations for the individual 

compounds (fig. 29) shows the highest absolute concentrations 

in the sediment were associated with the Hmw PAHs (Hmw 

PAH > 202 g/mole), and for the most part, the highest individual concentrations were in the Elizabeth River. The absolute 

and relative average concentrations (fig. 30) for the Hmw PAH 

in the sediment tend to decrease with increasing molecular 

weight from flouranthene to dibenzo(a,h)anthracene. In the 

Elizabeth River, the average concentrations of Hmw PAHs 

decreased from a high of nearly 19,000 ng/g for fluoranthene 

down to 1,200 ng/g for dibenz(a,h)anthracene (not considereing total C2 and C3 compound values) Concentrations of the 

Hmw PAHs in the Passaic and Rahway Rivers decreased from 

roughly 2,700 ng/g fluoranthene to less than 270 ng/g for 

dibenz(a,h)anthracene; the concentrations in the Raritan River 

decreased from roughly 1,300 ng/g to roughly 140 ng/g for 

dibenz(a,h)anthracene (table 31).

With the exception of phenanthrene in the Rahway, 

Elizabeth, and Passaic Rivers, 1-methylphenanthrene in the 

Elizabeth and Hackensack Rivers, 2,6-dimethylnaphthalene 

in the Rahway River, anthracene in the Elizabeth River, and 

naphthalene in the Raritan River, the concentrations of all 

Lmw PAH ( Lmw PAHs < 202 g/mole) were less than 1,000 

ng/g in all rivers. Concentrations of the individual Lmw PAHs 

were relatively steady and did not appear to vary as a function of molecular weight at least until phenanthrene is reached 

(fig. 29). In general, the highest concentrations of the Lmw 

PAHs in the sediment were in the Elizabeth River, where three 

compounds dominated (phenanthrene, 1-trimethylnaphthalene, 

and anthracene) (fig. 29). Phenanthrene was also the dominant Lwm PAH in the Passaic and Rahway Rivers. When the 

relative concentrations were plotted as a function of molecular 

weight, the dominance of phenanthrene was apparent in all 

rivers (fig. 30). In the Raritan River average sediment com62 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Table 26. Summary of detection limits for dissolved and particulate-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in samples from selected rivers in New Jersey.

[ng, nanograms; L, liter; g, grams]

Dissolved samples 

collected before May 20011

 (n=10)

Dissolved samples 

collected after May, 2001

(n=8)

Sediment samples 

collected before May 20011

(n=8)

Sediment samples 

collected after May 2001

(n=8)

Minimum 

(ng/L)

Maximum 

(ng/L)

Average 

(ng/L)

Minimum 

(ng/L)

Maximum 

(ng/L)

Average 

(ng/L)

Minimum 

(ng/g)

Maximum 

(ng/g)

Average 

(ng/g)

Minimum 

(ng/g)

Maximum 

(ng/g)

Average 

(ng/g)

Naphthalene 8.9 8.9 8.9 0.092 0.94 0.41 0.20 15 3.5 0.05 0.95 0.421-Methylnaphthalene 4.6 4.6 4.6 .15 .62 .34 .20 6.8 1.8 .06 .93 .422-Methylnaphthalene 2.5 4.1 3.9 .15 .63 .35 .20 14 3.4 .06 .89 .422,6-Dimethylnaphthalene 2.3 3.0 2.9 .24 1.3 .62 .50 7.4 2.2 .08 1.2 .582,3,5-Trimethylnaphthalene 2.4 2.5 2.5 .18 .87 .43 .30 6.8 1.9 .00 1.1 .45Acenaphthene 2.1 2.1 2.1 .17 .98 .43 .40 7.9 2.1 .09 1.6 .55Acenaphthylene 2.7 2.7 2.7 .064 .24 .16 .20 6.8 1.6 .02 0.59 .22

Biphenyl 6.2 6.2 6.2 .17 .52 .32 .30 9.5 2.4 .08 1.3 .48

Fluorene 1.3 1.3 1.3 .18 .38 .29 .30 6.8 2.0 .08 4.5 .99

Anthracene 1.5 1.5 1.5 .13 .47 .26 .40 10 2.7 .10 5.7 1.6

Phenanthrene 2.7 2.7 2.7 .12 .42 .24 .40 7.0 3.9 .10 5.2 1.7

1-Methylphenanthrene 2.4 4.1 2.6 .18 .47 .30 .40 9.5 2.9 .16 10 2.2

Fluoranthene 1.6 16 3.0 .045 .39 .18 .50 30 8.1 .10 7.8 1.8

Pyrene 1.7 17 3.2 .043 .37 .17 .40 26 6.3 .10 7.7 1.8

Chrysene 1.9 1.9 1.9 .042 .21 .15 .30 23 6.3 .00 9.5 2.0

Benz(a)anthracene 2.1 2.1 2.1 .044 .20 .14 .30 27 5.9 .00 8.3 1.8

Benzo(b)fluoranthene 4.3 4.3 4.3 .081 .36 .21 .40 35 9.3 .10 8.4 2.2

Benzo(k)fluoranthene 2.0 2.0 2.0 .10 .38 .23 .40 23 6.4 .10 8.1 2.3

Benzo(a)pyrene 2.8 2.8 2.8 .14 .64 .34 .50 23 6.5 .10 11 2.9

Benzo(e)pyrene 1.7 1.7 1.7 .12 .57 .30 .40 27 7.4 .10 9.8 2.5

Perylene 3.5 3.5 3.5 .12 .58 .33 .40 15 5.1 .10 8.6 2.0

Indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene 4.2 4.2 4.2 .096 .75 .34 .90 12 6.4 .10 11 3.8

Benzo(ghi)perylene 3.7 3.7 3.7 .11 .62 .32 .80 14 6.0 .10 13 3.9

Dibenz(a,h)anthracene 2.1 2.1 2.1 .11 .94 .39 .60 25 5.9 .10 7.6 2.9

C2 Alkylnaphthalenes 2.4 25 20. .22 1.3 .62 .30 330 59 .00 1.3 .61

C3 Alkylnaphthalenes 2.4 25 20. .14 .98 .40 .20 330 59 .00 1.0 .43

1 Summary averages do not include the samples collected during June, 2000. These samples had detection levels set at 25 ng.

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 63
Table 27. Concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) measured in suspended sediment samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey.

[All values are in nanograms per gram unless otherwise noted; mg/L, milligrams per liter; ND, not measured; BE, blank eliminated; B, low-flow; S, storm flow; V, variable flow

Date

Flow 

regime

Suspended 

sediment 

(mg/L)

Particulate 

organic carbon

 (mg/L) Naphthalene

1-Methyl 

naphthalene

2-Methyl 

naphthalene

2,6-

Dimethyl 

naphthalene

2,3,5-

Trimethyl 

naphthalene Acenaphthene Acenaphthylene

Raritan River

June 27, 2000

B 3.2 0.25 4,800 34 110 100 150,000 70 110

Oct. 4, 2001

B 67 2.2 BE BE BE 0.5 0.4 3.6 BE

Apr. 13, 2001 S 32 1.3 BE BE BE 200 7.8 40 110

Mar. 3, 2002 S 69 5.1 53 18 24 41 11 30 59

Mar. 21, 2002 S 293 3.1 18 4.6 6.7 16 3.6 8.3 16

Passaic River

June 22, 2000

B 16 .70 11 5.9 8.4 40 2.4 11 17

Dec. 15, 2000

V 6.8 .82 4,300 940 1,600 1,200 560 1,500 2,500

Mar. 14, 2001 S 16 1.3 110 52 96 260 40 130 160

Oct. 17, 2001

B 9.4 .86 23 11 8.5 94 BE 8.3 35

Rahway River

June 28,2000

B 3.4 .27 BE BE 31 BE 2,100 35 15

Apr. 24, 2001

B 9.4 1.6 320 100 230 5,700 240 83 320

May 22, 2001 S 39 3.8 14 7.3 11 48 BE 15 39

Apr. 28, 2002 S 46 3.6 120 53 83 110 44 160 190

Elizabeth River

June 29, 2000

B 4.4 .25 460 46 27 75 3,100 32 79

Apr. 24, 2001

B 3.3 .93 660 280 480 860 100 560 610

May 22, 2001 S 174 27 45 24 37 220 47 61 75

June 4, 2003 S 43 6.2 610 450 450 300 300 1,300 1,600

Hackensack River

June 23, 2000

B 4.4 0.44 41 26 34 60 BE 14 130

Oct. 19, 2001

B 2.8 3.2 76 21 30 230 BE 26 44

July 19, 2002

B 10 3.4 72 34 53 1,700 95 68 150

Mar. 13, 2001 Tidal 20 2.5 230 97 160 170 49 230 470

1 Concentration of 2,3,5-trimethylnaphthalene in Raritan River sample collected on 6/00 not included in average concentration.2 Total PAH values are sum of all compunds including the C2 and C3-alkylnaphthalenes.

64 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Table 27. Concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) measured in suspended sediment samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey.—Continued

[All values are in nanograms per gram unless otherwise noted; mg/L, milligrams per liter; ND, not measured; BE, blank eliminated; B, low-flow; S, storm flow; V, variable flow

Date Biphenyl Fluorene Anthracene Phenanthrene

1-Methyl 

phenanthrene Fluoranthene Pyrene Chrysene

Benzo(a) 

anthracene

Benzo(b) 

fluoranthene

Raritan River

June 27, 2000 22 56 220 1,100 140 3,000 1,900 2,400 1,100 2,100

Oct. 4, 2001 BE BE 2.3 14 9.3 33 30 20 12 17

Apr. 13, 2001 BE 55 160 730 82 1,700 1,500 1,100 640 1,100

Mar. 3, 2002 11 38 150 520 66 1,400 1,200 830 510 630

Mar. 21, 2002 2.8 11 50 190 23 480 430 290 180 210

Passaic River

June 22, 2000 2.4 14 26 110 56 170 160 110 49 98

Dec. 15, 2000 560 1,200 5,800 8,100 2,200 28,000 30,000 20,000 17,000 18,000

Mar. 14, 2001 40 190 460 3,600 330 7,600 6,400 4,800 1,700 4,500

Oct. 17, 2001 4.6 9.9 88 180 15 390 310 290 160 240

Rahway River

June 28,2000 16 3.6 16 55 9.1 140 100 110 96 96

Apr. 24, 2001 210 80 400 2,100 BE 3,700 3,400 2,600 1,500 2,400

May 22, 2001 3.9 14 63 250 130 530 440 370 220 330

Apr. 28, 2002 26 320 1,200 3,400 450 6,200 5,500 4,000 3,000 2,800

Elizabeth River

June 29, 2000 8.3 41 110 410 46 1,200 870 870 500 1,000

Apr. 24, 2001 160 580 1,800 8,600 1,100 23,000 22,000 15,000 9,800 3,800

May 22, 2001 14 54 190 770 130 1,800 1,600 1,100 680 960

June 4, 2003 140 1,400 5,100 23,000 3,200 51,000 43,000 32,000 21,000 30,000

Hackensack River

June 23, 2000 5.6 18 110 430 100 1,100 1,200 880 500 940

Oct. 19, 2001 12 37 110 320 37 720 530 450 240 350

July 19, 2002 22 120 230 1,900 7,700 970 1,300 2,400 1,100 1,200

Mar. 13, 2001 68 190 760 3,600 860 7,800 6,800 6,300 2,300 6,000

1 Concentration of 2,3,5-trimethylnaphthalene in Raritan River sample collected on 6/00 not included in average concentration.2 Total PAH values are sum of all compunds including the C2 and C3-alkylnaphthalenes.

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 65
Table 28. Concentrations of dissolved polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons measured in samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey.

[All values are in nanograms per liter unless otherwise noted;mg/L, milligrams per liter; values in brackets were not detected, and replaced by one-half the detection limit; ND, not measured; BE, blank eliminated]

River Date sampled

Dissolved organic 

carbon (mg /L) Naphthalene

1-Methyl 

naphthalene

2-Methyl 

naphthalene

2,6-Dimethyl 

naphthalene

2,3,5-Trimethyl 

naphthalene Acenaphthene

Raritan June 27, 2000 4.11 ND ND ND ND ND ND

Raritan Oct. 4, 2001 3.81 BE BE BE BE (.24) BE

Raritan Apr. 13, 2001 4.13 (4.5) (2.3) BE BE (1.2) BE

Raritan Mar. 3, 2002 3.68 BE BE BE 11 (.16) 3.3

Raritan Mar. 21, 2002 4.53 BE BE BE BE (.21) 5.1

Passaic June 22, 2000 4.46 ND ND ND ND ND ND

Passaic Dec. 15, 2000 3.90 BE 4.7 BE 1.2 (1.2) (1.1)

Passaic Mar. 14, 2001 3.85 (4.4) BE BE BE (1.2) BE

Passaic Oct. 17, 2001 4.14 BE BE BE BE 1.6 BE

Rahway June 28,2000 3.37 ND ND ND ND ND ND

1Rahway-1 Apr. 24, 2001 3.51 BE BE BE BE (1.3) BE1Rahway-2 Apr. 24, 2001 3.51 BE BE BE BE (1.3) BE

Rahway May 22, 2001 5.02 BE BE BE BE 3.7 BE

Rahway Apr. 28, 2002 4.90 BE BE BE BE (.09) BE

Elizabeth June 29, 2000 3.53 ND ND ND ND 3.4 ND

1Elizabeth-1 Apr. 24, 2001 4.03 BE BE BE BE 3.9 BE1Elizabeth-2 Apr. 24, 2001 4.03 BE BE BE BE 3.9 BE

Elizabeth May 22, 2001 5.83 BE BE BE 120 14 39

Elizabeth June 4, 2003 3.41 BE 158 30 20 (.21) 110

Hackensack June 23, 2000 3.83 ND ND ND 5.7 ND ND

Hackensack Oct. 19, 2001 3.22 BE BE BE BE 2.3 BE

Hackensack July 19, 2002 3.83 BE BE BE 6.5 (.19) 13

Hackensack Mar. 13, 2001 2.95 BE (2.3) BE (1.5) BE 2.4

1 The sample was analyzed in duplicate for these dates.

66 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Table 28. Concentrations of dissolved polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons measured in samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey.—Continued

[All values are in nanograms per liter unless otherwise noted;mg/L, milligrams per liter; values in brackets were not detected, and replaced by one-half the detection limit; ND, not measured; BE, blank eliminated]

River Date sampled Acenaphthylene Biphenyl Fluorene Anthracene Phenanthrene

1-Methyl 

phenanthrene

Raritan June 27, 2000 ND ND ND ND BE ND

Raritan Oct. 4, 2001 3.6 BE BE 4.5 BE 3.1

Raritan Apr. 13, 2001 3.1 (3.1) BE 7.2 BE (1.2)

Raritan Mar. 3, 2002 BE BE BE 11 41 (.09)Raritan Mar. 21, 2002, 14 BE 5.7 22 25 BE

Passaic June 22, 2000, ND ND ND ND ND ND

Passaic Dec. 15, 2000 2 .8 (3.1) BE 2.8 BE (1.2)

Passaic Mar. 14, 2001 BE (3.1) BE 9.6 71 BE

Passaic Oct. 17, 2001 BE BE BE 6.0 BE 5.6

Rahway June 28,2000 ND ND ND ND BE ND

1Rahway-1 Apr. 24, 2001 4.2 (3.1) BE 5.5 BE BE1Rahway-2 Apr. 24, 2001 4.4 (3.1) BE 5.0 BE BE

Rahway May 22, 2001 15 (3.1) BE 28 71 BE

Rahway Apr. 28, 2002 BE BE BE 32 82 12

Elizabeth June 29, 2000 ND ND ND 2.9 BE ND

1Elizabeth-1 Apr. 24, 2001 7.2 (3.1) BE 9.7 39 BE1Elizabeth-2 Apr. 24, 2001 6.3 (3.1) BE 7.2 BE BE

Elizabeth May 22, 2001 58 8.7 42 170 620 110

Elizabeth June 4, 2003 87 8.6 150 410 1,600 160

Hackensack June 23, 2000 ND ND ND ND BE ND

Hackensack Oct. 19, 2001 BE BE BE 6.7 BE BE

Hackensack July 19, 2002 (.09) BE 11 9.8 33 BEHackensack Mar. 13, 2001 8.1 (3.1) BE 14 42 BE

1 The sample was analyzed in duplicate for these dates.

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 67
Table 28. Concentrations of dissolved polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons measured in samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey.—Continued

[All values are in nanograms per liter unless otherwise noted;mg/L, milligrams per liter; values in brackets were not detected, and replaced by one-half the detection limit; ND, not measured; BE, blank eliminated]

River Date Fluoranthene Pyrene Chrysene

Benzo(a) 

anthracene

Benzo(b) 

fluoranthene

Benzo(k) 

fluoranthene

Benzo(a) 

pyrene

Benzo(e) 

pyrene

Raritan June 27, 2000 3.6 4.6 ND ND ND ND ND ND

Raritan Oct. 4, 2001 33 27 18 12 15 16 15 16Raritan Apr. 13, 2001 26 26 16 9.4 (2.2) (1.0) (1.4) (.85)Raritan Mar. 3, 2002 83 72 49 26 38 37 41 37Raritan Mar. 21, 2002, 47 51 27 16 21 18 25 27Passaic June 22, 2000, ND 3.4 ND ND ND ND ND NDPassaic Dec. 15, 2000 29 33 20 11 23 16 15 18

Passaic Mar. 14, 2001 140 120 81 34 75 64 52 56Passaic Oct. 17, 2001 42 39 24 12 BE 21 19 21Rahway June 28,2000 9.4 8.4 6.7 4.1 4.9 6.3 3.4 3.2

1Rahway-1 Apr. 24, 2001 44 BE 26 15 (2.2) (1.0) (1.4) (.85)1Rahway-2 Apr. 24, 2001 44 BE 28 16 (2.2) (1.0) (1.4) (.85)

Rahway May 22, 2001 190 160 120 72 110 110 100 93Rahway Apr. 28, 2002 220 190 150 99 120 110 140 130Elizabeth June 29, 2000 20 37 16 9 12 14 9.2 9

1Elizabeth-1 Apr. 24, 2001 130 BE 54 33 (2.2) (1.0) (1.4) (0.85)1Elizabeth-2 Apr. 24, 2001 99 BE 40 22 (2.2) (1.0) (1.4) (0.85)

Elizabeth May 22, 2001 1,600 1,600 1,000 610 960 810 860 800Elizabeth June 4, 2003 2,800 2,400 1700 1,200 1,500 1,600 1,800 1,300Hackensack June 23, 2000 ND 3.8 ND ND ND ND ND NDHackensack Oct. 19, 2001 18 12 BE BE BE BE 6.1 6.5Hackensack July 19, 2002 42 29 17 BE 11 16 14 13Hackensack Mar. 13, 2001 97 92 65 26 62 54 39 54

1 The sample was analyzed in duplicate for these dates.

68 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Table 28. Concentrations of dissolved polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons measured in samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey.—Continued

[All values are in nanograms per liter unless otherwise noted;mg/L, milligrams per liter; values in brackets were not detected, and replaced by one-half the detection limit; ND, not measured; BE, blank eliminated]

River Date Sampled Perylene

Indeno (1,2,3-cd) 

pyrene

Benzo(ghi) 

perylene

Dibenz(a,h) 

anthracene

C2- Alkylnaphthalenes C3-Alkyl- naphthalenes Total

Raritan June 27, 2000 ND ND ND ND ND ND 8.2

Raritan Oct. 4, 2001 4.6 13 8.4 BE BE BE 190

Raritan Apr. 13, 2001 (1.8) BE BE BE BE 24 130

Raritan Mar. 3, 2002 13 33 39 BE BE 15 550

Raritan Mar. 21, 2002, 10 20 27 BE BE 27 390

Passaic June 22, 2000, ND ND ND ND ND ND 3.4

Passaic Dec. 15, 2000 (1.7) 17 16 3.5 (1.2) (1.2) 220

Passaic Mar. 14, 2001 9.9 46 48 BE BE BE 820

Passaic Oct. 17, 2001 5.8 BE BE BE BE 36 230

Rahway June 28,2000 ND ND ND ND ND ND 46

1Rahway-1 Apr. 24, 2001 (1.8) 20 17 BE BE BE 1501Rahway-2 Apr. 24, 2001 (1.8) 21 18 BE BE BE 150

Rahway May 22, 2001 24 82 82 BE BE BE 1,300

Rahway Apr. 28, 2002 37 98 110 30 BE BE 1,600

Elizabeth June 29, 2000 ND 11 12 ND ND ND 160

1Elizabeth-1 Apr. 24, 2001 (1.8) 33 30 BE BE BE 3501Elizabeth-2 Apr. 24, 2001 (1.8) BE 20 BE BE BE 210

Elizabeth May 22, 2001 230 670 670 150 170 150 12,000

Elizabeth June 4, 2003 410 1,300 1,400 350 71 93 20,000

Hackensack June 23, 2000 ND ND ND ND ND ND 9.5

Hackensack Oct. 19, 2001 (.15) BE BE (.22) BE BE 52

Hackensack July 19, 2002 4.5 BE BE BE BE BE 220

Hackensack Mar. 13, 2001 7.6 38 40 BE BE BE 650

1 The sample was analyzed in duplicate for these dates.

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 69
Table 29. Whole-water concentrations and surface-water-quality criteria for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in selected rivers in New Jersey.

[All values in nanograms per liter; ND, not detected or blank eliminated; shaded values exceed water-quality criteria for freshwaters; NA, not applicable]

Date Fluorene Anthracene Fluorathene Chrysene

Benzo(a) 

anthracene

Benzo(b) 

fluoranthene

Benzo(k) 

fluoranthene Pyrene

Benzo(a) 

pyrene

Indeno

(1,2,3-cd) 

pyrene

Dibenz(a,h) 

anthracene Total PAH

Freshwater 

criteria 1,100,000 8,300,000 130,000 3,800 38 38 38 830,000 3.8 38 3.8 NA

SE and SC 

criteria 5,300,000 40,000,000 14,000 18,000 180 180 180 4,000,000 18 180 18 NA

Raritan River

June 27, 2000 0.16 0.62 12 7.0 3.1 6.1 6.6 10 5.3 4.0 0.93 231

Oct. 4, 2001 ND 4.6 35 19 13 16 17 28 16 14 .16 200

Apr. 13, 2001 1.6 12 77 48 28 31 31 69 28 23 5.2 470

Mar. 3, 2002 2.4 21 170 100 58 77 78 150 86 61 9.3 1,100

Mar. 21, 2002 2.8 13 130 76 48 56 82 110 65 42 13 850Average 1.7 10 84 50 20 31 43 73 40 29 5.7 580

Passaic River

June 22, 2000 .20 .37 2.5 1.5 .70 1.4 1.3 5.7 1.2 1.1 .16 23

Dec. 15, 2000 7.5 38 200 140 120 130 120 220 136 75 20 1.6

Mar. 14, 2001 2.8 16.5 250 150 59 140 130 210 98 85 6.6 1,500

Oct. 17, 2001 .08 6.8 46 27 13 2.1 24 42 22 1.7 .54 260

Average1 1.0 7.9 100 60 24 48 52 86 40 28 2.4 600

Rahway River

June 28, 2000 .012 .054 9.9 7.1 4.4 5.20 6.7 8.7 4.5 .34 0.10 59

Apr. 24, 2001 .68 8.4 76 50 28 21 20 29 19 39 3.4 570

May, 22, 2001 .50 30 210 130 80 120 120 180 110 91 2.0 1,400Apr. 28, 2002 13 82 480 320 220 240 290 420 290 180 55 3,400

Average 3.6 30 190 130 83 97 100 160 105 78 23 1.400

Elizabeth River

June 29, 2000 .16 3.3 25 19 11 16 17 40 14 14 0.50 210

Apr. 24, 2001 1.7 13 167 85 51 11 18 65 41 59 4.1 650

May 22, 2001 51 200 1,900 1,200 720 1,100 960 1,900 1,000 760 170 13,000

June 4, 2003 200 610 4,800 2,900 2,000 2,600 2,600 4,100 2,900 1,900 480 34,000

Average 63 210 1,700 1,100 700 940 900 1,500 990 690 160 12,000

Hackensack River

June 23, 2000 .073 .43 4.3 3.5 2.0 3.7 3.2 8.4 3.2 2.7 .32 48

Oct. 19, 2001 .092 7.0 20 1.1 .61 .87 .74 13 7.0 .65 .19 66

July 19, 2001 12 12 51 39 9.8 23 31 41 28 15 6.6 480

Mar. 13, 2001 3.4 28 240 180 68 170 160 220 120 100 10 1,700

Average2 4.1 6.5 25 15 4.1 9.0 12 21 13 6.2 2.4 200

1 Passaic River average does not include the sample collected on Dec. 15, 2000.2 Hackensack River average does not include the sample collected on Mar. 13, 2001.

70 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Table 30. Average concentrations of dissolved polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in samples collected from selected rivers in 

New Jersey.

[ng/L, nanograms per liter; --, all available values were removed by blank elimination; *, value calculated from 1 or less measured concentration and/or 

estimated detection levels]

Raritan River 

(ng/L)

Passaic River1

(ng/L)

Rahway River 

(ng/L)

Elizabeth River 

(ng/L)

Hackensack River1

(ng/L)

Low molecular weight compounds

Naphthalene 4.5* 4.4* -- -- --

1-Methylnaphthalene 2.3 * -- -- 158* --

2-Methylnaphthalene -- -- -- 30 --

2,6-Dimethylnaphthalene 11* -- -- 70 6.1

2,3,5-Trimethylnaphthalene .46 1.4 1.7 5.4 1.2 

Acenaphthene 4.2 -- -- 72 13 

Acenaphthylene 6.9 -- 9.7 51 .09*

Biphenyl 3.1 * 3.1* 3.1 5.9 --

Fluorene 5.7* -- -- 94 11 *

Anthracene 11 7.8 22 150 9.8 *

Phenanthrene 33 71* 77 840 33*

1-Methylphenanthrene 2.2 5.6* 12* 130 --

High molecular weight compounds

Fluoranthene 38 91 120 1,100 30 

Pyrene 36 54 120 1,400 15

Chrysene 28 53 76 690 17 *

Benzo(a)anthracene 16 23 48 460 --

Benzo(b)fluoranthene 19 75* 60 610 12 * 

Benzo(k)fluoranthene 18 43 58 600 16 * 

Benzo(a)pyrene 21 36 62 660 9.9 

Benzo(e)pyrene 20 38 57 520 9.6 

Perylene 7.4 7.9 21 210 2.3 

Indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene 22 46* 67 650 --

Benzo(ghi)perylene 25 48* 70 540 --

Dibenz(a,h)anthracene -- -- 30* 250 .22*

C2-Alkylnaphthalenes -- -- -- 120 --

C3-Alkylnaphthalenes 22 36* -- 120 --

Total PAH (ng/L) 360 660 910 9,520 180 

1

 The samples from the Passaic River, Dec. 15, 2000 and the Hackensack River, Mar. 14, 2001 (tidal), were not included when calculating the average 

concentrations.

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 71
Table 31. Average concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in suspended sediment samples collected from 

selected rivers in New Jersey.

[ng/g, nanograms per gram]

Raritan River 

(ng/g)

Passaic River1

(ng/g)

Rahway River 

(ng/g)

Elizabeth River 

(ng/g)

Hackensack River1

(ng/g)

Low molecular weight compounds

Naphthalene 1,600 47 150 590 63

1-Methylnaphthalene 19 23 54 190 27

2-Methylnaphthalene 48 38 88 250 39

2,6-Dimethylnaphthalene 72 130 2,000 360 660

2,3,5-Trimethylnaphthalene 25.8 14 600 900 48

Acenaphthene 30 51 74 490 36

Acenaphthylene 74 70 140 580 110

Biphenyl 8.9 16 64 81 13

Fluorene 40 71 110 510 58

Anthracene 120 190 420 1,800 150

Phenanthrene 510 1,300 1,500 8,200 880

1-Methylphenanthrene 64 130 150 1,100 2,600

High molecular weight compounds

Fluoranthene 1,300 2,700 2,600 19,000 930

Pyrene 1,000 2,300 2,400 17,000 1,000

Chrysene 930 1,700 1,800 12,000 1,200

Benzo(a)anthracene 480 630 1,200 8,000 600

Benzo(b)fluoranthene 800 1,600 1,400 8,800 830

Benzo(k)fluoranthene 850 1,600 1,800 8,500 920

Benzo(a)pyrene 760 1,100 1,600 11,000 920

Benzo(e)pyrene 740 1,200 1,400 9,500 820

Perylene 260 280 410 2,800 260

Indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene 560 890 1,100 6,700 870

Benzo(ghi)perylene 630 960 970 7,600 720

Dibenz(a,h)anthracene 140 180 270 1,200 290

C2-Alkylnaphthalenes 100 260 4,900 930 500

C3-Alkylnaphthalenes 36 110 800 910 200

Total PAH (ng/g) 11,200 17,600 28,000 129,000 14,700

1

 The samples from the Passaic River, Dec. 15, 2000; and the Hackensack River, Mar. 14, 2001 (tidal), were not included when calculating the average 

concentrations.

2

 Average value for 2,3,5-trimethylnaphthalene does not include sample from June 2000.

72 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Table 32. Average concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in suspended sediment normalized to particulate carbon in 

samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey.

[ng/gC, nanograms per gram of carbon]

Raritan River 

(ng/gC)

Passaic River1

(ng/gC)

Rahway River 

(ng/gC)

Elizabeth River 

(ng/gC)

Hackensack River1

(ng/gC)

Naphthalene 22,000 630 1,200 3,700 280

1-Methylnaphthalene 370 310 450 1,200 140

2-Methylnaphthalene 820 510 720 1,500 190

2,6-Dimethylnaphthalene 1,700 1,800 12,000 1,900 2,100

2,3,5-Trimethylnaphthalene 2

180 190 9,700 14,000 140

Acenaphthene 640 690 810 3,000 140

Acenaphthylene 1,600 940 1,200 3,600 630

Biphenyl 180 210 450 440 51

Fluorene 900 960 1,200 3,100 210

Anthracene 2,800 2,500 4,700 11,000 700

Phenanthrene 11,000 17,000 15,000 51,000 3,600

1-Methylphenanthrene 1,500 1,900 2,500 6,900 8,000

Fluoranthene 30,000 35,000 27,000 120,000 5,300

Pyrene 24,000 30,000 24,000 100,000 5,600

Chrysene 20,000 23,000 18,000 74,000 5,700

Benzo(a)anthracene 11,000 8,100 13,000 48,000 2,900

Benzo(b)fluoranthene 17,000 21,000 14,000 60,000 4,600

Benzo(k)fluoranthene 18,000 21,000 18,000 56,000 4,600

Benzo(a)pyrene 16,000 15,000 16,000 69,000 4,600

Benzo(e)pyrene 15,000 16,000 14,000 58,000 4,100

Perylene 5,800 3,600 4,200 17,000 1,300

Indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene 12,000 12,000 10,000 41,000 4,200

Benzo(ghi)perylene 14,000 12,000 10,000 48,000 3,800

Dibenz(a,h)anthracene 3,000 2,300 2,800 7,500 1,100

C2-Alkylnaphthalenes 4,200 3,200 30,000 4,400 1,500

C3-Alkylnaphthalenes 1,100 1,500 5,300 4,800 580

Total PAHs (ng/gC) 342,000 230,000 260,000 810,000 66,000

1

 The samples from the Passaic River, Dec. 15, 2000; and the Hackensack River, Mar. 14, 2001 (tidal), were not included when calculating the average.

2

 Average value for 2,3,5-trimethylnaphthalene does not include sample from June 2000.

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 73
1

10

100

1,000

10,000

100,000

CONSTITUENT CONCENTRATION. IN NANOGRAMS

PER GRAM OF SEDIMENT

Naphthalene

1-Methylnaphthalene

2-Methylnaphthalene

2,6-Dimethylnaphthalene

2,3,5-Trimethylnaphthalene

Acenaphthene

Acenaphthylene

Biphenyl

Fluorene

Anthracene

Phenanthrene

1-Methylphenanthrene

Pyrene

Chrysene

Fluoranthene

Benzo(a)anthracene

Benzo(b)fluoranthene

Benzo(k)fluoranthene

Benzo(a)pyrene

Benzo(e)pyrene

Perylene

Indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene

Benzo(ghi)perylene

Dibenz(a,h)anthracene

C2 Alkylnaphthalene

C3 Alkylnaphthalene

Raritan River

Passaic River

Rahway River

Elizabeth River

Hackensack River

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

PERCENT OF TOTAL MASS

Naphthalene

1-Methylnaphthalene

2-Methylnaphthalene

2,6-Dimethylnaphthalene

2,3,5-Trimethylnaphthalene

Acenaphthene

Acenaphthylene

Biphenyl

Fluorene

Anthracene

Phenanthrene

1-Methylphenanthrene

Pyrene

Chrysene

Fluoranthene

Benzo(a)anthracene

Benzo(b)fluoranthene

Benzo(k)fluoranthene

Benzo(a)pyrene

Benzo(e)pyrene

Perylene

Indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene

Benzo(ghi)perylene

Dibenz(a,h)anthracene

C2 Alkylnaphthalene

C3 Alkylnaphthalene

Raritan River

Passaic River

Rahway River

Elizabeth River

Hackensack River

Figure 29. Average concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in suspended-sediment samples collected from selected 

rivers in New Jersey. [Averages calculated without the Raritan River June 2000, nor Passaic River Dec. 2000 samples.]

Figure 30. Percent contribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in average suspended sediment collected from selected rivers in 

New Jersey. [Averages calculated without the Raritan River June 2000, nor Passaic River Dec. 2000 samples.]

74 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
position, naphthalene was elevated and represented nearly 14 

percent of the total PAH mass.

One PAH in the Raritan River sediment, 2,3,5-trimethylnapthalene, had an average concentration (10,000 ng/g) that 

exceeded the concentration of any other compound in any of 

the other rivers. The high 2,3,5-trimethylnaphthalene concentration was the result of the June 2000 sample, in which a 

concentration of 50,000 ng/g was measured and considered to 

be an outlier. Removing this value resulted in an average concentration of 5.8 ng/g for 2,3,5-trimethylnaphthalene, which 

was similar to the concentrations measured in the other rivers.

 Because the suite of PAHs vary widely in molecular 

weight, the mass-based concentrations (nanograms per gram) 

were converted to molar concentrations (mole per gram) to 

demonstrate which of the compounds are present in greater 

abundance and not weight (table 33). The molar percentages 

of the individual PAH compounds in the average sediment 

compositions cluster into two groups – the Raritan River and 

the Passaic-Rahway-Elizabeth-Hackensack Rivers (fig. 31). 

Generally, the Passaic- Rahway, Elizabeth, and Hackensack 

Rivers had much greater mole percentage of the Hmw species. 

Sediment from the Passaic River and the Raritan sample collected on June 2000 had a much higher percentage of naphthalene and 2,3,5-trimethylnapthalene than was present in the 

other rivers. In the sample collected from the Raritan River in 

June 2000, and the sediment from the Rahway, Elizabeth, and 

Hackensack Rivers, the most abundant PAHs were fluoranthene, pyrene, and chrysene.

The usefulness of the average dissolved PAH concentrations is limited because of the fact that many of the dissolved PAHs were either not detected or were removed by 

the blank-elimination procedures. The highest concentration 

of total dissolved PAHs (20,000 ng/L) was measured in the 

Elizabeth River (June 4, 2003); the lowest total PAH concentration (3.4 ng/L) was measured in the Passaic River (June 

2000) (table 28). The average concentrations of total dissolved 

PAH values (table 30) followed the same trend exhibited by 

the total in the sediment (table 31): 180 ng/L for the Hackensack, 360 ng/L for the Raritan, 660 ng/L for the Passaic, 

910 ng/L for the Rahway, and 9,520 ng/L for the Elizabeth. 

Table 33. Average mole percentage of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in suspended sediment samples collected from selected 

rivers in New Jersey.

Raritan with 

6/00 samples 

(percent)

Raritan without 

6/00 sample 

(percent)

Passaic River 

(percent)

Rahway River 

(percent)

Elizabeth River 

(percent)

Hackensack River 

(percent)

Naphthalene 12 0.28 0.65 1.2 0.80 0.75

1-Methylnaphthalene .090 .10 .28 .38 .23 .29

2-Methylnaphthalene .31 .33 .48 .61 .33 .42

2,6-Dimethylnaphthalene .43 .46 1.5 12 .40 6.4

2,3,5-Trimethylnaphthalene 54 .07 1.4 3.5 .93 .43

Acenaphthene .18 .20 .58 .48 .55 .35

Acenaphthylene .46 .50 .79 .92 .67 1.1

Biphenyl .05 .06 .19 .41 .10 .13

Fluorene .22 .24 .76 .62 .53 .54

Anthracene .61 .66 1.9 2.3 1.7 1.3

Phenanthrene 2.7 2.9 13 8.2 8.0 7.5

1-Methylphenanthrene .31 .33 1.2 .77 .98 21

Fluoranthene 6.1 6.6 23 13 16 7.0

Pyrene 4.6 4.9 19 12 15 7.6

Chrysene 3.8 4.0 13 7.6 9.3 8.3

Benzo(a)anthracene 2.0 2.1 4.9 5.1 6.2 4.0

Benzo(b)fluoranthene 2.9 3.2 11 5.5 6.1 5.0

Benzo(k)fluoranthene 3.1 3.4 11 6.9 5.9 5.6

Benzo(a)pyrene 2.8 3.0 7.8 6.2 7.7 5.6

Benzo(e)pyrene 2.7 2.9 8.5 5.4 6.8 5.0

Perylene .97 1.0 1.9 1.6 2.1 1.6

Indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene 1.9 2.0 5.6 3.8 4.4 4.8

Benzo(g,h,i)perylene 2.2 2.3 6.4 3.6 4.8 4.1

Dibenz(a,h)anthracene .47 .50 1.1 .96 .76 1.6

Total ( moles per gram ) 1.10x 10-7 1.00x10-7 5.67 x 10-8 1.06 x 10-7 5.72 x 10-7 6.54 x 10-8

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 75
The Hmw PAHs dominate in the dissolved phase (fig. 32), in 

spite of the higher solubility of the Lmw PAH compounds. 

The elevated concentrations of Hmw PAHs in the dissolved 

phase reflected higher concentration in the sediment phase and 

the higher volatility of the Lmw PAHs. The concentrations 

of dissolved Hmw PAHs in the Elizabeth River demonstrated 

the typical distribution of concentrations observed in the data 

sets. In contrast, the concentrations of the Lmw PAHs were 

highly variable between the rivers. The dissolved Lmw PAHs 

were dominated by phenanthracene, 1-methylphenanthrene, 

anthracene, and 2,6-dimethylnaphthalene; the Hmw PAHs 

were dominated by pyrene and fluoranthene.

The low dissolved concentrations and the preponderance 

of PAH contamination in the aqueous blanks resulted in only 

a few dissolved concentrations being available to calculate 

average concentrations. The available dissolved PAH concentrations and averages may not be representative of the 

conditions in the rivers because of the indication of field/laboratory contamination at levels sufficient to affect the sample 

concentrations. Therefore, the dissolved concentrations should 

be used with caution. Further work will be needed to develop 

large-volume sampling methods to accurately capture dissolved PAHs.

Anomolous Concentrations

The sample of suspended sediment collected from the 

Raritan River on June 27, 2000, had a reported concentration of 2,3,5-trimethylnaphthalene of 50,000 ng/L. Comparison with other measured concentrations show this level is 

extremely high, and therefore, this concentration is suspect 

and considered anomalous. The cause for this high concentration cannot be determined.

Relation of Whole-Water Concentrations to Water-Quality 

Criteria

Regulatory water-quality criteria for chemicals in surface 

water, expressed as “whole-water” concentrations in units of 

mass per volume of water, are the sum of the dissolved and 

sediment-bound concentrations calculated using:

CT = Cs * (SS / 1000) + Cd (18)

where

CT = Total concentration, in mass per liter;

Cs = Concentration of sediment-bound 

chemical, in mass per gram of sediment;

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

PERCENT OF TOTAL MOLES

Naphthalene

1-Methylnaphthalene

2-Methylnaphthalene

2,6-Dimethylnaphthalene

2,3,5-Trimethylnaphthalene

Acenaphthene

Acenaphthylene

Biphenyl

Fluorene

Anthracene

Phenanthrene

1-Methylphenanthrene

Pyrene

Chrysene

Fluoranthene

Benzo(a)anthracene

Benzo(b)fluoranthene

Benzo(k)fluoranthene

Benzo(a)pyrene

Benzo(e)pyrene

Perylene

Indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene

Benzo(ghi)perylene

Dibenz(a,h)anthracene

Raritan River

Passaic River

Rahway River

Elizabeth River

Hackensack River

Figure 31. Average mole percent contribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in suspended sediment collected from selected 

rivers in New Jersey. [Averages calculated without the Raritan River June 2000, nor Passaic River Dec. 2000 samples.]

76 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
SS = Suspended-sediment concentration, in 

milligrams per liter; 

and

Cd = Concentration of dissolved chemical, in 

mass per liter.

New Jersey regulatory water-quality criteria have been 

set for selected individual PAH compounds but not for total 

PAHs. Two criteria classes have been established, one for 

freshwater (FW2) such as the HOT samples, and another for 

saline estuarine or saline coastal waters (downstream of the 

HOT). Criteria classes include long-term (70-year) carcinogenic human-health exposure (based on a risk level of one-inone million), short-term noncarcinogenic exposure, chronic 

aquatic-life protections (4-day average exposure) and acute 

aquatic-life protection criteria for a 1-hour exposure. Criteria 

have not been set for all PAHs in all exposure categories.

The freshwater concentrations measured in this work 

were compared with the noncarcinogenic effect-based 

human-health criteria in table 29. Most of the samples collected exceeded the freshwater (FW2) water-quality criteria 

for benzo(a)anthracene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, benzo(k)

fluoranthrene, benzo(a)pyrene, indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene, and 

dibenz(a,h)anthracene. The average concentrations for these 

compounds in each of the rivers also exceeded the FW2 water 

quality criteria. A lesser number of these samples exceeded 

the criteria for saline coastal/estuarine waters. None of the 

samples exceeded the water-quality criteria for fluorine, 

anthracene, fluoranthene, chrysene, or pyrene.

 As discussed previously, a major control on the wholewater concentration of hydrophobic organic chemicals is the 

amount of sediment captured at the time of sampling. Total 

PAH concentrations are especially sensitive to the concentration of SS bound PAHs. Dissolved concentrations were very 

low and commonly were nondetected, in which case the total 

concentration is due entirely to the suspended-sediment phase. 

Also, when dissolved PAHs are found to be measurable, the 

sediment-bound PAH concentrations commonly can be 100 to 

10,000 times greater (see for example, benzo(a)pyrene in the 

Elizabeth River sample). In these cases, a small change in the 

concentration of SS will result in a large change in the mass of 

chemicals associated with the sediment phase, thereby causing large changes in total concentration. Whole-water PAHs 

concentrations are unique in their sensitivity to changes in SS 

content, especially compared with the PCBs and dioxins. It is 

especially important, therefore, to define the conditions under 

which a sample was collected when total PAH concentrations 

are compared to water-quality standards.

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

1,400

1,600

CONSTITUENT CONCENTRATION, IN NANOGRAMS PER LITER

Naphthalene

1-Methylnaphthalene

2-Methylnaphthalene

2,6-Dimethylnaphthalene

2,3,5-Trimethylnaphthalene

Acenaphthene

Acenaphthylene

Biphenyl

Fluorene

Anthracene

Phenanthrene

1-Methylphenanthrene

Pyrene

Chrysene

Fluoranthene

Benzo(a)anthracene

Benzo(b)fluoranthene

Benzo(k)fluoranthene

Benzo(a)pyrene

Benzo(e)pyrene

Perylene

Indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene

Benzo(ghi)perylene

Dibenz(a,h)anthracene

C2 Alkylnaphthalene

C3 Alkylnaphthalene

Raritan River

Passaic River

Rahway River

Elizabeth River

Hackensack River

Figure 32. Average concentrations of dissolved polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in samples collected from selected rivers in New 

Jersey. [Averages calculated without the Raritan River June 2000, nor Passaic River Dec. 2000 samples.]

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 77
Sources for the Polycyclic Aromatic 

Hydrocarbon Compounds

PAHs are derived from three general sources: pyrogenic 

sources, which are the gases and particulates emitted during 

the burning of wood, coal, liquid hydrocarbon fuel, and the 

combustion of organic waste materials; petrogenic sources, 

which are raw and distilled petroleum products such as fuels, 

oils, tars, greases, and asphalt; and diagenetic sources, which 

are the natural products of the decay of organic matter such as 

muck and peat. Attempts have been made to use the relative 

abundances and ratios of selected “indicator” compounds 

to distinguish which of these general sources have contributed PAH to surface waters, lake and ocean sediments, and 

soils (Boehm and others, 1998; Yunker and others, 2002). 

This approach was employed to help elucidate the primary 

source(s) of PAH to the river sediments and water collected in 

this study.

Numerous pyrogenic and petrogenic PAH sources exist 

throughout the river basins studied here; the most ubiquitous 

being the combustion of hydrocarbons, such as the present-day 

burning of liquid gasoline, diesel fuel, and jet fuel for transportation and the burning of fuel oil for heating and electrical 

production. Also, the burning of wood and coal for residential heating and industrial power was historically common 

throughout the study area.

As described by Smicik and others (1996), PAHs are 

emitted in the gases of pyrogenic sources, where they condense from the gas phase and adhere to particulates. These 

particulates deposit onto the land or water surface in wet or 

dry precipitation and ultimately enter the rivers. Because the 

Hmw PAH will be more strongly attached to sediment, which 

helps protect these compounds from degradation, particles 

are likely to retain the Hmw-PAH signature of the pyrogenic 

source. The Lmw PAH compounds are more volatile and can 

transfer between the gas and the aqueous phases. As a result, 

the Lmw-PAH signature of the source(s) may not be fully 

retained in the sediment and water.

Adding to the pyrogenic PAHs are the petrogenic PAHs 

derived from unburnt hydrocarbons and coal-tar-based products. Petrogenic sources include crude or refined petroleum 

products (such as gasoline and heating oil) or impurities in 

oils, asphalt, tar, creosote used for wood preservation, or other 

heavy petroleum distillates such as asphalt and other bituminous road and building materials. Petrogenic PAHs are also 

common in leachate from landfill waste. PAHs are also present 

in coal, which was historically used throughout the region for 

residential and industrial uses. It is likely that unburnt coal 

particulates and dust have become incorporated into soils 

of the basins and ultimately will enter the rivers. Finally, 

diagenetic PAHs may be generated in the sediments stored 

behind small dams and wetlands that are common throughout 

the study area. These locations are favorable for degradation 

of natural organic matter and the formation of perylene, the 

6-ringed PAH. Perylene is known to form in highly reducing sediments that receive substantial amounts of terrestrial 

organic matter (Boehm and others, 1998). Clearly, numerous pyrogenic, petrogenic, and diagenetic sources for PAHs 

exist in the New Jersey/New York area and likely have left a 

complex imprint on the PAH chemistry of the river sediment. 

It may be possible to identify the principal sources using the 

“fingerprint” of ratios of the PAHs in the tributary sediments.

The ratios of concentrations have been used to distinguish 

between petrogenic and pyrogenic sources (Hites and others, 

1980; Laflamme and Hites, 1978; Simpson and others, 1996; 

Bumard and others, 1998; Yunker and others, 1996; Khalili 

and others, 1995). Generally, pyrogenic sources generate PAH 

assemblages in which the 4 and 5-ringed compounds dominate; petrogenic sources supply 2- and 3-ringed compounds 

along with alkylated naphthalene compounds (Boehm and 

others, 1998). As a result, sediment contaminated by pyrogenic sources typically has high percentages of the Hmw 

PAHs (>202 g/mole). Boehm and others (1998) showed the 

total pyrogenic PAH contribution can be estimated as the sum 

of the 3-, 4-, 5- and 6-ringed non-alkylated analytes (see figure 

24 and table 21 for the identification of these compounds).

Building on the work of Boehm and others (1998), 

Bumard and others, (1998), Yunker and others (2002), selected 

ratios (using the less-stable PAH isomers in the numerator) of 

PAHs can be used to help identify sources. During combustion, the less-stable PAH isomer is favored to be produced 

over the more stable isomers of the same mass. The lessstable isomers are generally the linear compounds such as 

anthracene, benz(a)anthracene, and benz(a)pyrene, or for the 

5-ringed compounds, fluoranthene and indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene 

(fig. 24). High abundances of these less-stable isomers is an 

indication of pyrogenic sources. Combustion also produces 

acenaphthene and acenapthylene that are apparently not common in petrogenic sources.

Yunker and others (2002) summarized four key 

concentration ratios that may be used for distinguishing 

between pyrogenic and petrogenic sources in environmental 

samples. These ratios include the 3-ringed PAH anthracene 

to anthracene + phenanthrene (An/An+P), the 4-ringed 

PAH fluoranthene to fluoranthene + pyrene, (Fl/Fl+Py) and 

benz(a)anthracene to benz(a)anthracene + chrysene, (BaA/

BaA+Chy), and the 6-ringed PAH indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene to 

indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene + benzo(ghi)perylene (IP/IP+BghiP). 

The boundary values for the different ratios and the sources 

were identified as:

•	 Fl/Fl+Py ratios of <0.4 are characteristic of petroleum 

products, between 0.4 and 0.5 are characteristic of 

emissions from burning petroleum, and >0.5 are characteristic of the burning of grass, wood, or coal.

•	 An/An+P ratios of ≤0.1 are characteristic of petroleum

products, and >0.1 are characteristic of combustion of 

hydrocarbons.

•	 BaA/BaA + Chy ratios of <0.2 are characteristic 

of petroleum products, >0.35 are characteristic of 

78 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
combustion emissions, and between 0.2 and 0.35 are 

characteristic of mixed petroleum-combustion sources.

•	 Ip/Ip+Bghi ratios <0.2 are characteristic of petroleum 

sources, between 0.20 and 0.50 are characteristic of 

liquid fossil-fuel combustion (vehicle and crude oil), 

and >0.50 are characteristic of grass, wood, and coal 

combustion.

 The indicator ratios measured in the sediment and the 

boundaries for the ratios (Yunker and others, 2002) are plotted 

in figures 33 to 35. The Fl/Fl+Py concentration ratios (fig. 33) 

for the sediments plot in the area suggesting a mixture of 

petroleum combustion sources for the PAHs; a few samples 

plot in the area indicating the combustion of grass/wood/

coal. The ratios of anthracene to phenathrene (An/An+P) for 

the samples (fig. 33) plot well within the field indicating a 

combustion source, although a few samples from the Passaic River plot very near the boundary for petroleum (petrogenic) sources. The BaA/BaA+Chy ratios for the sediment 

plot within the combustion zone (fig. 34), although a number 

of samples have ratios that plot in the boundary for “mixed 

sources,” indicating a combination of pyrogenic and petrogenic petroleum sources exist. The ratios of Ip/Ip+BghiP in the 

sediment (fig. 35) fall within the ranges for grass/wood/coal 

and fossil fuel combustion.

These indicator ratios indicate a mixture of combustion sources supplied PAHs to the river basins, which is also 

supported by the few ratios that could be calculated for the 

dissolved concentrations. A few of the dissolved samples from 

the Elizabeth River had ratios that may indicate petrogenic 

sources. The influence of combustion source is not surprising 

given the highly populated and industrialized nature of the 

study area, but it is interesting that the combustion of grass/

wood/coal is indicated for many of the samples. Because grass 

fires would be rare occurrences in this area, it is likely the 

PAH signature records the historic burning of coal and wood 

associated with heating and power production.

Although the concentration ratios for many of the PAHs 

indicate a mixed combustion source created the PAHs, there 

is an indication (for example, in the BaA ratios, fig. 34) that 

petrogenic source(s) may also have been important, because 

a number of samples have ratios indicating mixed sources. 

Further evidence for petrogenic sources comes from the concentrations of alkylated homologs of naphthalene (2-rings) and 

the alkylated-homologs of the PAHs phenanthrene (3-rings). 

Alkylated PAHs contain one or more alkane molecules (typically methyl, ethyl, or propyl) attached to the ring structure. 

Hydrocarbons (petrogenic sources) typically contain a high 

abundance of the Lmw (less than 202 g/mole) alkylated PAHs. 

For example, Sporsto and others (1983) reported that North 

Sea crude oil is dominated by the C1- and C2-alkylnaphthalenes, alkylphenanthrene, and alkylpyrene. They suggested 

these compounds serve as markers in sediment contaminated 

by a crude-oil source. Yunker and others (1993) demonstrated 

how the relative abundance of alky-substituted PAHs can 

be used to distinguish the presence of petrogenic sources. In 

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.3 0.35 0.4 0.45 0.5 0.55 0.6 0.65 0.7 0.75

CONCENTRATION RATIO OF FLUORANTHENE TO FLUORANTHENE + PYRENE

CONCENTRATION RATIO OF ANTHRACENE TO

ANTHRACENE + PHENANTHRENE

Petroleum Combustion

Petroleum Petroleum

Combustion Grass/Wood/Coal Combustion 

Raritan River

Passaic River

Rahway River

Elizabeth River

Hackensack River

Figure 33. Ratio of fluoranthene to fluoranthene plus pyrene, and anthracene to anthracene plus phenanthrene in suspendedsediment samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey.

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 79
CONCENTRATION RATIO OF BENZO(A)ANTHRACENE TO

BENZO(A)ANTHRACENE + CHRYSENE

Petroleum Mixed Sources Combustion

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.3 0.35 0.4 0.45 0.5 0.55 0.6 0.65 0.7 0.75

CONCENTRATION RATIO OF FLUORANTHENE TO FLUORANTHENE + PYRENE

Petroleum Petroleum

Combustion Grass/Wood/Coal Combustion 

Raritan River

Passaic River

Rahway River

Elizabeth River

Hackensack River

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

CONCENTRATION RATIO OF INDENO(1,2,3-CD)PYRENE TO

INDENO(1,2,3-CD)PYRENE + BENZO(ghi)PERYLENE

Grass/Wood/Coal

Combustion Fossil Fuel Combustion Petroleum

0.3 0.35 0.4 0.45 0.5 0.55 0.6 0.65 0.7 0.75

CONCENTRATION RATIO OF FLUORANTHENE TO FLUORANTHENE + PYRENE

Petroleum Petroleum

Combustion Grass/Wood/Coal Combustion 

Raritan River

Passaic River

Rahway River

Elizabeth River

Hackensack River

Figure 34. Ratio of fluoranthene plus pyrene, and benzo(a)anthacene to benzo(a)anthracene plus chrysene in suspended-sediment 

samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey.

Figure 35. Ratio of fluroanthene to fluoranthene plus pyrene, and indenopyrene to indenopyrene plus benzo(ghi)perylene in 

suspended-sediment samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey.

80 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
sediment from the Mackenzie River, Yunker and others (1993) 

found that the trimethylated homolog dominated the naphthalene series, the mono-methyl homolog dominated the phenanthracene and anthracene groups, and the mono- or dimethylhomolog dominated the fluoranthene and pyrene groups. They 

interpreted these findings as indicating the sediment had been 

contaminated by a crude hydrocarbon source.

In this study, the alkylated naphthalenes measured were 

1-methyl, 2-methyl, 2,6-dimethyl, and 2,3,5-trimethyl, and 

the total C2-alkylated and C3-alkylated naphthalenes. The 

C2- and C3-aklylated naphthalene values included all naphthalenes having either 2 or 3-alkane substitutions, respectively, which includes the individual naphthalene compounds 

reported in the analyses. For the alkylated phenanthrene group, 

only the compound 1-methylphenanthrene was measured.

 Naphthalene and phenanthrene, along with their alkylated forms were detected in all the sediment samples collected from the New Jersey rivers. These compounds represent 

between 10 and 35 percent of the total PAHs concentration in 

the average suspended- sediment composition (table 31), and 

therefore, indicate petrogenic source(s) have supplied PAHs 

to these sediments. The relative concentrations were plotted 

(fig. 36); the Raritan River sample collected on June 22, 2000, 

was removed before calculating the average Raritan concentration. The June 27, 2000 sample from the Raritan River had 

a very high concentration of 2,3,5-trimethylnapthalene, the 

cause for which is unknown but may suggest a large, intermittent source existed for this compound in the river basin.

In general, the patterns produced by the relative compositions were similar for all the rivers (without the Raritan June 

22, 2000, sample). Except in the Raritan River, the dominant 

naphthalene compounds in these rivers were usually the 

C2-alkylnaphthalenes, which can represent 23 to near 60 percent of the total naphthalenes in the sediment (< 5 percent in 

the Raritan River sediment). The parent compound naphthalene made up only 2 to 14 percent of the total naphthalene; 

2,6-dimethylnaphthalene represented 4 to 43 percent of the 

total. It is clear the alkylated compounds dominated this 

series of compounds, supporting that a hydrocarbon (petrogenic) source has impacted the sediment. The Elizabeth River 

composition differed from the other rivers, by having a much 

larger percentage of 2,3,5-trimethylnapthalene and smaller 

percentages of total C2-and C3-alkylated naphthalene compounds.

The alkylated phenanthrene homologs also indicate petrogenic sources exist for the PAHs in these rivers. While the 

phenanthrenes were dominated by the parent (non-alkylated) 

C0-phenanthrene, C1-methylphenanthrene was present at 

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

PERCENT OF TOTAL NAPHTHALENES

Naphthalene

1-Methylnaphthalene

2-Methylnaphthalene

C2 Alkylnaphthalenes

2,6-Dimethylnaphthalene

2,3,5-Trimethylnaphthalene

C3 Alkylnaphthalenes

Raritan River (without June 2000 sample)

Passaic River

Rahway River

Elizabeth River

Hackensack River

Raritan River, June 2000 sample

Figure 36. Alkylated naphthalenes in average suspended sediment in samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey.

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 81
substantial abundance, particulary in the Hackensack River. 

On average, it represented between 9 to 12 percent of the 

total phenanthrene except in the Hackensack River where it 

was 75 percent of the total. When calculated as C0/C0+C1, 

the ratios ranged from 0.88 to 0.91, except in the Hackensack 

River where the ratio was 0.25. The low ratio in the Hackensack River implies that the waters in the Oradell Reservoir are 

generally protected from inputs of road-dust contaminants. 

Yunker and others (2002) reported that road dust and urban air 

had values (0.70 to 0.76) near these levels, and all other pyrogenic and petrogenic sources had much lower ratios (0.27 to 

0.53). The phenanthrene ratios in the river sediment, therefore, 

indicate road dust, which would contain a conglomeration of 

PAHs derived from combustion, soot emissions, and spilled 

hydrocarbons, is the source for the PAHs in the sediment.

Steinhauer and Boehm (1992) describe the calculation of 

a “fossil fuel pollution index” (FFPI), which uses the relative percent of the total of 2- and 3-ring PAH, and polycyclic 

organosulfur compounds (dibenzothiophene and its alkyl 

homologues).

	FFPI = 100 * [Σ naphthalenes (C0 to C4) + Σ dibenzothiphenes

(C0 to C3) + 1/2 Σ phenanthrenes (C0 to C1) + Σ phenanthrenes

(C2 to C4)] /Σ PAH	 	 (19)

where C0 represents the parent (non-alkylated) compound, 

C1, C2, C3, and C4 represent the mono- through tetra-alkylated 

compound concentration, and Σ PAH is the total PAH concentration in the sample. The FFPI index ranges from 100 for pure 

fossil fuel to 0 for pure combustion-derived PAH. The FFPI 

value therefore provides a means to quantify the contribution 

of each general source. FFPI values calculated for the average river sediment ranged from 34.7 for the Hackensack, 11.7 

for the Passaic, 21.9 for the Raritan without the June 2000 

sample, 10.4 for the Elizabeth, and 36.6 for the Rahway. A 

very high FFPI index (72.1) was obtained for the Raritan June 

2000 sample, supporting the conclusion that this sample was 

affected by a substantial input of hydrocarbon. These FFPI 

values indicate (with the exception of the one Raritan sample) 

roughly 10 to 35 percent of the PAH were derived from 

petrogenic sources. However, the true FFPI index proportions 

are likely to be higher because the dibenzothiophenes (PAHs 

that containing a sulfur substitution) were not measured in this 

work.

Boehm and others (1998) discussed that perylene can 

be entirely assigned to the diagenetic production of PAHs. 

Perylene was present in all suspended-sediment samples 

collected in this work; the Elizabeth River had the highest 

average concentration (2,800 ng/g). The highest concentration (7,500 ng/g) was measured in a sample collected during 

December 2000 from the Passaic River. As discussed previously, this sample had anomalously high concentrations of 

PCBs and was thought to be fines that were transported after 

the peak storm discharge in the river had passed. The Passaic 

River drains the “Great Swamp” of northern New Jersey, an 

environment where compounds such as perylene are likely to 

form. Similarly, the Elizabeth and Rahway Rivers, which also 

had substantial concentrations of perylene in their sediment, 

flow through several small impoundments upstream of the 

sampling sites. These locations are favorable for anaerobic 

degradation of organic matter.

Sediment-Water Partitioning

The partitioning of the PAH between the sediment and 

water was investigated by calculating the respective concentration ratios. As mentioned previously, a limited number of 

“measureable” concentrations were reported for dissolved 

PAHs, because of the small sample size that was ultimately 

used for these compounds. This limits the number of compounds for which reliable in situ partitioning coefficients 

could be calculated. For the samples having co-existing dissolved and sediment concentrations, the available data allowed 

the organic-matter partitioning coefficient to be calculated:

Koc = Cs / Cw (20)

where

Koc	 =	 organic matter distribution coefficient, in

liters per kilogram of carbon;

Cs = sediment concentration, in nanograms per 

kilogram of carbon; 

and

Cw = dissolved concentration, in nanograms per 

liter.

A considerable amount of research has been performed 

investigating the partitioning of PAH compounds in soils and 

sediment (Mackay and others, 2000). Much of this work has 

used the distribution coefficient described in terms of organic 

matter content (Kom) and related this coefficient to the octanolwater partitioning coefficient. For example, Means and others 

(1980) derived a logarithmic equation relating the distribution 

of 22 compounds that included pyrene, di-methylbenzanthracene, 3-methylchloranthrene, and dibenzanthracene to their 

Kow values:

log Kom = log Kow * 1.00 – 0.317 (21)

where

Kom	 =	 organic matter partitioning coefficient, in

liter per kilogram of organic matter; 

and

Kow	 =	 octanol-water partition coefficient, in

L(octanol) / L(water)

Schwarzenbach and others (1993) presented a similar 

equation relating Kom to Kow for neutral organic aromatic 

compounds

log Kom = log Kow * 1.01 – 0.7 (22)

82 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
As discussed earlier, organic materials are typically made 

up of about one-half carbon, making fom approximately equal 

to 2*foc, where fom (gram of organic matter/gram of sediment) 

and foc (gram of organic carbon / gram of sediment) are the 

fraction of organic matter and fraction of organic carbon , 

respectively. The foc value is related to the POC content of the 

water (mgC /L), the suspended-sediment concentration (mg 

sediment/Liter), and the volume filtered to obtain the sample 

(Liter):

f

oc = POC * L / SS * L = POC / SS (23)

As a result, the Kd value related in terms of the organic 

matter content of the sample is given by:

Kom = Kd / 2 * f

oc (24)

where

Kom	 =	 organic matter distribution coefficient, in

kg-1 (organic matter)/L-1 (water)

f

oc = fraction of organic carbon = grams organic 

carbon / grams of sediment

The range and average Kom’s measured in this work 

are shown on figure 37 by the solid lines and filled square 

symbols, respectively, for each compound having reportable 

dissolved concentrations. Only samples having measurable 

dissolved PAH compounds were used to construct these plots, 

nondetected concentrations replaced by one-half the EDL were 

not used. Also shown for each compound are the Kom values 

(filled diamond symbols) for each compound predicted by 

the Means and others (1980) equation along with the average 

octanol-water partitioning coefficients (open circle) tabulated 

from literature values by Mackay and others (2000). These 

values are listed in table 34.

Inspection of the data in figure 37 shows that the range 

of measured Kom’s (calculated only for the compounds having 

measurable concentrations) spans two to three-orders of magnitude for each compound studied. The octanol-water coefficients and Kom’s predicted from the octanol-water coefficients 

using the equations given above generally plot below the average measured Kom value for the low-molecular weight compounds (fig. 37, compound number 1 through 12). The average 

Kom values for the Hmw PAHs plot near or slightly below 

the corresponding predicted Kom values. Thus for the Lmw 

PAHs, the measured sediment concentrations are higher, or the 

Log Kom = Log Kow - 0.317

(Means et al., 1980)

Kom = Kd/foc

Log Kow

(K octanol-water)

Log Average Kom

(Measured)

Range of values

(Measured)

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

COMPOUND NUMBER

LOG KOM (L/KG ORGANIC MATTER)

Note: See table 33 for names 

 corresponding to compound numbers Note: Kow not reported by McKay and others (2000) for compound 12 and 22

Figure 37. Measured and calculated distribution coefficients for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in samples collected from selected 

rivers in New Jersey.

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 83
Table 34. Identifiers and predicted sediment-water partitioning values for compounds used in figure 37.

[--, value not available; L, liters; kg, kilograms]

Identifier Polyaromatic hydrocarbon

Average log Kd 

(L/kg sediment)

Average log sediment 

carbon/water 

(L/kg Carbon)

Average log sediment 

organic matter/water 

(L/kg organic matter)

Predicted log Kom

1

(L/kg carbon)

Log octanol-water 

partitioning 

coefficient

1 Naphthalene 3.99 4.94 5.27 3.05 3.37

2 Biphenyl 4.38 5.26 5.63 3.55 3.87

3 Acenaphthene 3.96 4.81 5.41 3.54 3.86

4 1-Methylnaphthalene 4.32 5.25 5.88 3.99 4.31

5 2-Methylnaphthalene 4.49 5.73 6.11 4.68 5.00

6 2,6-Dimethylnaphthalene 4.00 4.95 5.97 3.60 3.92

7 2,3,5-Trimethylnaphthalene 4.75 5.52 5.71 3.68 4.00

8 Acenaphthylene 4.08 4.99 5.18 3.58 3.90

9 Fluorene 3.68 4.37 4.14 3.86 4.18

10 Anthracene 4.25 5.32 5.83 4.22 4.54

11 Phenanthrene 4.43 5.37 5.54 4.25 4.57

12 1-Methylphenanthrene 4.37 5.40 6.20 -- --

13 Fluoranthene 4.42 5.36 5.85 4.90 5.22

14 Pyrene 4.38 5.42 5.76 4.86 5.18

15 Chrysene 4.44 5.46 5.69 5.28 5.60

16 Benz(a)anthracene 4.40 5.46 5.81 5.59 5.91

17 Benzo(b)fluoranthene 4.73 5.66 6.06 5.48 5.80

18 Benzo(k)fluoranthene 4.78 5.71 6.37 5.68 6.00

19 Benzo(a)pyrene 4.72 5.75 6.35 5.72 6.04

20 Benzo(e)pyrene 4.73 5.76 6.50 5.72 6.04

21 Dibenz(a,h)anthracene 4.56 5.56 6.24 5.93 6.25

22 Indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene 4.37 5.34 5.33 -- --23 Perylene 4.31 5.35 5.37 6.18 6.50

24 Benzo(ghi)perylene 3.89 4.83 5.00 5.43 5.75

1 Predicted organic matter distribution coefficient (Koc) was calculated using log (Kom) = log Kow * 1.00 – 0.317, from Means and others (1980). Kom = Kd/fraction organic matter = Kd/2foc

84 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
measured dissolved concentrations are lower, than would be 

expected on the basis of experimentally derived values (Kow). 

Predicted Kom’s for the heavier molecular weight compounds 

would be much closer to the in situ values measured in these 

rivers. Perylene was the exception to this generalization; measured concentration ratios (fig. 37, compound 23) were much 

lower than the Kom predicted from empirical relations.

The fact that the measured concentration ratios for the 

individual compounds spanned such a very large range may 

indicate that the PAHs in the suspended sediment of these 

rivers do not partition as expected, and thus the sediment and 

water may not be equilibrium. Predicting the sediment or 

water concentrations of the PAH compounds using Kow (or 

other empirical relations) may result in concentrations that differ considerably from actual values.

Organochlorine Pesticides

The concentrations of 27 organochlorine pesticides were 

measured in water and suspended sediment collected from the 

Raritan, Passaic, Rahway, Elizabeth, and Hackensack Rivers, the major tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays. Of the 

organochlorine pesticides measured, the NY/NJ HEP plan 

has identified OCPs of concern: DDT and metabolites (DDE, 

DDD), chlordane and metabolites (alpha- and beta-chlordane, 

oxychlordane, cis- and trans-nonachlor), and dieldrin. Concentrations were measured in large-volume, flow-weighted composite samples collected during low-flow and storm discharge 

conditions. These data are used to make interpretations and to 

calculate riverine loads of OCPs to Newark and Raritan Bays 

from the watersheds above the HOT.

OCPs are a suite of anthropogenic chemicals designed 

to be toxic to cell functions of insects. With the exception of 

lindane, these compounds were banned from general use in 

the mid-1970s and 1980s, after which only limited use was 

allowed until the existing stocks were depleted. These pesticides were used throughout the New Jersey area for agricultural, residential, and commercial uses. A number of these 

pesticides, including DDT and hexachlorobenzene, were produced commercially in New Jersey and may have an industrial 

source in parts of the study area (Gillis and others, 1995; Bopp 

and others, 1991). However, the pesticides measured in this 

study most likely originated from use of commercial products 

in the river basins.

The OCPs that were studied (table 35) have structures 

consisting of aromatic rings amended with chlorine, oxygen, and sulfur (fig. 38). Hexachlorobenzene and the BHC 

compounds, for example, consist of an aromatic ring containing six attached chlorine atoms. The other OCPs have 

more complicated structures that, for many, resemble the 

structure of PCBs (for example, the DDT series). Several of 

the OCPs have metabolites, which are compounds formed 

from a parent compound through abiotic or biotic degradation reactions. An example are the metabolites of DDT (DDT 

(trichloro-bis(o-chlorophenyl)ethane)), DDE (dichloro-bis(pchlorophenyl)ethane), and DDD (chloro-[dichloro(chloro

phenylethyl]benzene), which are produced by degradation 

reactions. Isomers, which are compounds formed during the 

preparation of the parent compound but have distinctly different structural arrangements of atoms, also exist for several 

of the OCPs. Examples are the four BHC isomers, α-BHC,

β-BHC, γ-BHC, and δ-BHC. The parent compound γ-BHC

(commonly known as lindane) contained varying proportions 

of each BHC isomer when it was produced.

Some of the other OCPs and their metabolites that were 

measured in this study include:

•	 DDT and its metabolites DDE and DDD, which are 

broad-spectrum chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticides. 

DDD was also formulated independently as an insecticide.

•	 Aldrin (hexacloro-hexahydro-dimethanonphthylene) 

and its epoxide metabolite dieldrin (hexacloro-epoxyoctahydro-dimethanonaphthalene), which are cyclodiene chlorinated hydrocarbon soil insecticides used 

extensively with corn production. Aldrin is rapidly 

metabolized to dieldrin by soil organisms.

•	 Endosulfan I and II (also known as α−endosulfan and

β-endosulfan, respectively), are two forms of a cyclodiene chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticide (hexachlorohexahydro-metano-benzodioxathiepin-oxide) that were 

made. Endosulfan sulfate (hexachloro-hexahydromethano-benzoioxathiepin-dioxide), the degradate of 

the endosulfans, was also measured.

•	 Heptachlor (heptachloro-tetrahydro-methano-Hindene) and its principal metabolite, heptachlor 

epoxide (heptachloro-hexahydro-methano-2H-indenooxirene), are polycyclic chlorinated hydrocarbon 

insecticides.

•	 Three isomers of BHC (also known as HCH or hexachlorocyclohexane) were measured: α-, β-, and γ-BHC

(commonly named lindane).

•	 Two isomers of chlordane (alpha-, beta,) exist, plus the 

oxygenated version oxychlordane. Chlordane’s two 

forms are also called cis-nonachlor and trans-nonachlor, are typically considered separately from chlordane.

The OCPs exhibit a large range of physical-chemical 

properties including vapor pressure, solubility, and affinity 

for organic carbon (Mackay and others, 2000; Brooks, 1979) 

(table 35). Changes in compound structure (but not necessarily molecular composition) can result in profound changes in 

physical-chemical properties of the compounds, for example, 

vapor pressure or aqueous solubility. These differences help 

explain the relative concentrations observed in the sediment 

and aqueous phases. Like the other chlorinated hydrocarbon 

compounds measured in this study, the OCPs are generally 

(but not exclusively) hydrophobic and tend to associate with 

the particulates and POC. However, compounds such as BHC, 

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 85
Table 35. Organochlorine pesticides and their physical properties.

[L, liters; kg, kilograms; mg, milligrams; CAS, Chemical Abstract Service; --, data not found in Mackay and others, 2000]

Fraction1 CAS Number Formula

Molecular weight 

(gram per mole)

Solubility 

(mg/L)

Vapor pressure 

(atmospheres) Log Kow

Log Koc 

(L per kg)

Hexachlorobenzene I 118-74-1

C Cl

6 6 284.79 0.04 0.2447 3.93 - 6.42 4.7

α-BHC I 319-84-6

C

H6 Cl

6 6 287.86 1.63 (2.0) 0.10 3.81 3.81

β-BHC I 319-85-7

C

H6 Cl

6 6 287.86 2.04 0.0264 3.8 3.36

γ-BHC (Lindane) I 58-89-9

C

H6 Cl

6 6 287.86 7.0 - 8.0 0.0268 4.14 3.13

α-Chlordane (cis) I 5103-71-9

C10H Cl

6 8 405.80 0.06 2.65 x 10-3 6.0 5.5

γ-Chlordane (trans) I 5103-74-2

C10H Cl

6 8 405.80 0.06 3.15 x 10-3 6.0 5.5

Oxychlordane I 27304-13-8

C10H Cl

4 O8 419.78 200 -- 2.6 2.48

cis-Nonachlor I 5103-73-1

C10H Cl

5 9 439.76 0.6 -- 5.66 4.86

trans-Nonachlor I 39765-80-5

C10H Cl

5 9 439.76 0.6 -- -- --

2,4’-DDD ( o,p’-DDD) I 53-10-0

C14

H10Cl4 317.95 0.1 1.39 x 10-3 6.0 5.0

4,4’-DDD (p,p’-DDD) I 72-54-8

C14

H10Cl4 317.95 0.05 6.93 x 10-4 5.5 5.0

2,4’-DDE (o,p’-DDE) I 3424-82-6

C14

H Cl

8 4 315.94 0.0013 3.44 x 10-3 5.80 5.0, 5.58

4,4’-DDE (p,p’-DDE) I 72-55-9

C14

H Cl

8 4 315.94 0.065 3.72 x 10-3 5.7 5.0, 5.95

2,4’-DDT (o,p’-DDT) I 789-02-6

C14

H Cl

9 5 351.91 0.003 1.72 x 10-4 6.19 5.4, 5.63

4,4’-DDT (p,p’-DDT) I 50-29-3

C14

H Cl

9 5 351.91 0.0077 1.35 x 10-4 6.19 5.4, 5.63

Methoxychlor (p,p’) II 72-43-5

C16H15Cl

O3 2 344.01 0.10 5.46 x 10-4 5.08 4.9

Aldrin I 309-00-2

C12

H8 Cl6 361.80 0.027 0.0302 3.01 2.61

Dieldrin II 60-57-1

C12

H8 Cl

O6 377.87 0.14 0.016 5.20 4.08

α-Endosulfan (I) II 959-98-8

C

H9 Cl

6 O6 3

S 403.82 0.32 0.008 3.62 3.4, 4.09

β-Endosulfan (II) II 33213-65-9

C

H9 Cl

6 O6 3

S 403.82 0.33 0.394 3.83 3.5

Endosulfan sulfate II 1031-07-8

C

H9 Cl

6 O6 4

S 419.81 -- -- -- --

Endrin II 72-20-8

C12

H Cl

8 16O 377.87 0.24 1.32 x10-3 5.20 4

Endrin aldehyde II 7421-93-4

C12

H10Cl16O 379.89 -- -- -- --

Endrin ketone II 53494-70-5 -- -- -- -- -- --

Heptachlor I 76-44-8

C10H Cl

5 7 339.82 0.056 0.267 5.27 4.38

Heptachlor epoxide II 1024-57-3

C10H Cl

5 O7 385.82 0.275 -- 5.0 4.0

Mirex I 2385-85-5

C10Cl12 339.63 6.5 x 10-5 3.545 6.9 6

1 Fraction refers to the organic solvent fraction used in the analysis. Fraction I is first 250 mLs of solvent collected, Fraction II is remainder of solvent. All compounds were analyzed using Fraction I for 

samples collected after October 2001.

86 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Cl

Cl

Cl

Cl

ClCl

alpha-BHC (HCH)

C6H6Cl6

Exact mass: 287.86

CAS 319-84-6

Cl

Cl

Cl

Cl

ClCl

beta-BHC

C6H6Cl6

Exact mass: 287.86

C, 24.78; H, 2.08; Cl, 73.14

CAS 319-85-7

Cl

Cl

Cl

Cl

ClCl

delta-BHC

C6H6Cl6

CAS 319-86-8

Cl

Cl

Cl

Cl Cl

Cl

Aldrin

C12H8Cl6

Exact mass: 361.88

CAS 309-00-2

Cl

Cl

Cl

Cl Cl

Cl

O

Dieldrin

C12H8Cl6O

Exact mass: 377.87

CAS 60-57-1

Cl Cl

Cl

Cl

Cl

Cl

Cl

Heptachlor

C10H5Cl7

Exact mass: 369.82

CAS 76-44-8

Cl

O O

Cl Cl

Methoxychlor

C16H15Cl3O2

Exact mass: 344.01

CAS 72-43-5

o,p’-DDT; 2,4’-DDT

C14H9Cl5

Exact mass: 351.91

CAS 789-02-6

Cl

Cl Cl Cl

Cl

p,p’-DDT; 4,4’-DDT

C14H9Cl5

Exact mass: 351.91

CAS 50-29-3

Cl

Cl Cl

Cl Cl

o,p’-DDD; 2,4’-DDD

C14H10Cl4

Exact mass: 317.95

CAS 53-19-0

Cl Cl

Cl

Cl

p,p’-DDD; 4,4’-DDD

Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane

C14H10Cl4

Exact mass: 317.95

CAS 72-54-8

Cl Cl

Cl Cl

p,p’-DDE; 4,4’-DDE

C14H8Cl4

Exact mass: 315.94

CAS 72-55-9

Cl Cl

Cl Cl

o,p’-DDE; 2,4’-DDE

C14H8Cl4

Exact mass: 315.94

CAS 3424-82-6

Cl Cl

Cl

Cl

Figure 38. Structures of selected organochlorine pesticides. [Mass in grams per mole, CAS, chemical abstract number]

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 87
mirex, and to a lesser extent heptachlor, beta-endosulfan, and 

hexchlorobenzene, are sparingly soluble in water. As a result, 

these compounds are less persistent and are more mobile in the 

environment than the other OCPs and have dissolved forms 

that represent a substantial proportion of their total riverine 

load.

Methods

The sampling and analytical methods used are presented 

in detail in Bonin and Wilson (2006). The filters and XAD 

resin used to collect the samples were extracted and analyzed 

using a pseudo-isotope dilution method similar to the USEPA 

method for PCB analysis (1668A), using high resolution GC/

MS methods. It is important to note that this pesticide method 

is not a promulgated USEPA method. The chemists that developed the analysis felt that interferences may affect some of the 

OCPs, and therefore, recommended a two-fraction approach 

to the analysis. The filters and resin were extracted using a 

mixture of acetone and hexane and subjected to a Florisil/

sodium sulfate cleanup. Two portions of the extract were then 

collected. The first (approximately) 250 mL of the extract was 

collected as Fraction I, and the remainder collected as Fraction II. The only difference in the two fractions was the time in 

which the extract was in contact with the cleanup media, and 

therefore the polarity of the compounds eluted in the fractions. 

The two extracts were analyzed separately for the compounds 

listed in table 35. Nearly all the compounds were detected in 

Fraction I and usually only this extract was required to be analyzed (all samples after October 2001). However, if evidence 

of suppression or interference was found in Fraction I for 

endosulfan, endosulfan-sulfate, or the labeled endosulfan IS, 

Fraction II was then analyzed.

Quality Assurance

A number of quality control and assurance data were 

evaluated for the OCPs, including the IS recovery, and field 

and laboratory contamination of sampling media.

Recovery of Internal Standards

IS are 13C or deuterated analogs of the native compounds 

added to each sample before extraction and are the reference 

used for calculating the mass of native compounds in the 

samples. The isotope dilution method is based on the premise that the labeled standards behave identically to the native 

compounds during sample preparation. Unlike the PCBs, 

dioxin/furans, and PAHs analyses, labeled OCP analogs were 

not available for every compound of interest. As a result, a 

number of pesticides had to be quantified by using closely 

related labeled analog compounds that may, or may not, act 

identically to the native OCPs during sample preparation. As a 

result, the analysis was not, by strict definition, an IS method 

but rather a surrogate standard method. The native compounds 

and the corresponding labeled analogs used to quantify concentrations in this work are listed in table 36. A few of these 

IS were not yet available when the June and December 2000 

samples were analyzed. Samples measured after October 2001 

were analyzed with the larger suite of IS that included labeled 

endosulfan-II, aldrin, dieldrin, and endrin.

Because no promulgated IS method exists for pesticide 

analyses, the acceptable IS recoveries (20–150 percent recovery) for the pesticide compounds were adapted from USEPA 

PCB Method 1668-A (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 

1999b). Low recoveries of a surrogate labeled standard (a 

standard that is not a direct analog of a native compound) may, 

or may not, indicate a problem or bias in referenced native 

compound(s) concentration(s). The lack of directly analogous 

labeled IS for each native compound of interest is a major 

weakness in the analytical methods used in this study.

Recoveries of less than 10 percent, including no recovery 

(indicated by NR on data tables) occurred for several of the 

IS in a number of sediment samples. Mainly affected were the 

labeled IS of endosulfan and α-BHC. As a result, the concentrations of the native compounds referenced to these IS could 

not be reported, and the presence of these native compounds 

could not be verified. A total of 14 sediment samples had NR 

reported for the native endrin compounds, and 6 samples had 

NR reported for native dieldrin and heptachlor epoxide. Sediment samples affected by non-recoverable or low IS recoveries for three or more compounds (table 37) included Passaic 

River (June 2000, Mar. 2001, and Oct. 2001 samples), Hackensack (Mar. 2001 and Oct. 2001 samples), Rahway (April 

2001 sample) and the Elizabeth River (the May 2001 sample).

None of the dissolved samples exhibited unacceptably 

low recovery of any of the IS, although low recoveries did 

occur for several of the field blanks and equipment blanks. 

One dissolved sample from the Hackensack River (July 2002) 

had unexplainably high recoveries of IS for 13C6-2,4’-DDT, 13C12-4,4’-DDT, 13C6

-heptachlor, and 13C6-methoxychlor. As a 

result, concentrations of native compounds referenced to these 

standards may be biased.

Inspection of the IS recoveries for sediment samples 

indicates analytical problems affected only a few sediment 

analyses. Compounds most affected by the non-recovery of 

labeled IS included endosulfan I and II, γ-BHC, and methoxychlor, and to a lesser extent, compounds 4,4’-DDT and 4,4’-

DDE. The fact that poor recoveries affected only the sediment 

indicates that organic matter in the samples may have caused 

the low IS recoveries, and additional extract cleanup steps 

may be needed to ensure this method can be used for this suite 

of OCPs.

Contamination of Blanks and Data Censoring

Field blanks for the sediment and dissolved samples consisted of unused filters and XAD columns opened to the atmosphere at the time these sampling media were being installed 

in the field. Equipment blanks were produced by pumping 50 

L of laboratory-grade water through a pair of XAD columns 

installed in a cleaned sampler immediately before it was 

88 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
brought to the field. A summary of the results for the field, 

equipment, and laboratory method blanks is presented in 

tables 38, 39, and 40.

Method blanks were prepared in the laboratory with 

each batch of approximately 20 samples analyzed. Laboratory 

water was used for the dissolved samples (XAD resin), and 

clean quartz sand was used as media for the sediment samples 

(filters). The method blanks were extracted and analyzed 

identically to the field samples. Summaries of the average 

concentrations, minimum and maximum values, the number of 

detections in each fraction (I and II) for the data set consisting of XAD and filter method blanks, and the detection limits 

are presented in table 40. Hexachlorobenzene was present 

in nearly all method blanks at values up to 1.4 ng. 2,4’-DDT 

and 2,4’-DDD and methoxychlor were the compounds most 

commonly detected in the method blanks and were present 

at concentrations up to 0.49 ng. The ubiquitous presence of 

hexachlorobenzene in the method blanks at concentrations 

near the field and equipment blank levels indicates laboratory 

contamination may have affected measured concentrations and 

supports the importance of a comprehensive blank correction 

procedure to cull the measured concentrations.

The reported EDLs and the masses measured in the 

various blanks represented the lower limits for the reliable 

detection of dissolved pesticides by this method. Average 

levels for OCPs present in the XAD resin field and equipment 

blanks ranged from 0.04 ng to 2.0 ng (generally less than 0.5 

ng) (table 38). Hexachlorobenzene was detected in all the resin 

blanks analyzed at values between 0.09 and 0.98 ng, indicating 

a laboratory contamination source for this compound. Heptachlor and methoxychlor were also present in most of the XAD 

resin blanks. Generally, the detected masses were below 1 ng, 

although in one blank methoxychlor was measured at 14 ng, 

the largest mass recorded for the prepared blanks. Detection 

limits for the compounds when not present in the XAD resin 

ranged from 0.01 ng for aldrin, alpha-chlordane and transnanachlor, up to 9 ng for endrin ketone, averaging between 

0.05 and 2.0 ng. For 50-L sample volumes, these masses 

represent concentrations of 2 to 40 pg/L.

With the exception of hexachlorobenzene, only a few of 

the pesticide compounds were consistently detected in the prepared filter blanks (table 39). Hexachlorobenzene was found at 

low (0.09 to 0.39 ng) but measurable concentrations in the prepared filter blanks, again indicating a laboratory contamination 

source. All other compounds were detected only occasionally 

and at masses that typically average less than 0.5 ng. For the 

compounds not detected in a field blank (filters), the average 

detection limits ranged from 0.02 ng for hexachlorobenzene 

up to 0.88 ng for cis-nonachlor, the compound for which the 

highest detection limit (3.7 ng) was recorded. These values 

approximate the lower limit of reliable results for pesticides in 

the sediment samples.

Table 36. Native pesticide compounds and referenced internal 

standards.

[Native analytes are analytes that are present in the sample when it is 

collected; internal standards are added to the sample during the analytical 

procedure]

Labeled internal 

standard

Native analytes 

referenced in samples 

analyzed before 

October 2001

Native analytes 

referenced in samples 

analyzed after 

October 2001

13C6

-Hexachlorobenzene Hexachlorobenzene

Heptachlor

Hexachlorobenzene

13C6 β-BHC α-BHC

β-BHC

13C6

-α-BHC (field

surrogate)

Aldrin

α-BHC

β-BHC

13C6

-α-BHC (field

surrogate)

13C6 γ-BHC (Lindane)

13C6

 Oxychlordane 13C6

 trans-Nonachlor

γ-BHC

δ-BHC

cis-Chlordane

Not used

Not used

γ-BHC

δ-BHC

cis-Chlordane

Oxychlordane

trans-Chlordane

4,4’-DDD-d8 4,4’-DDD

2,4’-DDD

cis-nonachlor

4,4’-DDD

2,4’-DDD

cis-nonachlor

13C6

 2,4’-DDE 2,4’-DDE

4,4’-DDE

2,4’-DDE

13C12 4,4’-DDE 4,4’-DDE

Mirex

4,4’-DDE

Mirex

13C6

 2,4’-DDT

13C12 4,4’-DDT

2,4’-DDT

4,4’-DDT

Not used

2,4’-DDT

4,4’-DDT

13C6

 Aldrin 13C6

 Dieldrin 13C6

 Endrin 13C6

 Heptachlor 13C6

 Heptachlor Epoxide

Not used

Not used

Not used

Not used

Not used

Aldrin

Dieldrin

Endrin

Heptachlor

Heptachlor Epoxide

Endosulfan I-d4 Endosulfan-I

Endosulfan-II

Endrin

Endrin Aldehyde

Endrin Ketone

Endosulfan-I

Endrin Aldehyde

Endrin Ketone

Endosulfan II-d4 Not used Endosulfan-II

13C6

 Methoxychlor Methoxychlor

Endosulfan-Sulfate

Heptachlor Epoxide B

Methoxychlor

Endosulfan-Sulfate

Heptachlor Epoxide B

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 89
Table 37. Internal standard recoveries for selected pesticides in sediment samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey.

[Values in percent of spiked concentration recovered, only values less than 20 percent are shown; NR, not reported; --, not applicable, recovery greater than 20 percent]

River and date of sample 

collection γ-BHC β-BHC 4,4’ DDT 4,4’ DDE 4,4’ DDD Aldrin Dieldrin Heptachlor

Hexachlorobenzene Methoxchlor Endosulfan II Endosulfan I

Hackensack June 2000 NR -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- NR

Passaic June 2000 NR -- 9 -- -- -- -- -- -- 8 -- NR

Raritan June 2000 6 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- NR

Rahway June 2000 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 16

Elizabeth June 2000 14 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- NR

Hackensack Mar. 2001 2 -- 3 -- -- -- -- -- -- 11 -- NR

Passasic Mar. 2001 11 -- NR 11 -- -- -- -- -- NR -- NRRaritan Apr. 13, 2001 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- NR

Elizabeth Apr. 2001 -- -- 20 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Rahway Apr. 25, 2001 15 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- NR

Rahway May 22, 2001 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- NR

Elizabeth May 22, 2001 3.2 -- 10 17 13 -- -- -- -- 11 -- NR

Raritan Oct. 4, 2001 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- NR

Passaic Oct. 17, 2002 NR -- -- -- -- -- -- 12 5 9.7 NR NRHackensack Oct. 19, 2001 NR -- 13 -- 18 17 18 15 15 19 NR NRRaritan Mar. 21, 2001 -- -- -- -- -- 19 -- -- -- -- -- --

Rahway Apr. 28, 2001 -- -- 17 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 13 7.1

Hackensack July 19, 2002 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 15 -- --

90 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Table 38. Summary of masses and estimated detection limits for pesticides in exchange-resin field blanks.

[ng, nanograms; --, not applicable]

Dectection limits for compounds detected in 

XAD resin field and equipment blanks

Detection limits for compounds 

when not present in resin

Minimum

(ng)

Maximum

(ng)

Average

(ng)

Count

(16 total)

Minimum

(ng)

Maximum

(ng)

Average

(ng)

Count

(16 total)

Aldrin 0.06 0.12 0.09 3 0.01 0.50 0.05 13

α-BHC .00 .00 -- 0 .03 .67 .10 16

β-BHC .00 .00 -- 0 .04 1.0 .16 16

γ-BHC (Lindane) .23 .26 .25 2 .05 1.7 .22 16

alpha-Chlordane .00 .00 -- 0 .01 6.0 1.3 13

gamma-Chlordane .11 .34 .25 4 .06 2.4 .33 16

oxy-Chlordane .00 .00 -- 0 .06 4.4 .49 15

2,4’-DDD .14 .18 .16 2 .05 1.5 .21 16

2,4’-DDE .14 .28 .21 2 .06 6.8 .81 16

2,4’-DDT .05 .07 .06 2 .06 3.5 .47 16

4,4’-DDD .08 .14 .10 3 .03 .78 .15 16

4,4’-DDE .49 2.2 .99 4 .05 1.2 .18 16

4,4’-DDT .05 2.8 1.1 3 .03 .68 .12 16

Hexachlorobenzene .09 .98 .49 16 .03 1.4 .19 15

Mirex .10 .10 .10 1 .06 1.6 .42 16

cis-Nonachlor .00 .00 -- 0 .03 1.6 .41 16

trans-Nonachlor .00 .00 -- 0 .01 .49 .06 16

Dieldrin .10 .14 .12 2 .06 3.5 .43 15

alpha-Endosulfan .00 .00 -- 0 .06 11 1.9 16

beta-Endosulfan .00 .00 -- 0 .06 3.1 1.0 16

Endrin .00 .00 -- 0 .03 2.2 .25 15

Endrin aldehyde .00 .00 -- 0 .06 6.5 1.5 16

Endrin ketone .00 .00 -- 0 .06 9.0 2.0 16

Endosulfan sulfate .20 .20 .20 1 .06 6.2 1.9 16

Heptachlor .08 .98 .33 14 .03 .09 .05 12

Heptachlor epoxide .04 .04 .04 1 .05 2.3 .31 16

Methoxychlor .10 14 2.0 13 .03 .37 .14 12

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 91
Table 39. Summary of masses and estimated detection limits for pesticides in filter blanks.

[ ng, nanograms; --, not applicable]

Detection limits for compounds 

detected in filter blanks

Detection limit for compounds when 

not present in filter blanks

Minimum

(ng)

Maximum

(ng)

Average

(ng)

Count

(8 total)

Minimum

(ng)

Maximum

(ng)

Average

(ng)

Count

(8 total)

Hexachlorobenzene 0.09 0.39 0.21 8 0.01 0.03 0.02 6

Aldrin .00 0 -- 0 .04 .23 .10 8

α-BHC .00 .00 -- 0 .07 .36 .15 8

β-BHC .00 .00 -- 0 .09 .50 .20 8

γ-BHC (Lindane) .17 .25 .21 2 .09 .30 .16 7

alpha-Chlordane .29 .29 .29 1 .17 .79 .34 7

gamma-Chlordane .38 .55 .46 2 .14 .92 .32 7

Oxychlordane .00 .00 -- 0 .10 .56 .24 8

cis-Nonachlor .00 .00 -- 0 .19 3.70 .88 8

trans-Nonachlor .00 .00 -- 0 .21 1.30 .52 8

2,4’-DDD .11 .16 .13 2 .06 .71 .19 8

2,4’-DDE .05 .33 .19 4 .06 .16 .11 6

4,4’-DDE .07 .07 .07 1 .07 .31 .16 8

2,4’-DDT .15 .26 .21 2 .08 .52 .22 7

4,4’-DDD .30 .30 .30 2 .05 .90 .22 8

4,4’-DDT .18 .46 .26 4 .06 .18 .11 6

Mirex 0 0 -- 0 .01 .37 .10 8

Dieldrin .10 .24 .17 2 .07 .51 .17 7

alpha-Endosulfan .00 .00 -- 0 .24 1.90 .80 8

beta-Endosulfan .00 .00 -- 0 .14 1.50 .54 8

Endosulfan sulfate .15 .81 .48 2 .03 .15 .07 7

Endrin .00 .00 -- 0 .18 2.00 .61 8

Endrin aldehyde .80 .80 .80 1 .22 2.30 .73 8

Endrin ketone .00 .00 -- 0 .25 2.20 .78 8

Heptachlor .09 .21 .16 3 .04 .09 .06 6

Heptachlor epoxide .00 .00 -- 0 .05 .41 .15 8

Methoxychlor .07 .95 .47 3 .04 .36 .09 7

92 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Table 40. Summary of results for Fraction I and II compounds in resin and filter method blanks.

[ng, nanograms; -- , not detected or not applicable]

Detection limits for compounds 

detected in method blanks

Detection limits for compounds 

not detected in method blanks

Minimum 

(ng)

Maximum 

(ng)

Average 

(ng)

Count 

(17)

Minimum 

(ng)

Maximum 

(ng)

Average 

(ng)

Count 

(17)

Fraction I Compounds

Trans-Nonachlor -- -- -- 0 0.08 45 3.0 17

OxyChlordane -- -- -- 0 .05 0.46 .19 17

Mirex 0.10 0.24 0.17 2 .01 .33 .09 17

Hexachlorobenzene .072 1.4 .23 16 .01 .04 .02 13

Heptachlor .072 .16 .11 3 .02 .42 .09 16

gamma-Chlordane .12 .12 .12 1 .06 .79 .29 16

γ-BHC (Lindane) -- -- -- 0 .03 .36 .17 17

cis-Nonachlor -- -- -- 0 .07 1.5 .55 17

β-BHC -- -- -- 0 .03 .49 .19 17

alpha-Chlordane -- -- -- 0 .07 .66 .30 17

α-BHC -- -- -- 0 .03 .26 .13 17

Aldrin .-- -- -- 0 .02 .29 .09 17

4,4’-DDT .076 .12 .10 3 .03 .49 .17 17

4,4’-DDE .54 .54 .54 1 .06 .45 .21 17

4,4’-DDD .079 .15 .12 2 .02 .50 .15 17

2,4’-DDT .15 .45 .32 5 .03 1.1 .26 17

2,4’-DDE .11 .20 .16 3 .04 .38 .15 17

2,4’-DDD .11 .25 .17 4 .02 .61 .17 17

Fraction II Compounds 

Dieldrin .14 .25 .18 3 .05 .81 .27 14

Endosulfan sulfate -- -- -- 0 .03 .75 .21 16

Endrin -- -- -- 0 .06 30 2.3 16

Endrin aldehyde .33 .80 .57 2 .12 23 2.3 16

Endrin ketone -- -- -- 1 .13 24 2.4 16

Heptachlor epoxide .08 .08 .08 1 .03 .93 .19 15

Methoxychlor .05 .49 .16 6 .01 .95 .16 15

alpha-Endosulfan .62 .62 .62 1 .15 17 2.1 16

beta-Endosulfan -- -- -- 0 .09 11 1.4 16

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 93
Recovery of Field Surrogates

The field surrogate for pesticides in the dissolved phase 

consisted of 13C-labeled α-BHC that was spiked (in the laboratory) onto the inlet end of one XAD column used during each 

sampling event. The field surrogate was included to help provide a measure of the efficiency of the sampling and extraction 

procedures. Specifically, the field surrogates were added as 

an attempt to determine if compounds were held by the resin 

when large volumes of river water were passed through the 

columns. The principal factor affecting the recovery of the 

field surrogate is the chemical nature of the sampled water, 

including the salinity and DOC. Other factors that affect the 

field-surrogate recovery are the length of time between the 

application of the spike solution and the extraction of the 

sample, the accuracy of the concentration of the spiking solution, the aggressiveness of the extraction procedure, and the 

accuracy and precision of the analytical methods. Acceptable 

recovery criteria were not set by the New Jersey program, and 

the recoveries are used only in a qualitative manner.

Unfortunately, because of the limited number of labeled 

pesticides available, only one pesticide field surrogate (13Cα-BHC) could be employed. The 13C- α-BHC was spiked

onto the columns along with the 13C- PCBs #31, #95, and 

#153. Only the inlet of the first of each two column set was 

spiked. α-BHC is a relatively low molecular weight compound

(290.8 g/mole) that is moderately soluble (1.63 mg/L), has a 

moderately high vapor pressure (0.10 atmospheres), and has 

a moderate Kow (log Kow = 3.8) compared with other OCPs 

(table 35). These characteristics make the recovery of α-BHC

a liberal measure of the ability of the resin to retain chlorinated pesticide compounds.

The recoveries of the pesticide and PCB field surrogates are listed in table 41, along with the volume of water 

processed, DOC concentrations, and total mass of dissolved 

carbon that passed through the columns during sampling. 

Recoveries for the 13C- α-BHC surrogate ranged from 58 to

101 percent, averaging 80.3 percent. The recoveries for BHC 

were lower than the recoveries for the three PCB surrogates, 

which had recoveries averaging between 84 and 97 percent. 

The recoveries indicate the resin sufficiently retained chlorinated organic compounds such as PCB, but may not be suitable for some of the more soluble OCPs such as oxychlordane 

and γ-BHC when large volumes of carbon-rich river water are

passed through the columns.

The dissolved samples collected and processed in this 

work were low-salinity fresh-water with relatively constant 

concentrations of DOC between 3 and 5 mg/L (Bonin and 

Wilson, 2006). Therefore, little variation in field-surrogate 

recovery could be attributed to changes in the river-water 

chemistry. A clear relation was not apparent between the 

volume of water processed through the resin and the recovery 

of the pesticide surrogate, and there appears to be no relation 

between the recovery of α-BHC and any of the PCB surrogates. Only a weakly inverse relation was observed between 

the average DOC passed through each column sample or the 

total mass of DOC and the pesticide-surrogate recovery. So 

in addition to the amount of dissolved carbon, the recovery of 

the pesticide surrogate was likely affected by factors including 

volatilization or to non-reversible migration of the field surrogate into the interior of the resin beads. Further work will be 

needed to verify these hypotheses, to better understand these 

field-surrogate recoveries, and to design better efficiency tests 

for OCP retention.

Concentrations

The concentrations of the individual pesticides measured 

in this work are presented in tables 42 to 44, for the suspended 

sediment, dissolved phase, and whole-water, respectively, 

with average concentrations in each river presented in tables 

45 to 48. Average concentrations were calculated using the 

blank-eliminated data set with all nondetected values replaced 

with one-half of the reported detection limit. For several of 

the OCPs in the suspended sediment and dissolved phases 

(BHCs, endosulfan, endosulfan sulfate, endrin, endrin aldehyde, endrin ketone), the average values were calculated from 

a majority of non-detected or nonreported values. Thus, these 

average values for these compounds may represent the EDLs; 

averages represent an upper limit and do not unequivocally 

demonstrate the presence of the compound in a sample. Concentrations of total OCPs for selected series are also presented, 

which include the sum of the 2,4’- and 4,4’-isomers of DDD, 

DDE, and DDT, the total DDT series (sum of all DDD, DDE, 

and DDT isomers), the total BHC series (sum of α-BHC, βBHC, and γ-BHC), the total chlordane series (sum of α− and

γ−chlordane, and oxychlordane), and nonachlor series (cisand trans-nonachlor), the total endosulfan series (sum of αendosulfan (I), β-endosulfan (II), and endosulfan sulfate), and

the endrin series (endrin, endrin aldehyde, and endrin ketone). 

To varying degress in each river, a small subset of the OCPs 

were the dominant compounds in the dissolved, suspended 

sediment, and POC-normalized fractions.

The average concentrations of total dissolved pesticides 

(sum of all compounds, table 45) were 2,300 pg/L in the Raritan, 2,900 pg/L in the Passaic, 4,800 pg/L in the Hackensack, 

7,600 pg/L in the Elizabeth, and 9,500 pg/L in the Rahway 

River. Dieldrin, α-chlordane, and heptachlor epoxide were the

dominant compounds in all rivers except the Raritan where 

dieldrine and γ−BHC were dominant, and in the Passaic,

where γ-BHC was the dominant compound.

Average total pesticide concentrations in the suspendedsediment phase (table 46) were 60 ng/g in the Raritan, 140 

ng/g in the Passaic, 420 ng/g in the Hackensack (freshwater), 

670 ng/g in the Rahway, and 1,170 ng/g in the Elizabeth River. 

In all rivers studied except the Raritan, high average concentrations were found for trans-nonaclor, the various DDT 

metabolites, alpha- and gamma-chlordan, and dieldrin. In the 

Raritan River, the highest average concentrations were found 

for 4,4-DDT and 4,4’-DDE.

Average concentrations of OCPs in suspended sediment 

normalized to particulate carbon (table 47), were 1,540 ng/gC 

94 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Table 41. Recoveries of field surrogates from XAD samples.

[mg,milligrams; L, liters; DOC, dissolved organic carbon

River Date

Volume through 

XAD Column (L)

Average DOC

(mg/L)

Maximum DOC 

encountered

(mg/L)

Total mass of DOC

(mg)

Recovery of

13C-α-BHC

(percent)

Recovery of 

13C-PCB #31

(percent)

Recovery of

13C-PCB #95

(percent)

Recovery of

13C-PCB #153

(percent)

Hackensack June 23, 2000 50.4 3.83 4.04 193 82 79 74 88

Passaic June 22, 2000 35.8 4.46 4.74 160 82 78 75 89

Raritan June 27, 2000 50.4 4.11 4.51 207 89 78 70 89

Rahway June 28, 2000 58.8 3.37 3.75 198 83 78 74 87

Elizabeth June 29, 2000 50.4 3.53 3.74 178 86 80 72 90

Passaic Dec. 15, 2000 41.1 3.9 4.15 160 80 81 114 91

Hackensack Mar. 13, 2001 27.9 2.95 3.25 82 99 79 122 92

Passaic Mar. 14, 2001 121 3.85 4.35 466 92 86 96 96

Raritan Apr. 13, 2001 34.7 4.13 5.35 143 77 79 108 95

Elizabeth Apr. 25, 2001 134 4.03 4.34 540 101 85 87 101

Rahway Apr. 24, 2001 53.3 3.51 3.99 187 74 83 96 101

Rahway May 22, 2001 59.2 5.02 6.49 297 61 90 93 102

Raritan Oct. 4, 2001 124. 3.82 3.98 474 58 84 135 101

Passaic Oct. 17, 2001 115 4.14 4.19 476 84 86 102 96

Hackensack Oct. 19, 2001 56.6 3.22 3.27 182 75 86 105 92

Raritan Mar. 3, 2002 30.3 3.68 4.66 111 91 90 110 82

Raritan Mar. 21, 2002 31.2 4.53 5.51 141 75 90 118 78

Rahway Apr. 28, 2002 104 4.9 6.88 510 67 90 111 81

Hackensack July 19, 2002 27.8 3.83 4.74 106 68 89 85 90

Elizabeth May 22, 2001 48.6 5.83 10.0 283 83 89 88 100

Average 80 84 97 92

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 95
Table 42. Concentrations of suspended sediment-bound organochlorine pesticides in samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey.

[Values in nanograms per gram; BE, value removed by blank elimination; NR, value not reported; * values had low internal standard recoveries; values in parentheses are one-half the reported detection limit; B, base flow; S, storm flow; V, variable flow]

Date sampled

Flow 

regime

Hexachlorobenzene

ᾶ-BHC β-BHC

γ-BHC 

(Lindane)

αChlordane γ̃- Chlordane oxy- Chlordane 2,4’-DDD 4,4’-DDD 2,4’-DDE 4,4’-DDE 2,4’-DDT 4,4’-DDT

Raritan River

June 27, 2000

B BE (0.11) (0.32) (4.5) 5.1 4.9* 0.64 2.6 8.3 (0.57) 16 3.2 13

Apr. 13, 2001 S BE (.03) .10 (.07) 5.5 5.1 1.0 2.8 11 .74 40 8.8 74

Oct. 4, 2001

B .15 (.01) (.01) (.02) .91 .72* .12 .24 .78 (.01) 1.2 .24 .97

Mar. 3, 2002 S .59 (.03) (.03) (.05) 4.5 3.7 .46 1.6 .08 9.7 1.7 5.4 7.5

Mar. 21, 2002 S .18 (.01) .040 .05 1.6 1.5 .16 .43 1.6 .08 2.6 .36 1.6

Passaic River

June 22, 2000

B 1.1 (.10) (.15) NR 17 16* 1.1 7.2 9.1 .94 21 8.0* 20*

Dec. 15, 2000

V 50 1.9 3.4 1.0 58 62 2.9 100 260 56 240 21 130

Mar. 14, 2001 S 1.9* (.02) .10 (.12) 38 33* 5.2 7.2 22 1.2 30 NR NR

Oct. 17, 2001

B 1.3 (.004) .17 NR 22 19 1.6 6.8 .99 19 2.6 17 12

Rahway River

June 28, 2000

B 3.3 (.14) (.18) (.62) 210 190* 16 59 210 5.0 110 11 64

Apr. 24, 2001

B 2.2 .06 .12 .60* 130 110* 15 24 82 2.3 49 6.5 33

May 22, 2001 S 1.4 .03 .12 .34* 76 69* 7.2 15 47 1.5 32 6.7 29

Apr. 28, 2002 S 5.1 (.06) (.08) .35 110 104 8.7 19 65 2.1 47 9.6 46

Elizabeth River

June 29, 2000

B 5.0 (.16) .41 (.54) 120 110 8.3 40 130 3.9 62 12 58

Apr. 25, 2001

B 15 .43 2.5 .73 320 320 34 69* 160* 20 180 74* 250*

May 22, 2001 S 4.4 .21 .46 4.4* 110* 100* 7.7* 22* 53* 3.2* 47* 19* 74*

Hackensack River

June 23, 2000

B BE (.03) .10 NR 18 14* 1.8 4.6 23 .61 21 2.2 6.7

Oct. 19, 2001

B 2.6 (.07) (.13) NR 89 67 9.8 8.5 1.8 39 3.3 34 12

July 19, 2002

B 2.2 .32 .12 .33 200 170 19 6.0 21 1.2 39 8.0 37

Mar. 13, 2001 Tidal 3.1 (.02) .09 (.85) 94 89* 13 7.8* 20* 2.1 34 68* 52*

96 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Table 42. Concentrations of suspended sediment-bound organochlorine pesticides in samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey.—Continued

[Values in nanograms per gram; BE, value removed by blank elimination; NR, value not reported; * values had low internal standard recoveries; values in parentheses are one-half the reported detection limit; B, base flow; S, storm flow; V, variable flow]

Date Sampled

cisNonachlor trans- Nonachlor Aldrin Dieldrin α−Endo- sulfan β-Endo- sulfan Endosulfan sulfate Endrin Endrin aldehyde Endrin ketone Heptachlor Heptachlor epoxide

Raritan River

June 27, 2000 1.7 5.6 (0.12) 4.1 NR NR (0.07) NR NR NR (0.17) 1.0

Apr. 13, 2001 1.7 5.5 .20 4.6 NR NR .92 NR NR NR .34 1.1

Oct. 4, 2001 .19 .84 (.01) .22 NR NR .02 NR NR NR .02 .07

Mar. 3, 2002 1.5 4.8 (.06) 2.0 (.39) (.51) .84 (.13) (.32) (0.27) (.04) .58

Mar. 21, 2002 .36 1.4 (.04) .58 (.09) (.10) .08 (.03) (.06) (.07) .03 .16

Passaic River

June 22, 2000 4.7 13 .51 NR NR NR NR NR NR NR BE NR

Dec. 15, 2000 16 43 1.1 26 3.8 27 (.37) (2.8) (5.6) (2.9) 1.3 5.7

Mar. 14, 2001 5.7 22 .20 NR NR NR NR NR NR NR .80* NR

Oct. 17, 2001 2.8 15 .46 6.2 NR NR .06 (.06) NR NR .29* 2.0

Rahway River

June 28, 2000 41 140 1.8 37 (3.2) 1.9 (.05) (2.3) (2.3) 3.6* BE 26

Apr. 24, 2001 20 68 .65 38 NR NR .71 NR NR NR 2.3 19

May 22, 2001 12 40 .39 6.5 NR NR (.02) NR NR NR .50 13

Apr. 28, 2002 14 51 1.1 18 16 (2.3) 1.3 (.32) (1.5) 3.2* 2.3 9.9

Elizabeth River

June 29, 2000 18 79 1.0 46 NR NR (.81) NR NR NR BE 14

Apr. 25, 2001 47* 180* 1.7 220 (1.3) 71 (1.8) (2.3) (.80) 2.7 7.6 74*

May 22, 2001 18* 72* .41* 2.6* NR NR NR NR NR NR .62* 15*

Hackensack River

June 23, 2000 4.3 12 .80 12 NR NR (.15) NR NR NR BE 4.0

Oct. 19, 2001 14 60 2.9 37 NR NR (.09) (.37) NR NR 1.1 11

July 19, 2002 37 110 5.6 54 (.37) (.47) .64 (.16) (.17) (.22) 4.8 26

Mar. 13, 2001 13* 47* 1.6 210 NR NR (.23) NR NR NR 3.1 91

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 97
Table 42. Concentrations of suspended sediment-bound organochlorine pesticides in samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey.—Continued

[Values in nanograms per gram; BE, value removed by blank elimination; NR, value not reported; * values had low internal standard recoveries; values in parentheses are one-half the reported detection limit; B, base flow; S, storm flow; V, variable flow]

Date sampled Mirex Methoxychlor

Total

pesticides

Total

DDD

Total

DDE

Total

DDT

Total

BHC

Total

chlordane

Total

nonachlor

Total 

endosulfan

Total

endrin

Raritan River

June 27, 2000 0.36 BE 72 11 17 16 4.9 11 7.3 0.1 BE

Apr. 13, 2001 BE 1.6 170 14 41 83 .20 12 7.2 0.9 BE

Oct. 4, 2001 .02 .06 6.9 1.0 1.2 1.2 .04 1.8 1.0 0.02 BE

Mar. 3, 2002 .19 BE 47 1.7 11 13 .11 8.7 6.3 1.7 0.72

Mar. 21, 2002 .02 .17 13 2.0 2.7 2.0 .10 3.3 1.8 0.3 0.16

Passaic River

June 22, 2000 1.8 BE 120 16 22 28 .26 34 18 BE BE

Dec. 15, 2000 2.4 6.3 1,100 360 300 150 5.3 120 59 BE BE

Mar. 14, 2001 .88 NR 170 29 31 NR .24 75 28 BE BE

Oct. 17, 2001 .92 .97 130 7.8 22 29 .18 43 18 0.06 0.06

Rahway River

June 28, 2000 (.03) BE 1,100 270 110 75 .96 420 180 5.2 8.2

Apr. 24, 2001 .20 3.8 610 110 51 39 .78 260 88 0.7 BE

May 22, 2001 .11 4.1 350 62 34 36 .49 150 52 0.02 BE

Apr. 28, 2002 .18 7.0 550 84 49 56 .49 220 65 20.1 5.0

Elizabeth River

June 29, 2000 .66 BE 710 170 66 70 1.1 240 97 0.8 BE

Apr. 25, 2001 1.1 8.8* 2,100 230 200 320 3.6 670 230 76.2 6.0

May 22, 2001 .34* 6.9* 570 75 50 93 5.1 230 90 BE 0.2

Hackensack River

June 23, 2000 .05 BE 120 27 22 8.9 .13 34 16 0.15 BE

Oct. 19, 2001 (.05) .95 400 10 42 46 .20 170 74 0.09 0.37

July 19, 2002 (.01) 3.9 740 27 40 45 .77 380 150 0.76 0.07

Mar. 13, 2001 (.05) 13 760 28 36 120 .97 200 60 31.3 11.3

98 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Table 43. Concentrations of dissolved organochlorine pesticides in samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey.

[Values in picograms per liter; BE, value removed by blank elimination; * values had low internal standard recoveries; values in parentheses are one-half the reported detection limit; B, base flow; S, storm flow; V, variable flow]

Date sampled

Flow 

regime

Hexachloro-benzene α-BHC β-BHC γ-BHC (Lindane) α- Chlordane γ− Chlordane oxy- Chlordane 2,4’-DDD 4,4’-DDD 2,4’-DDE 4,4’-DDE 2,4’-DDT 4,4’-DDT

Raritan River

June 27, 2000 B BE 54 91 830 170 140 120 52 160 4.0 85 12 40

Apr. 13, 2001 S BE 75* 58* 250 150* 110* 160* 43* 160* BE 140* BE BEOct. 4, 2001 B BE 50 130 390 120 70 99 43 110 2.6 58 6.6 21

Mar. 3, 2002 S BE 100 110 250 120 99 85 43 5.9 12 120 85 18Mar. 21, 2002 S 39 98 77 190 150 110 110 38 6.9 9.8 120 90 19

Passaic River

June 22, 2000 B BE 59 62 480 390 280 260 62 190 (8.3) 67 10 25

Dec. 15, 2000 V BE 140 88 630 240 180 170 49 100 (6.1) 41 BE 24*

Mar. 14, 2001 S 29 77 26 420 250 160 190 28 62 2.4 40 BE 33

Oct. 17, 2001 B 33 77 150 850 330 220 180 75 4.5 (1.0) 210 68 13

Rahway River

June 28, 2000 B BE 58 39 270 1,400 1,000 870 240 850 12 120 14 46

Apr. 24, 2001 B BE 86 47 170 1,300 790 1,000 210 600 7.1 110 BE BE

May 22, 2001 S 42 130 47 470 1,200 760 680 170 520 9.3 150 29 110

Apr. 28, 2002 S 38 170 30 750 1,100 680 830 160 7.5 29 480 140 120

Elizabeth River

June 29, 2000 B BE 93 170 360 660 440 460 180 540 8.0 87 36 150

Apr. 25, 2001 B 100 170 120 170 820 690 690 130 300 39 220 100 270

May 22, 2001 S 60 270 150 1,300 660 510 430 95 250 12 110 47 170

Hackensack River

June 23, 2000 B BE 110 24 420 420 260 360 38 150 (5.5) 75 (6.9) 13

Oct. 19, 2001 B BE 65 17 63 480 290 300 31 (.75) 4.3 100 40 7.6

July 19, 2002 B 27 81 29 230 880 550 810 35 6.2 12* 130 BE 36*

Mar. 13, 2001 Tidal BE 270 (12) 430 820 540 970 54 72 20 47 BE 68*

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 99
Table 43. Concentrations of dissolved organochlorine pesticides in samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey.—Continued

[Values in picograms per liter; BE, value removed by blank elimination; * values had low internal standard recoveries; values in parentheses are one-half the reported detection limit; B, base flow; S, storm flow; V, variable flow]

Date sampled

CisNonaachlor trans- Nona- achlor Aldrin Dieldrin

α-Endosulfan ̃ 

β-Endosulfan Endosulfan sulfate Endrin Endrin aldehyde Endrin ketone Heptachlor Heptachlor epoxide Mirex Methoxy- chlor

Raritan River

June 27, 2000 26 85 (1.9) 440 (68) 19 2.5 (21) (20) 137 BE 120 (1.4) BE

Apr. 13, 2001 (20) 75* (3.6) 400* (17) (9.0) 260* (19) BE 180* BE 160* BE BEOct. 4, 2001 18 54 2.1 440 10 14 87 (1.1) (2.5) 30 BE 200 (.35) 37Mar. 3, 2002 14 75 30 380 (16) (17) 250 (4.7) (10) 210 BE 150 (.47) BEMar. 21, 2002 18 95 16 340 (8.9) (10) 220 10 (4.9) 190 BE 150 (.27) BE

Passaic River

June 22, 2000 36 130 18 360 64 36 (2.2) (31) (31) 56 BE 200 1.2 BEDec. 15, 2000 (90) 56 BE 750 (110) (120) 95* (34) (33) 61* BE 710* (1.8) BE

Mar. 14, 2001 24 75 (.95) 240 14 29 21 9.1 (1.8) 51 21 190 (.45) 31

Oct. 17, 2001 24 130 7.7 540 17 20 160 11 (1.7) 27 BE 270 2.8 130

Rahway River

June 28, 2000 110 430 26 1,100 37 120 (3.1) (52) (23) 190 BE 750 1.2 BE

Apr. 24, 2001 110 410 36 1,700 (9.0) 90 130 (16) (5.3) 240 BE 1300 (.87) 120

May 22, 2001 110 440 16 2,700 64 220 (5.1) (35) (11) (11) 54 4,600* (.38) BE

Apr. 28, 2002 78 400 82 1,500 86 110 150 24 (4.0) 200 64 1,300 (.16) 340

Elizabeth River

June 29, 2000 50 220 10 1,300 83 56 1.3 60 (36) 220 BE 610 (.59) BE

Apr. 25, 2001 66 230 8.9 2,800 45 (8.9) 210* (29) (15) 190 60 1,600* (1.2) 120

May 22, 2001 53 270 17 1,700 72 37 190 (15) (4.6) 100 47 890 (.62) BE

Hackensack River

June 23, 2000 48 140 24 710 52 46 (2.8) (32) (41) 83 BE 400 (.07) BE

Oct. 19, 2001 25 140 16 920 20 (7.9) 130 14 (2.2) 170 BE 480 (.23) 17

July 19, 2002 130 380 18 2,000 88 200 39 84 (7.6) 300 29* 1,300 (1.3) BE

Mar. 13, 2001 (6.1) 230* (8.6) 1,600 (63) (45) (11) (39) (56) (75) BE 1,400 (4.7) BE

100 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Table 43. Concentrations of dissolved organochlorine pesticides in samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey.—Continued

[Values in picograms per liter; BE, value removed by blank elimination; * values had low internal standard recoveries; values in parentheses are one-half the reported detection limit; B, base flow; S, storm flow; V, variable flow]

Date sampled

Total 

pesticides

Total 

DDD

Total 

DDE

Total 

DDT

Total 

BHC

Total 

Chlordane

Total 

nonachlor

Total 

endosulfan

Total 

endrin

Raritan River

June 27, 2000 2,700 210 89 52 980 430 110 87 180Apr. 13, 2001 2,300 210 140 BE 380 420 95 290 200

Oct. 4, 2001 2,000 150 61 28 570 290 72 110 34

Mar. 3, 2002 2,200 49 130 100 460 300 89 280 220

Mar. 21, 2002 2,100 45 130 110 360 370 110 240 200

Passaic River

June 22, 2000 2,900 250 75 35 600 930 170 100 120

Dec. 15, 2000 3,700 150 47 24 860 590 150 430 130

Mar. 14, 2001 2,000 90 42 33 520 600 99 64 62

Oct. 17, 2001 3,600 80 210 81 1,100 730 150 200 40

Rahway River

June 28, 2000 7,800 1,100 130 60 370 3,300 540 160 190

Apr. 24, 2001 8,500 810 120 BE 300 3,100 520 230 260

May 22, 2001 13,000 690 160 140 650 2,600 550 290 57

Apr. 28, 2002 8,900 170 510 260 950 2,600 480 350 230

Elizabeth River

June 29, 2000 5,800 720 95 190 620 1,600 270 140 320

Apr. 25, 2001 9,200 430 260 370 460 2,200 300 260 240

May 22, 2001 7,500 350 120 220 1,700 1,600 320 300 120

Hackensack River

June 23, 2000 3,400 190 76 14 550 1,000 190 100 90

Oct. 19, 2001 3,300 32 100 48 150 1,100 160 160 190

July 19, 2002 7,400 41 140 36 340 2,200 510 330 390

Mar. 13, 2001 6,900 130 67 68 710 2,300 240 120 170

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 101
Table 44. Concentrations of whole-water organochlorine pesticides in samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey.

[Values in nanograms per liter; ND, value not detected; BE, removed by blank elimination; shaded values exceed the lower freshwater criteria; NA, not available]

Date sampled

Flow 

regime

Hexachlorobenzene

α-BHC β-BHC

γ-BHC

(Lindane)

Chlordane

(total) 4,4’-DDD 4,4’-DDE 4,4’-DDT Aldrin Dieldrin

Freshwater criteria, in ng/L 440 2.6 9.1 3950 0.10 0.31 0.22 0.22 0.049 0.052

Saline water criteria, in ng/L 18,000 4.9 17 3160 .11 .31 .22 .22 .050 .054

Raritan River

June 27, 2000

B BE 0.05 0.09 0.83 0.59 .18 .13 .08 .01 .45

Apr. 13, 2001 S .01 .08 .06 .26 1.0 .47 1.3 2.1 .01 .54

Oct. 4, 2001

B .10 .05 .13 .39 .52 .15 .13 .08 .01 .46

Mar. 3, 2002 S .04 .10 .11 .26 1.3 .01 .22 .49 .03 .50

Mar. 21, 2002 S .09 .10 .09 .20 1.8 .43 .81 .45 .03 .49

Average .06 .08 .10 .39 1.0 .25 .52 .64 .02 .49

Passaic River

June 22, 2000

B .02 .06 .06 .48 1.8 .32 .37 .31 .03 .36

Dec. 15, 2000

V .31 .15 .11 .64 1.8 1.7 1.5 .83 .01 .92

Mar. 14, 2001 S .06 .08 .03 .42 2.3 .39 .50 .03 .01 .24

Oct. 17, 2001

B .05 .08 .15 .85 1.4 .01 .23 .12 .01 .59

Average1 .04 .07 .08 .58 1.8 .24 .37 .15 .02 .40

Rahway River

June 28, 2000

B .01 .06 .04 .27 5.6 1.5 .46 .24 .03 1.2

Apr. 24, 2001

B .02 .09 .05 .17 6.6 1.3 .55 .35 .04 2.0

May 22, 2001 S .09 .13 .05 .48 9.0 1.9 1.1 .94 .03 2.9

Apr. 28, 2002 S .25 .17 .03 .77 15 2.7 2.5 2.0 .13 2.3

Average .09 .11 .04 .42 9.1 1.9 1.1 .90 .06 2.1

Elizabeth River

June 29, 2000

B .02 .09 .17 .36 3.1 1.0 .33 .38 .01 1.5

Apr. 25, 2001

B .15 .17 .13 .17 5.2 .79 .76 1.0 .02 3.5

May 22, 2001 S .70 .30 .21 2.0 47 7.9 6.9 11 .08 2.1

Average2 .29 .19 .17 .83 18 3.2 2.7 4.1 .04 2.4

Hackensack River

June 23, 2000

B BE .11 .02 .42 1.4 .24 .16 .04 .03 .76

Oct. 19, 2001

B .01 .07 .02 .06 1.8 .01 .11 .04 .02 1.0

July 19, 2002

B .05 .08 .03 .24 7.7 .20 .49 .38 .07 2.5

Average .03 .09 .02 .24 3.6 .15 .26 .15 .04 1.4

Mar. 13, 2001

T .06 .27 .01 .43 7.2 .43 .66 1.0 .03 5.4 1 Passaic River average does not include sample collected on Dec. 15, 2000.

2 Elizabeth River average does not include sample collected on June 4, 2003.3 Freshwater criteria are chronic human health, except for lindane, methoxychlor, and mirex, which are chronic aquatic criteria.

102 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Table 44. Concentrations of whole-water organochlorine pesticides in samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey.—Continued

[Values in nanograms per liter; nd, value not detected; BE, removed by blank elimination; shaded values exceed the lower freshwater criteria

Date sampled

αEndosulfan β- Endosulfan Endosulfan sulfate Endrin Endrin aldehyde Endrin ketone Heptachlor Heptachlor epoxide Mirex Metho- xychlor Total pesticides

Freshwater criteria in, ng/L 62,000 62,000 62,000 59 59 NA 0.079 0.039 1.03 330 NA

Saline water criteria in, ng/L 89,000 89,000 89,000 60 60 NA 0.079 0.039 1.03 330 NA

Raritan River

June 27, 2000 .07 0.02 0.01 0.02 0.02 0.14 0.01 .12 .01 BE 2.8

Apr. 13, 2001 .02 .01 .29 .02 .01 0.18 0.01 .19 BE 0.05 7.0

Oct. 4, 2001 .01 .02 .09 .01 0.01 0.03 0.01 .21 .01 0.04 2.4

Mar. 3, 2002 .04 .05 .31 .01 0.03 0.23 0.01 .20 .01 0.04 5.0

Mar. 21, 2002 .03 .04 .24 .02 0.02 0.21 0.01 .19 .01 BE 5.5

Average .04 .03 .19 0.01 0.02 0.16 0.01 .18 .01 .04 4.5

Passaic River

June 22, 2000 .06 .04 .01 0.03 0.03 0.06 BE .20 .03 BE 4.5

Dec. 15, 2000 .01 .17 .10 0.05 0.07 0.08 0.01 .75 .02 .04 10

Mar. 14, 2001 .01 .02 .02 0.01 0.01 0.05 0.03 .19 .01 .03 4.6

Oct. 17, 2001 .02 .02 .16 0.01 0.01 0.03 0.01 .29 .01 .14 4.7

Average1 .03 .03 .06 0.02 0.01 0.05 .02 .23 .02 .09 4.6

Rahway River

June 28, 2000 .04 .13 .01 0.01 .01 0.20 BE .83 .01 BE 11Apr. 24, 2001 .01 .09 .14 0.02 0.01 0.24 0.06 1.5 .01 .15 14

May 22, 2001 .06 .22 .01 0.04 0.01 .01 0.07 4.9 .01 .12 23

Apr. 28, 2002 .77 .20 .20 0.04 0.07 .33 0.16 1.8 .01 .63 32

Average .22 .16 .09 0.03 .02 .20 .10 2.3 .01 .30 20

Elizabeth River

June 29, 2000 .08 .06 .01 0.06 0.04 .22 BE .67 .01 BE 8.5

Apr. 25, 2001 .05 .23 .22 0.04 0.02 .20 .09 1.9 .01 .15 16

May 22, 2001 .07 .04 .19 0.02 0.01 .01 .14 3.0 .05 1.0 89

Average2 .07 .11 .14 0.04 0.02 .14 .11 1.9 .02 .57 38

Hackensack River

June 23, 2000 .05 .05 ND ND ND .08 BE .41 .01 BE 3.9

Oct. 19, 2001 .02 .01 .13 .01 .17 .17 .01 .51 .01 .02 4.3

July 19, 2002 .09 .21 .04 .08 .01 .30 .07 1.6 .01 .04 14

Average .05 .09 .09 .04 .09 .18 .04 .83 .01 .03 7.5

Mar. 13, 2001 .06 .05 .02 .04 0.06 .08 .06 3.0 .01 .24 20

1 Passaic River average does not include sample collected on Dec. 15, 2000.2 Elizabeth River average does not include sample collected on June 4, 2004.3 Freshwater criteria are chronic human health, except for lindane, methoxychlor, and mirex, which are chronic aquatic criteria.

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 103
Table 45. Average concentrations of dissolved organochlorine pesticides in samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey.

[Pesticide values are in picograms per liter; average values were calculated by replacing nondetected values with one-half the reported detection limit; *, value 

calculated from one or less measured value and/or estimated detection levels; --, no data available]

Raritan River Passaic River1 Rahway River Elizabeth River Hackensack River

Hexachlorobenzene 39* 31 39 82 27*

α-BHC 76 71 110 180 84

β-BHC 93 80 41 150 23

γ-BHC (Lindane) 380 580 420 610 240

α-Chlordane 140 320 1,200 710 590

γ-Chlordane 105 220 810 550 370

oxy-Chlordane 120 210 850 530 490

2,4’-DDD 44 55 190 130 35

4,4’-DDD 88 86 490 360 52

2,4’-DDE 7.2 3.9 14 19 7.4

4,4’-DDE 105 105 220 140 100

2,4’-DDT 48 29 61 62 23

4,4’-DDT 24 24 92 200 19

cis-Nonachlor 19 28 100 56 67

trans-Nonachlor 77 110 420 240 220

Aldrin 11 8.8 40 12 19

Dieldrin 400 380 1,700 1,900 1,200

α-Endosulfan 24 32 49 67 53

β-Endosulfan 14 28 130 34 85

Endosulfan sulfate 160 60 72 134 58

Endrin 11 17 32 35* 43

Endrin aldehyde 9.4* 11 11* 18* 17*

Endrin ketone 150 45 160 170 180

Heptachlor -- 21* 59 54 29*

Heptachlor epoxide 160 220 1,980 1,000 730

Mirex .62* 1.5 .65* .81* .53*

Methoxychlor 37* 80 230 120* 17*

Total pesticides 2,300 2,900 9,500 7,600 4,800

Total DDDs 130 140 680 490 87

Total DDEs 110 110 230 160 110

Total DDTs 72 63 150 260 42

Total DDT series 310 300 1,100 910 240

Total BHCs 550 740 570 940 350

Total Chlordanes 360 750 2,900 1,800 1,500

Total Nonchlors 96 140 520 300 290

Total Endosulfans 200 120 26 240 200

Total Endrins 180 73 200 220 240

1

 Average does not include the sample results from December 15, 2000.

104 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Table 46. Average concentrations of organochlorine pesticides in suspended sediment in samples collected from selected rivers in 

New Jersey.

[Pesticide values are in nanograms per gram; average values were calculated by replacing nondetected values with one-half the reported detection limit; *, 

value calculated from one or less measured value and/or estimated detection levels; --, no data available

Raritan River Passaic River1 Rahway River Elizabeth River Hackensack River

Hexachlorobenzene 0.38 1.4 3.0 8.4 2.4

α-BHC .03* .04* .06 .27 .14

β-BHC .10 .14 .13 1.1 .10

γ-BHC (Lindane) .94* .12* .47 1.8 .33*

α-Chlordane 3.4 26 130 180 100

γ-Chlordane 3.2 23 120 180 84

oxy-Chlordane .47 2.7 12 17 10

2,4’-DDD 1.6 7.2 29 44 6.4

4,4’-DDD 4.4 11 100 110 15

2,4’-DDE 2.2 7.0 2.7 9.0 13

4,4’-DDE 12 18 59 95 22

2,4’-DDT 3.6 13 8.2 35 14

4,4’-DDT 19 16 42 130 19

cis-Nonachlor 1.1 4.5 22 27 18

trans-Nonachlor 3.5 17 74 110 61

Aldrin .080* .39 .97 1.0 3.1

Dieldrin 2.4 6.1* 25 89 34

α-Endosulfan .24* -- 9.8* 1.3* .37*

β-Endosulfan .31* -- 2.1* 73* .47*

Endosulfan sulfate .39 .060* .54 1.4* .29*

Endrin .08* .060* 1.3* 2.4* .27*

Endrin aldehyde .19* -- 1.9* .82* .17*

Endrin ketone .17* -- 3.4 2.7* .22*

Heptachlor .11 .50 1.6 3.2 3.0

Heptachlor epoxide .56 1.9* 16 35 14

Mirex .16 1.2 .13 .71 .040*

Methoxychlor .61 .97* 5.0 7.9 2.4

Total pesticides 60 140 670 1,170 420

Total DDDs 5.9 18 130 160 22

Total DDEs 14 25 62 100 35

Total DDTs 23 29 50 160 33

Total DDT series 43 72 240 420 89

Total BHCs 1.1 .30 .70 3.2 .59

Total Chlordanes 7.1 52 260 380 190

Total Nonachlors 4.7 21 95 140 79

Total Endosulfans .94 .06 12 74 1.1

Total Endrins .44 .06 6.6 5.8 .66

1

 Average does not include the sample results from December 15, 2000.

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 105
Table 47. Average concentrations, normalized to carbon, of organochlorine pesticides in suspended sediment from samples 

collected in selected rivers in New Jersey.

[Pesticide values are in nanograms per gram of carbon ; --, no data available; Average values were calculated by replacing nondetected values with one-half 

the reported detection limit; *, value calculated from one or less measured concentration and/or estimated detection levels.]

Raritan River Passaic River1 Rahway River Elizabeth River Hackensack River

Hexachlorobenzene 10 22 33 57 6.7

α-BHC .69* .94* .82 1.9 .49

β-BHC 2.3 2.3 1.2 6.4 .57

γ-BHC (Lindane) 13* 1.5* 4.7 13 1.0*

α-Chlordane 92 380 1,400 1,300 340

γ-Chlordane 84 330 1,250 1,200 270

oxy-Chlordane 12 37 120 110 34

2,4’-DDD 36 110 320 360 29

4,4’-DDD 120 170 1,100 1,050 97

2,4’-DDE 34 80 29 54 37

4,4’-DDE 320 310 640 680 115

2,4’-DDT 80 190 90 200 45

4,4’-DDT 490 300 460 790 70

cis-Nonachlor 26 78 230 200 64

trans-Nonachlor 90 250 800 820 200

Aldrin 2.3* 6.7 11 8.7 11

Dieldrin 54 67* 250 540 126

α-Endosulfan 6.8* -- 126* 4.6* 1.1*

β-Endosulfan 8.3* -- 27* 300* 1.4*

Endosulfan sulfate 9.1 .60* 5.4 10* 1.2*

Endrin 2.1* .60* 17* 8.5* .72*

Endrin aldehyde 5.2* -- 25* 2.9* .52*

Endrin ketone 5.2* -- 44 5.2* .67*

Heptachlor 3.1 6.8 16 16 8.7

Heptachlor epoxide 14 21* 170 200 49

Mirex 2.3 22 1.2 5.8 .21*

Methoxychlor 21 11* 49 38 7.1

Total pesticides 1,540 2,400 7,220 7,980 1,520

Total DDDs 156 280 1,400 1,410 130

Total DDEs 354 390 670 730 150

Total DDTs 570 490 550 990 120

Total DDT series 1,080 1,160 2,600 3,130 400

Total BHCs 16 4.6 6.8 21 2.1

Total Chlordanes 190 750 2,700 2,500 640

Total Nonachlors 120 330 1,000 1,000 260

Total Endosulfans 24 .60 160 310 3.7

Total Endrins 13 .60 86 17 1.9

1

. Average does not include the sample results from December 15, 2000

106 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
in the Raritan, 1,520 ng/gC in the Hackensack, 2,400 ng/gC 

in the Passaic, 7,280 ng/g in the Rahway, and 7,950 ng/gC 

in the Elizabeth River. Normalizing to carbon had the effect, 

therefore, of making average concentration in the Raritan, 

Passaic, and Hackensack Rivers – and the Rahway and 

Elizabeth Rivers – about equal. Except in the Raritan River, 

α-chlordane and γ-chlordane had the highest carbon-normalized concentrations, followed by 4,4’-DDE, 4-4’-DDT, 4-4’-

DDD, trans-nonachlor, and dieldrin. In the Raritan River, the 

4-4’DDT compounds (DDD, DDE, and DDT) had the highest 

concentrations followed by trans-nonachlor, α−chlordane, and

γ-chlordane, and 4,4’-DDD.

The contribution of the different compounds or pesticide 

series to the total OCP content of the sediment differed among 

the rivers (fig. 39). Seven pesticide series are shown for the 

suspended sediment: the DDT, BHC, chlordane, nonachlor, 

endosulfan, endrin series and dieldrin. In the Raritan River, 

the DDT series was the largest contributor to total pesticide 

concentration (up to 70 percent of the total OCP mass). In the 

Passaic, Rahway, and Elizabeth Rivers, the DDT and chlordane series were the largest contributors; each group contributed 32 to 45 percent of the total. In the Hackensack River, the 

chlordane series was dominant, contributing nearly 45 percent 

of the total OCP; the various DDT metabolites and nonachlor 

compounds were also important.

The contributions of these selected pesticide series to the 

total dissolved pesticide concentrations (fig. 40) differed from 

their contribution to the sediment composition. In the Raritan 

River, the BHC series was dominant and made up roughly 25 

percent of the total pesticide content. In the Passaic River, the 

BHC and chlordane series were dominant; each contributed 

roughly 25 percent of the total dissolved pesticide concentration. In the Rahway, Elizabeth, and Hackensack Rivers, the 

chlordane series was the principal OCP, accounting for 20 to 

30 percent of the total, followed by dieldrin. The relative contribution to the dissolved total pesticide content reflected the 

source (sediment composition, runoff, waste discharge) and 

the solubilities of the pesticides. The sediment composition 

was dominated by the DDT, followed by chlordane, the nonachlor series, and the dieldrin series. The higher percentage 

of chlordane, oxychlordane in the dissolved phase, relative to 

DDT, probably reflected their greater presence in the sediment 

and solubility.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

PERCENT OF TOTAL OC PESTICIDE CONCENTRATION

Total all DDT compounds

Total BHC

Total endrin

Total chlordane

Total nonachlor

Total endosulfan

Dieldrin

PESTICIDE SERIES

Raritan River

Passaic River

Rahway River

Elizabeth River

Hackensack River

Figure 39. Percent contribution of selected organochlorine pesticide (OC) groups to the total average concentrations of 

organochlorine pesticides in suspended-sediment samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey. [Data from table 46.]

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 107
Relation of Whole-Water Concentrations to SurfaceWater-Quality Criteria

Regulatory water-quality criteria for chemicals in surface 

water are based on “whole-water” concentrations in units of 

mass per volume. Whole-water concentrations are the sum of 

the dissolved and sediment-bound concentrations. New Jersey 

regulatory water-quality levels have been set for selected 

individual chlorinated compounds but not for total pesticides 

as was the case for PCBs. Human-health criteria have been 

set for freshwater streams (class FW2) and for saline estuarine 

and coastal waters (table 44), however, criteria have not been 

set for all OCPs in all exposure categories.

Whole-water concentrations for the OCPs and their associated water-quality criteria (expressed in units of nanograms 

per liter) are listed in table 44. All of the samples exceeded 

the water-quality criteria for total chlordane (each of the 

components alpha-, gamma-, and oxy-chlordane exceeded the 

criteria), dieldrin, and heptachlor. A number of samples from 

the Rahway, Elizabeth, and Hackensack Rivers exceeded the 

criteria for 4,4’-DDD, 4,4’-DDE, and 4,4’-DDT. Note that the 

criteria chosen here are the carcinogenic effect-based humanhealth criteria, which are typically the lowest of the promulgated criteria for freshwater.

Concentrations During Stormflow and Low Flow

The changes in concentration and relative make-up of 

selected OCPs (DDT + metabolites, chlordane+metabolites, 

dieldrin, hexachlorobenzene, mirex, and methoxychlor, 

along with the BHC and nonachlor series) were evaluated in 

sediment and water between storm and low-discharge flow 

conditions (table 48). To make this evaluation, the ratio of 

concentrations in selected storm and low-flow samples were 

calculated using absolute concentrations (tables 42 and 43). 

The ratio of total OCP concentrations (sum of all OCPs in 

each sample), SS, POC, and DOC were also calculated so 

comparisons could be made between concentration and these 

constituents. As discussed in the PCB section of this report, 

decreases in chemical concentrations in the dissolved phase 

can be the result of dilution by clean(er) precipitation and 

runoff. Decreases in suspended sediment-normalized concentrations can result from the addition of cleaner sediment 

carried by runoff. Increases in concentrations associated with 

the sediment phase may indicate the mobilization of buried 

sediment, and increases in dissolved concentrations can be 

related to releases of waste or dissolved compounds carried in 

overland flow. In contrast to the PCBs, however, it is the absolute concentration of the OCPs that are of interest rather than 

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

PERCENT OF TOTAL OC PESTICIDE CONCENTRATION

Total DDT series

Total BHC

Total endrin

Total chlordane

Total nonachlor

Total endosulfan

Dieldrin

PESTICIDE SERIES

Raritan River

Passaic River

Rahway River

Elizabeth River

Hackensack River

Figure 40. Percent contribution of selected organochlorine pesticide groups to the total dissolved organochlorine pesticide 

concentrations in water samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey. [Data from table 45.]

108 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Table 48. Ratio of the average concentration of organochlorine pesticides in storm samples to that in low-flow samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey.

[Values for pesticides, pesticide groups, POC, DOC, and suspended sediment are unitless ratios of concentration in storm samples to concentration in low-flow samples; NA, not applicable; --, no detectable pesticides in group, ratio incalculable; POC, particulate organic carbon; DOC, dissolved organic carbon; <, less than]

River POC 

Suspended 

sediment

Pesticide

Total DDT Total BHC 

Total 

chlordane 

Total 

nonachlor Dieldrin 

Hexachloro 

Benzene Mirex 

Methoxy 

Chlor Total 

Sediment Phase

Raritan1 5.0 10 3.1 0.04 1.1 1.0 1.1 -- -- -- 2.4

Passaic2 1.5 1.7 1.0 1.3 1.7 1.6 -- 1.5 1.0 -- 1.3

Rahway3 14 12 .3 .5 .4 .3 .2 .4 3.7 -- .3Elizabeth4 110 40 .7 4.6 1.0 .9 <.1 .9 .5 -- .8

Hackensack5 5.8 4.6 3.2 7.5 5.8 3.8 18 -- 1.0 -- 6.3

DOC Dissolved Phase

Raritan1 1.0 -- 1.0 .4 1.0 .9 .9 -- -- -- .9

Passaic2 .9 -- .4 .5 .8 .7 .4 .9 .2 .2 .6

Rahway3 1.5 -- .8 1.8 .8 1.0 2.5 -- .3 -- 1.7

Elizabeth4 1.7 -- .7 2.7 1.0 1.2 1.3 -- 1.0 -- 1.3

Hackensack5 .8 -- .9 1.3 2.3 1.3 2.3 -- 3.6 -- 2.0

1 Ratio of average of Raritan samples Apr. 13, 2001, to June 27, 2000.2 Ratio of Passaic sample March 14, 2001, to Oct. 17, 2001.3 Ratio of average of Rahway samples May 22, 2001, to June 28, 2000.4 Ratio of average of Elizabeth sample May 22, 2001, to June 29, 2000.5 Ratio of Hackensack sample Mar. 13, 2001 (HAC4), to June 23, 2000.

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 109
the relative concentration. This is because the concentrations 

of the different OCPs are independent of one another, unlike 

the suite of PCB congeners. 

Inspection of the storm/low-flow concentration ratios 

(table 48) showed the following:

•	 Raritan River (storm sample Apr. 13, 2001, and lowflow sample June 27, 2000): SS increased 10 fold, 

POC increased 5 fold, and total OCP concentration 

increased 2.4 times. In the sediment phase, the ratios 

show that DDT increased, and total BHC decreased; 

the other compounds did not change appreciably. In the 

dissolved phase, DOC and total OCP did not change 

from low-flow concentrations, and only the concentration of total BHC declined in the storm water.

•	 Passaic River (storm sample March 14, 2001, to 

low-flow sample Oct. 17, 2001): The ratio for SS 

was 1.7, indicating the sediment content increased 

by roughly 70 percent. Likewise, the ratio for POC 

(1.5) and the ratio for total OPC (1.3) showed similar increases in concentration. Total chlordane, total 

nonachlor, total BHC, and hexachlorobenzene all 

increased in concentration in the suspended-sediment 

phase. While DOC remained approximately steady, the 

dissolved total OCP concentration in the storm water 

declined by 40 percent from the low-flow concentration. All compounds decreased in the dissolved phase 

of the storm flow.

•	 Rahway River (storm sample May 22, 2001, and 

low-flow sample June 28, 2000): Suspended sediment 

concentration increased by 12 fold, POC concentration increased by a similar amount (14 fold), but the 

total OCP concentration ratio was 0.3, indicating a 

much lower concentration of total pesticides existed in 

the storm sediment. All of the compounds decreased 

in concentration in the storm sediment. The ratio for 

DOC (1.5) shows this component increased by 50 

percent, while the dissolved total OCP concentration 

increased by nearly 70 percent. In the dissolved phase, 

total BHC and dieldrin increased in concentration in 

the storm water

•	 Elizabeth River (storm sample from May 22, 2001, 

and low-flow sample from June 29, 2000): Suspended sediment increased by 40 fold, POC showed a 

very large increase (110 fold), but total OCP was only 

80 percent of the low-flow concentration. Only the 

concentration of total BHC increased; total chlordane, 

hexachlorobenzene, and nonachlor did not change; all 

other compounds decreased in concentration during the 

storm. DOC increased by 75 percent, and total dissolved OCP concentration increased 30 percent during 

the storm. Only total DDT decreased in the dissolved 

phase.

•	 Hackensack River (the sample collected from the 

tidally influenced area HAC4 collected March 13, 

2001, was compared to the low-flow sample collected from above the lower dam on June 23, 2000):

Suspended-sediment concentration increased 4.6 fold 

below the lower Oradell dam, similar to the increase 

in POC (5.8 times) and total OCP (6 fold). Concentrations of total DDT, total BHC, chlordane, dieldrin, and 

nonachlor increased downstream from the dam. DOC 

decreased roughly 20 percent, while total dissolved 

OCP concentration doubled, due to a large increase in 

dieldrin and chlordane.

In summary, total OCP concentrations in the suspended 

sediment from the Raritan and Passaic Rivers increased during 

storms (as did the concentrations in sediment from below the 

Oradell Dam on the Hackensack River). In the Raritan River, 

the increase in total OCP was mainly the result of increased 

total DDT. In the Passaic River, increases were observed in 

total chlordane and nonachlor. These observations indicate 

that additional source(s) of these sediment-bound pesticides 

occur during storms on the Passaic and Raritan Rivers. In the 

Hackensack River, the data indicate that sediment from below 

the lower-dam has been impacted with high concentrations of 

all the studied compounds.

Total OCP concentrations in the Rahway and Elizabeth 

Rivers decreased during storms. In the Rahway River, the concentrations of all of the studied compounds decreased in the 

storm-transported suspended sediment. In spite of a decrease 

in total OCP in the Elizabeth River, a very large increase in 

total BHC was observed during the storm event. These observations indicate that while “cleaner” sediment (containing 

lower concentrations of all compounds) was mobilized in the 

Rahway River, a large amount of sediment containing elevated 

total BHCs was mobilized during the storm on the Elizabeth 

River.

In contrast to the suspended sediment concentrations, dissolved total OCP concentrations increased during storms in the 

Rahway and Elizabeth Rivers (and also increased below the 

Oradell Dam on the Hackensack River). These increases were 

mainly the result of dissolved total BHC and dieldrin, suggesting additional stormwater sources of these pesticides. Water 

from below the Oradell Dam on the Hackensack River has 

been clearly impacted with higher dissolved pesticide concentrations, particularly total chlordane and dieldrin. Dissolved 

total OCP concentrations decreased in the Passaic River, but 

stayed nearly constant in the Raritan River. These observations 

indicate that dilution by “cleaner” water affects the dissolved 

OCP concentrations in the Passaic and Raritan Rivers.

110 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Pesticide Degradation, Relative Concentrations of 

Metabolites, and Indicator Ratios

The relative percentages of the metabolites within the 

different series of OCPs help demonstrate the extent to which 

the source pesticides have degraded or weathered during their 

cycling through the environment. The relative concentrations 

of OCP metabolites and ratios of selected OCPs to other species may also help identify the sediment from each tributary 

and may possibly identify contaminant or sediment sources. 

As previously mentioned, even though OCPs are designed to 

remain stable in the environment, they will slowly degrade 

through oxidation, dechlorination reactions, photodegradation, and (in some cases) by biologically mediation reactions 

(Larson and others, 1999; Schwarzenbach and others, 1993). 

For example, DDT transforms to DDE through dechlorination, 

which can then oxidize to DDD (Schwarzenbach and others, 

1993). DDE should be the most persistent of the DDT series 

compounds, so DDE should predominate in weathered stream 

sediments (Aguilar, 1984). Likewise, aldrin is slowly metabolized to dieldrin by soil microbes (Larson and others, 1999). 

Despite degradation, the OCPs are “persistent chemicals” 

because of their very long residence time in the environment, 

which is evident from the data collected in this study. For 

example, in spite of the fact that DDT was banned from use 

over 30 years ago, the parent compound DDT still remains in 

the river sediment and water studied here.

The contribution of individual compounds to the total 

concentration of three OCP series in the sediment - the DDT, 

aldrin and dieldrin, and the heptachlor series are shown in 

figure 41. The percentages shown were calculated using the 

average suspended-sediment concentrations from table 46; 

the total DDD, DDE, and DDT concentrations are the sum of 

the isomer concentrations. Inspection of this plot shows that 

(1) in the Raritan River, DDT is the dominant (greater than 50 

percent of the total series concentration) species in the DDT 

series; in the Rahway River, DDD dominates (over 55 percent 

of the total). DDE dominated (48 percent) in the Hackensack 

River, while in the other rivers, DDT, DDE, and DDD were 

present in roughly equal percentages (25 to 40 percent of the 

total). (2) The metabolite dieldrin clearly dominates aldrin in 

all rivers, accounting for over 90 percent of the total series, 

and (3) heptachlor epoxide dominates over heptachlor in all 

rivers, accounting for 80 to 90 percent of the total. These 

observations show these OCP have been in these river systems 

for a sufficient length of time to allow for substantial degradation.

DDD DDE DDT Aldrin Dieldrin Heptachlor Heptachlor

 Epoxide

DDT Series Aldrin Series Heptachlor Series

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

PERCENT OF TOTAL SERIES

Raritan River

Passaic River

Rahway River

Elizabeth River

Hackensack River

Figure 41. Percent contribution of selected organochlorine pesticides in average suspended-sediment composition of samples from 

selected rivers in New Jersey. [Data from table 46.]

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 111
The same OCP series in the dissolved phase are plotted 

in figure 42 (using the data from table 45). In the dissolved 

phase, DDD represented 38 to 62 percent, DDE represented 

18 to 48 percent, and DDT represented 14 to 29 percent of the 

total DDT series mass. DDD represented the majority of this 

series, in contrast to the sediment, where the distribution was 

roughly equal between the three metabolite compounds (in 

most rivers). Similar to the sediment, dieldrin represents 97 to 

99 percent of the aldrin series, and heptachlor epoxide represented 91 to 100 percent of the heptachlor series.

The metabolites and isomers may also serve as indicators 

for identifying the sediment of the tributaries; for example, 

high ratios of DDD/DDT (or DDD/total DDT) potentially 

can be used to identify the sediment derived from the Rahway River Basin. Concentration ratios may also be useful for 

identifying other sources of OCP contamination. Bopp and 

others (1991) and Chaky (2003) suggested the concentrations 

of the isomers of DDT and ratios of selected OCPs to other 

compounds such as hexachlorobenzene and 2,3,7,8-TCDD 

can be useful indicators of contaminant and sediment sources 

in the tidal Passaic River. Fry and Toone (1981) and Johnson and others (1988) suggested that the ratio of o,p’-DDT 

to p,p’-DDT (2,4’-DDT/4,4’-DDT) is a useful indicator of 

commercial DDT sources, based on the fact that commercial 

DDT products contain 22 to 25 percent o,p’-DDT (Gunther 

and Gunther, 1971). Thus, o,p’-DDT/p,p-DDT concentration 

ratios in sediment contaminated by application of commercially available DDT products will have values of roughly 1:4 

to 1:5. As discussed below, Bopp and others (1991) and Chaky 

(2003) suggest that DDD/TCDD ratios may be useful in discerning Passaic River sediment.

The DDT suite of isomers can only be used as concentration ratio markers if it can be demonstrated that DDT and its 

isomers degrade slowly enough to maintain their presence in 

the environment, especially compared with the highly recalcitrant compounds such as 2,3,7,8-TCDD. Clearly, DDT and 

its isomers are still present in these river basins some 30 years 

after its ban. Other studies show similar results; for example, 

Fry and Toone (1981) found the less persistent metabolites 

of DDT (o,p’-DDD, o,p’-DDT, and o,p’-DDE) in eggs of 

seabirds and fish, thereby showing that isomers of the source 

DDT and the degradation products (DDD, DDE) will remain 

in the environment long enough to be bioaccumulated by 

higher trophic levels. This further supports the hypothesis that 

concentration ratios of the DDT isomers remain sufficiently 

constant to be used for trackdown. Johnson and others (1988) 

measured the isomers of the DDT series in sediment from the 

Yakima River and its associated tributaries that were affected 

by DDT application. Their study showed that (1) the percentages of 4,4’-DDT were equal to or greater than the percent100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

PERCENT OF TOTAL SERIES

DDD DDE DDT Aldrin Dieldrin Heptachlor Heptachlor

 Epoxide

DDT Series Aldrin Series Heptachlor Series

Raritan River

Passaic River

Rahway River

Elizabeth River

Hackensack River

Figure 42. Percent contribution of selected organochlorine pesticides in average dissolved composition of samples from selected 

rivers in New Jersey. [Data from table 45.]

112 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
age of 4,4’-DDE, thereby supporting the slow degradation 

of DDT, and (2) the 2,4’-DDT/4,4’-DDT ratios remaining in 

the sediment were nearly identical to the 1:4 to 1:5 ratio of 

commercial DDT. These observations indicate a large amount 

of undegraded DDT remains in the Yakima River Basin even 

after its ban 15 years previous, and that isomer ratios are useful indicators of sources. A similar conclusion can be made 

regarding the New Jersey River Basins.

Commercial DDT was used throughout the river basins 

of this present study, so ratios of 2,4’-DDT/4,4’-DDT concentrations are expected to be rather consistent among the 

basins. The average ratios of 2,4’-DDT/4,4’-DDT in sediment 

samples (table 49) were found to be 0.19 for the Raritan River, 

0.81 for the Passaic River, 0.20 for the Rahway River, 0.27 

for the Elizabeth River, and 0.79 for the Hackensack River. 

The sediment being delivered by the Raritan, Rahway, and 

Elizabeth Rivers had 2,4’-DDT/4,4’-DDT ratios near the 1:4 

to 1:5 ratio of commercial DDT products. However, the ratio 

for the Passaic and Hackensack Rivers had much higher 2,4’-

DDT/4,4’-DDT ratios, near 0.8 (1:1.25). The high ratio for the 

Passaic and Hackensack River sediment is curious and cannot 

be explained at present.

As was shown previously (fig. 41), the contributions of 

total-DDT, DDE, and DDD (sum of 2,4’ and 4,4’ isomers) 

were about equal (25–40 percent), on average, in the sediment 

from the Passaic, Elizabeth, and Hackensack Rivers. In the 

Raritan and Rahway Rivers, DDT or DDD, respectively, contributed a higher percentage, roughly 50 percent of the total 

concentration. Assuming that DDT was the principal compound used (and not DDD), this suggests DDT was weathered 

to roughly the same extent in the Passaic, Elizabeth, and Hackensack Rivers. In contrast, DDT appears to have weathered to 

a lesser degree in the Raritan River, and to a greater degree in 

the Rahway River.

The 4,4’-DDE/4,4’-DDT ratios (not shown) showed 

a slightly different trend—average ratios were 0.63 in the 

Raritan, 0.74 in the Elizabeth, 1.4 in the Rahway, 1.1 in the 

Passaic, and 1.1 in the Hackensack. If the 4,4’-DDE isomer is 

considered to be the most persistent and stable of the DDT isomers (Johnson and others, 1988; Aguillar, 1984), these ratios 

suggest the DDT in the Rahway, Passaic, and Hackensack 

Rivers was the most degraded. If the 4,4’-DDD compound 

is considered to be the most persistent, the average sediment 

4,4’-DDD/4,4’-DDT ratios (0.2 in the Raritan, 0.8 in the 

Hackensack and Elizabeth, 0.7 in the Passaic, and 2.3 in the 

Rahway) indicate the DDT in the Rahway River was the most 

degraded.

Variation in these ratios within the tidal portions of the 

rivers may be especially useful for discerning sediment contributions and sources. DDT was produced in Newark, N.J., at 

a plant located alongside the Passaic and Hackensack Rivers. 

Residual wastes generated during the production of DDT, 

or as a by-product of the production of the defoliant 2,4,5-T 

(containing 2,3,7,8-TCDD) or hexachlorobenzene, may have 

had a 2,4’-DDT/4,4’-DDT ratio that differed from the ratio in 

commercial DDT product; for example, residual wastes may 

be enriched in 2,4’-DDT over commercial DDT. As Bopp and 

others (1991) and Chaky (2003) discuss, ratios of selected 

isomers or metabolite isomers of DDT to hexachlorobenzene 

or 2,3,7,8-TCDD may also be a useful indicator of the industrial sources of DDT and 2,4,5-T in the Passic-Hudson River 

estuaries.

Bopp and others (1991) suggested that the ratio of 4,4’-

DDD/2,3,7,8-TCDD may be a useful indicator for contaminant 

sources to the Passaic River and Hackensack River estuaries 

from an industrial source (80 Lister Avenue) along the Passaic 

River in Newark, N.J. Prior to 1948, this plant produced only 

DDT and likely released manufacturing wastes to the river. 

The data collected from this present study showed that DDT 

is present in slightly greater proportion than DDD (fig. 41). 

The 4,4’-DDD in the river sediments was likely produced by 

dechlorination of 4,4’-DDT and was the isomer assumed by 

Bopp and others (1991) to be the most environmentally persistent. Thus, Bopp and others (1991) used the DDD/DDT ratio 

as an indicator of DDT manufacturing at the Lister Avenue 

site. Beginning in 1948, the herbicides 2,4,5-T and 2,4-D were 

produced at this plant, at which time DDT production was 

phased out. In producing these herbicides, large amounts of 

2,3,7,8-TCDD were produced as a by-product trace impurity 

in the herbicides. As discussed by Umbreit and others (1986), 

very high concentrations of 2,3,7,8-TCDD (up to 2,280 μg/kg) 

have been found in the residual soils of the 80 Lister Avenue 

plant. Wastes generated during the production of DDT and 

2,4,5-T were apparently released to the Passaic River and possibly to the Hackensack River (Bopp and others, 1991). These 

wastes may have been released during production, when the 

plant was decommissioned in 1970, when the manufacturing 

stills were removed in the 1980s and transported to a salvage 

yard a few blocks from Lister Avenue, and when the site was 

flooded in 1984 when the Passaic River flooded its banks 

(Umbriet and others, 1986, Bopp and others, 1991).

These scenarios were documented by Bopp and others 

(1991) using age-dated sediment cores collected from Newark 

Bay (cores F1 and F2). The 4,4-DDD/2,3,7,8-TCDD ratio in 

these cores were as high as 12 [ng/pg] in sediment deposited 

prior to 1948, and decreased to less than 0.5 ng/pg in sediment 

deposited after 1954 (and up to the time of collection in 1986), 

including the period (1950 to 1970) when 2,4,5-T was being 

manufactured.

The usefulness of the 4,4’-DDD/2,3,7,8-TCDD ratio as 

a marker for the effects of 2,4-T manufacturing in the Passaic 

River Basin is supported by the ratios found in this present 

work (albeit few measureable 2,3,7,8-TCDD values were 

found in this present work), which are much higher than 0.5 

ng/pg found by Bopp and others (1991) for sediment deposited 

between ca. 1950 and 1970. In present-day sediment being 

delivered from the basin to the tidal portions of the estuary, 

the average ratio ranges from 1.8 ng/pg in the Raritan up to 40 

ng/pg in the Rahway River (table 49), which are similar to the 

high ratios measured by Bopp and others (1991) in sediment 

deposited before the onset of 2,4-T manufacturing in 1950. 

The low ratios in buried sediment deposited during the years 

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 113
Table 49. Ratios of concentrations of selected organochlorine pesticide metabolites, and 2,3,7,8-tetrachloro-p-dioxin, in the average composition of sediment from selected 

rivers in New Jersey.[HxB, hexachlorobenzene; total DDT represents the sum of DDT, DDD, and DDE; pg, picograms; ng, nanograms; *, 2,3,7,8-TCDD value represents estimated detection limit, actual value was not detected for this compound; NR, not reported; --, not applicable]

This Work

River

Approximate 

year of 

deposition

2,4’-DDT/

4,4’-DDT 

(unitless)

4,4’-DDD/

2,3,7,8-TCDD 

(ng/pg)

Total DDT/

2,3,7,8-TCDD 

(ng/pg)

2,3,7,8-TCDD/

HxCB 

(pg/ng)

2,3,7,8-TCDD/

2,3,7,8-TCDF 

(unitless)

Raritan -- 0.19 1.8* 17* 8.1* 0.32*

Passaic -- .81 3.5* 23* 2.2* .25*

Rahway -- .20 40* 96* .88* .06*

Elizabeth -- .27 15* 58* .90* .14*

Hackensack -- .79 14* 81* .46* .10*

Historic Values

Core and depth

Approximate 

year of 

deposition

2,4’-DDT/

4,4’-DDT 

(unitless)

4,4’-DDD/

2,3,7,8-TCDD 

(ng/pg)

Total DDT/

2,3,7,8-TCDD 

(ng/pg)

2,3,7,8-TCDD/

HxCB 

(pg/ng)

2,3,7,8-TCDD/

2,3,7,8-TCDF 

(unitless)

NB13B, 0-2 cm 1995 NR .22* .41 83 6.6

N13 , 24-28 cm Mid 1960s NR NR .17 226 20

NB20, 32-36 cm Early 1950s NR 5.3 to 12* .66 135 28

Source Chaky, 2003 Bopp and others, 1991 Chaky, 2003 Chaky, 2003 Chaky, 2003

114 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
when 2,4,5-T was being manufactured were occurring, are 

clearly different from present-day (and historic) suspended 

sediment being transported into the estuary.

Chaky (2003) suggested that the concentration ratios of 

total DDT/2,3,7,8-TCDD, 2,3,7,8-TCDD/HxCB and 2,3,7,8-

TCDD/2,3,7,8-TCDF can also be indicators for the impacts 

of the Passaic River contamination source. Chaky (2003) 

measured these ratios in sections of three cores collected from 

Newark Bay (NB13, collected Feb. 23, 1985; NB20, collected July 27, 1985; and NB13B, collected May 27, 1995) 

having depositional ages dated from 1995 (from NB13B), the 

mid-1960s (from NB13) when the 2,4,5-T manufacturing was 

active, and the pre-1950s (NB20) when only DDT manufacturing was active. These ratios are presented and compared to the 

corresponding average ratio in the present sediment collected 

at the HOT in table 49. The total-DDT/2,3,7,8-TCDD concentration ratios in present-day sediment (eroded from the river 

basin above the HOT) were much greater than 1 and spanned 

a large range from 17 in the Raritan and Passaic Rivers to over 

96 in the Rahway River. In the age-dated cores, regardless of 

deposition date, the ratio in the sediment was consistently less 

than 1. Similarly, the 2,3,7,8-TCDD/HxCB concentration ratio 

in all the present-day river sediments were less than 8.1 in the 

dated cores, the sediment ratio was greater than 80. Finally, 

the 2,3,7,8-TCDD/2,3,7,8-TCDF concentration ratios in the 

present-day river sediments were less than 0.5; in the dated 

cores, this ratios was greater than 6, regardless of the date of 

deposition. Thus, all three of these ratios were distinctly different in the present-day sediment from ratios in sediment deposited historically in the lower Passaic River estuary, regardless 

of deposition date. This further indicated the suspended sediment currently originating from the river basin (above HOT) 

has little impact on the hexachlorobenzene and 2,3,7,8-TCDD/

DF composition of the buried sediment in the tidal portion of 

the estuary. These ratios should be useful in helping to distinguish present-day sediment delivered from the river basins 

from sediment buried in the lower, tidal portion of the Passaic 

River during the years when 2,4,5-T was manufactured.

Sediment-Water Partitioning

The sediment to water concentration ratios were calculated for the pesticides using concentrations in low-flow 

samples from each river (table 50). Sediment concentration 

ratios (Kd, in units of liters per kilogram) were calculated 

using low-flow sediment normalized concentrations (mass per 

kilogram of sediment), and the sediment-carbon ratios (Koc, 

in units of liter per kilogram of carbon) were calculated using 

carbon-normalized sediment concentrations (mass per kilogram of carbon). The low-discharge samples selected for these 

calculations were selected on the basis of having few (or no) 

nondetected concentrations. In spite of the reduced number of 

data sets chosen, partitioning constants could not be calculated for some compounds. The most complete suite of Koc

values, from the Elizabeth River samples, were compared with 

published octanol-water partitioning coefficients (MacKay and 

others, 2000) in figure 43.

The Koc ratios calculated using the Elizabeth River data 

are 0.5 to 1.5 log unit greater than the corresponding reported 

Koc values and are generally closer to the experimental Kow

values. The measured ratios for oxy-chlordane and beta-endosulfan showed the greatest divergence from expected values; 

measured values were over 2.5 log units (2.5 orders of magnitude) higher than their corresponding Koc and Kow values. 

Aldrin and oxychlordane showed the greatest divergence from 

the published Koc and Kow values. It is difficult to interpret the 

cause of the differences. Partitioning values (Koc) are typically 

derived from agricultural soil studies and are apparently rarely 

reported for stream sediments. The differences may stem from 

differences in the nature of the organic matter in the streams 

and soils. Alternatively, the methods used to sequester the 

OCPs from the dissolved phase (XAD resin) may be overestimating the dissolved concentrations. In any case, using 

published Koc or Kow values would underestimate the dissolved 

concentrations or overestimate the sediment concentrations 

compared with measured values.

Mercury, Cadmium, and Lead

The concentrations of the trace elements Hg, Me-Hg, 

Cd, and Pb were measured in water and suspended sediment 

collected from the Raritan, Passaic, Rahway, Elizabeth, and 

Hackensack Rivers, the major tributaries to the Newark and 

Raritan Bays. Flow-weighted composite and discrete grab 

samples were collected during low-flow and storm-discharge 

conditions. These data were used to make interpretations and 

to calculate riverine loads of these trace elements to Newark 

and Raritan Bays from the watersheds above the HOT.

 Mercury exists in two methylated forms, mono-methylated (CH3

-Hg+) and di-methylated mercury ((CH3)2-Hgo), their 

relative proportions being dependant on numerous factors 

that include the availability of Hg+ ions and CH3. The Me-Hg 

concentrations reported in this work are the sum of the dissolved mono- and di-methylated species and, like Pb and Cd, 

are reported as total (tMeHg), dissolved (dMeHg), or particulate (pMeHg) phase species. In the initial rounds of sampling, 

only the dMe-Hg species were measured. Subsequent rounds 

included the analysis of tMe-Hg (measured in unfiltered 

samples), thereby allowing the particulate pMeHg to be calculated by difference.

The geochemical cycles of Hg and Me-Hg (fig. 44) have 

been the focus of study for some time now, due in part to 

numerous reported incidents of human and biologic poisoning (Forstner and Whittmann, 1983). The cycling of Hg is 

complicated by the fact it involves the sediment, aquatic, and 

atmospheric reservoirs along with biota ranging from bacteria to higher trophic-level organisms. Me-Hg is especially 

troublesome due to its toxic effects in organisms. Me-Hg is 

produced through abiotic and biotic pathways. In the abiotic 

pathway, methylation occurs when dissolved ionic mercury 

(as well as Pb, As, and other metals) interacts with dissolved 

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 115
Table 50. Sediment-water partitioning ratios for organochlorine pesticides in selected low-discharge samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey.

[ Values in logarithm of L/kg, liters per kilogram of sediment, or logarithm of L/kg C, liters per kilogram of carbon; NR, not reported; --, insufficient data to calculate ratio]

Compound

Log Kd (L/kg) Log Koc (L/kg carbon)

Log 

Kow6

Log 

Koc7

Raritan 

River1

Passaic 

River2

Rahway 

River3

Elizabeth 

River4

Hackensack 

River5

Raritan 

River1

Passaic 

River2

Rahway 

River3

Elizabeth 

River4

Hackensack 

River5

Hexachlorobenzene -- 4.60 -- 5.19 4.91 -- 5.64 -- 5.76 5.39 5.50 4.70

α-BHC 3.27 1.61 2.84 3.40 3.59 4.43 2.72 3.61 3.96 4.07 3.81 3.81

β-BHC 3.52 3.05 3.41 4.32 3.61 4.66 4.10 4.19 4.88 4.09 3.80 3.36

γ-BHC (Lindane) 3.73 -- 3.58 3.63 3.15 4.85 -- 4.35 4.19 3.63 4.14 3.13

alpha-Chlordane 4.49 4.81 5.05 5.60 5.36 5.61 5.85 5.80 6.16 5.83 6.00 5.50

gamma-Chlordane 4.56 4.94 5.15 5.68 5.47 5.68 5.98 5.93 6.24 5.95 6.00 5.50

oxy-Chlordane 3.69 3.95 4.20 4.70 4.38 4.83 4.99 4.96 5.26 4.86 2.60 2.48

2,4’-DDD 4.70 4.96 5.08 5.75 5.23 5.82 6.00 5.86 6.31 5.71 5.66 4.86

4,4’-DDD 4.71 5.34 5.16 5.73 6.53 5.84 6.38 5.92 6.30 7.00 NR NR

2,4’-DDE 5.16 7.25 5.55 5.71 5.00 6.26 8.30 6.29 6.26 5.48 6.00 5.00

4,4’-DDE 5.27 4.10 5.67 5.92 5.49 6.39 5.14 6.43 6.51 5.97 5.50 5.00

2,4’-DDT 5.44 5.40 5.69 5.86 -- 6.57 6.45 6.45 6.47 -- 5.80 5.00

4,4’-DDT 5.53 5.96 5.77 5.97 6.01 6.66 7.01 6.54 6.53 6.48 5.70 5.00

cis-Nonachlor 4.82 5.08 5.30 5.86 5.46 5.93 6.12 6.06 6.43 5.93 6.19 5.40

trans-Nonachlor 4.82 5.05 5.24 5.89 5.47 5.93 6.09 6.01 6.46 5.95 6.19 5.40

Aldrin 4.80 4.77 4.29 5.28 5.51 5.91 5.82 5.05 5.83 5.98 5.68 2.61

Dieldrin 3.97 4.06 4.38 4.89 4.44 5.09 5.10 5.14 5.45 4.91 5.20 4.08

alpha-Endosulfan -- -- -- 4.45 3.62 -- -- -- 5.00 4.10 3.62 3.40

beta-Endosulfan -- -- -- 6.91 3.37 -- -- -- 7.53 3.85 3.83 3.50

Endosulfan sulfate 4.45 2.58 3.75 3.96 4.22 5.57 3.60 4.53 4.53 4.70 NR NR

Endrin -- 3.71 -- 4.92 3.28 -- 4.75 -- 5.47 3.75 5.20 4.00

Endrin aldehyde -- -- -- 4.75 4.35 -- -- -- 5.30 4.84 NR NR

Endrin ketone -- -- -- 4.16 2.87 -- -- -- 4.71 3.35 NR NR

Heptachlor -- -- 4.75 5.11 5.22 -- -- 5.53 5.70 5.69 5.27 4.38

Heptachlor epoxide 3.92 3.85 4.17 4.67 4.29 5.03 4.90 4.94 5.26 4.76 5.00 4.00

Mirex 5.41 5.51 5.38 5.95 5.17 6.53 6.56 6.14 6.51 5.81 6.90 6.00

Methoxychlor -- 3.87 4.53 4.88 -- -- 4.92 5.29 5.44 -- 5.08 4.90 1 Raritan River sample collected on June 27, 2000.

2 Passaic River sample collected on Oct. 17, 2001.3 Rahway River sample collected on April 24, 2001.4 Elizabeth River sample collected on April 25, 2001.5 Hackensack River sample collected on July 19, 2002.6 Octanol-water (Kow) coefficients from MacKay and others, 2000.7 Organic carbon normalized distribution coefficients (Koc) from MacKay and others, 2000.

116 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
0.0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

7.0

8.0

Log Koc (L/kg carbon)

Hexachlorobenzene

alpha-BHC

beta-BHC

gamma-BHC (Lindane)

alpha-Chlordane

gamma-Chlordane

oxy-Chlordane

cis-Nonachlor

trans-Nonachlor

2,4'-DDD

4,4'-DDD

2,4'-DDE

4,4'-DDE

2,4'-DDT

4,4'-DDT

Aldrin

Dieldrin

alpha-Endosulfan

beta-Endosulfan

Endosulfan sulfate

Endrin

Endrin aldehyde

Endrin ketone

Heptachlor

Heptachlor epoxide

Mirex

Methoxychlor

Elizabeth River April 2001

Log Kow (octanol-water)

Figure 43. Sediment-carbon water ratios for pesticide compounds in a low-flow sample collected from the Elizabeth River, Hillside, NJ, 

April 25, 2001.

Figure 44. The biologic cycle of mercury and methyl mercury in the environment (from Wood, 1975). The arrows show the pathways 

of inorganic and biologic transformations that occur in sediment, water, aquatic organisms, and the atmosphere. [Hg, mercury; CH3, 

methyl; S, sulfur]

Hg2

2+ Hg2+ Hg0

2CH3 Bacteria Bacteria, S--

Hg0 CH Hg+

3 Hg(CH ) 3 2 CH3S-HgCH3

CH Hg+ CH Hg 3 + 3 CH3S-HgCH3

+

Fish Sediment Shellfish

Bacteria

+ + +

Bacteria

Bacteria

Water Sediment Air

Hg(CH ) 3 2

CH4 C2 6 H

Hg0

or

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 117
methyl ions. This typically occurs in pore waters of bottom 

sediments that contain Hg++ ions, particulate carbon, sulfur (or sulfate), and the proper suite of bacteria. As bacteria 

decompose the organic matter in the sediment, methane and 

dissolved methyl-ions are produced that can interact with 

dissolved ionic Hg to form Me-Hg. The amount of each form 

of Me-Hg will be a function of the rate at which methyl ions 

are produced, the rate at which the Hg++ diffuses and interacts 

with the methyl species, and the rates at which the methylated 

species diffuse to the overlying water, sorb to the sediment, or 

the rate at which Hg++ ions react with dissolved sulfur (S=) . 

Sorption of mono-methylated Hg is highly favored because of 

the ionic nature of this compound. Dissolved Me-Hg is lost in 

various ways including reactions with dissolved ionic sulfur 

and through a number of de-methylation reactions, typically 

involving oxidation reactions. Me-Hg in the bottom sediment 

and pore water is also transferred to the overlying river water 

through diffusion in pore water, or when bottom sediments and 

associated pore water transfer into the overlying water column. A second methylation pathway involves bacteria and any 

other organisms capable of synthesizing vitamin B12 (Hay, 

1984). Hg, as well as Me-Hg, is ingested by bottom-dwelling 

organisms that consume bacteria and associated organic matter 

for their energy source, as well as when they ingest water and 

sediment. The metals are then passed through higher trophic 

level organisms and ultimately accumulate in the fatty tissue 

of fish and other organisms. Many Hg-based health-warnings 

associated with fish can be ultimately traced to the presence of 

methylation in metal-bearing bottom sediments (Forstner and 

Wittmann, 1983).

Because of the relation between methylation, bacteria, 

and sediment-carbon, Me-Hg is typically associated with 

low-oxygen content bottom sediment where anerobic organic 

carbon degradation and methane production occur. Dissolved 

concentrations of Me-Hg in aerobic river water are commonly 

low because of low rates of CH3

+

 production in an aerobic 

environment typical of rivers. Concentrations of particulate 

species in rivers are expected to be erratic because they are 

related to periods when bottom sediments or marshy bank 

sediments are eroded, rather than constant rates of production 

such as is typical in lake environments.

Methods

Both grab and composite samples were collected during 

each sampled event to provide information on different aspects 

of the river chemistry. During storm events, grab samples 

of unfiltered and filtered water were collected near the peak 

discharge. For low-flow conditions, the grab samples were 

collected near the mid-point of the sample-collection period. 

Unfiltered samples contain dissolved and particulate-bound 

elements and provide concentrations of “total” or whole-water 

concentrations. The filtered samples provided concentrations 

of dissolved (operationally defined) constituents only. Filtered 

samples were collected by attaching a pre-cleaned length of 

silicon pump tubing directly to the inlet line running to the 

stream. The pump tubing was passed through a peristaltic 

pump and then either directly into a precleaned Teflon bottle 

or to a Gellman 0.45-micron pore size capsule filter whose 

outlet was placed directly in the sample bottle. The filtered and 

unfiltered samples were collected within a few minutes and 

were considered to be simultaneous samples of river water. 

The difference between the total and dissolved concentrations 

represents the concentration of particulate-bound constituents. The grab-sample concentrations provide insight into the 

distribution of trace elements between the solid and dissolved 

phases in the rivers.

The composite samples were collected to provide “totalmetal” or “whole-water” concentrations (dissolved plus particulate) averaged over a storm event. These “flow” weighted 

samples were produced by collecting and compositing 

equal-volume aliquots of water collected at a pre-set discharge 

interval during the sampling event. It was necessary to hold 

the composite samples within the sampler for a period of time 

(hours to days), during which time a substantial redistribution 

of the trace elements between the phases could be expected. 

As a result, only total concentrations were measured in this 

work. Information from the grab samples allowed the phase 

concentrations in the composite samples to be estimated.

The sampling and analytical methods are discussed in 

detail by Bonin and Wilson (2006) and are only summarized 

here. Care was taken throughout the sampling to minimize 

sample contamination. Tubing, filters, polytetrafluoroethylene 

(PTFE) bottles, and caps were provided pre-cleaned by the 

analytical laboratory following USEPA guidelines.

Composite samples were collected using an automatic 

sampler attached directly to the sampling line. The samples 

were collected in pre-cleaned 4-L glass bottles that were 

obtained pre-cleaned to class-A level (Eagle-Pitcher, Miami, 

Fla). Once collected, the composite sample was sealed and 

transported on ice to the USGS-New Jersey District laboratory 

where the composite sample was poured directly into teflon 

bottles that were shipped on ice overnight to the laboratory for 

analysis.

Quality Assurance

Quality-control and assurance data generated using field 

and equipment blanks were used to address the contamination caused by the field environment and sampling equipment. 

Laboratory contamination was addressed in the analysis by 

subtracting lab blank concentrations and required no further 

corrections.

Contamination of Blanks and Data Censoring

Because the setting (highly urbanized) in which this study 

was conducted and because of the sampling scheme used, the 

potential existed for the samples to become contaminated from 

sources such as the atmosphere, dust, and sample handling. 

Equipment and field blanks were used as a surrogate of 

118 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
contamination caused by the equipment and the environment. 

Effort was made to reduce the possibility of contamination by, 

for example, keeping the tubing connections to a minimum, 

sampling from a line through which water was continuously 

pumped, and shielding the sample bottles from wind and dust. 

In order to maintain consistency in quality, tubing, bottles, and 

filters were only cleaned by the contract laboratory.

Method blanks were prepared by the laboratory using 

lab distilled water. The reported concentrations were adjusted 

by subtraction of method-blank concentrations and no other 

evaluation was required by the investigators.

Field and equipment blanks were collected during each 

sampling event. Field blanks for the grab samples were 

prepared using de-ionized water provided by the contract 

laboratory that was placed in a PTFE bottle left open to the 

atmosphere at the field site. The equipment blank for each 

grab sample was prepared by pumping de-ioinized laboratory 

water through the tubing and filter to be used for obtaining 

the filtered grab sample. The equipment blank was collected 

immediately before the grab sample was collected. Field 

blanks for the composite sample were prepared by leaving a 

bottle of laboratory water open in the bottom of the automatic 

sampler chamber. Once the composite sample was collected, 

the field blank was sealed and shipped for analysis with the 

samples.

Using the field and equipment blank data, a blank-elimination procedure was instituted to censor data that may have 

been affected by environmental contamination (New Jersey 

Department of Environmental Protection, 2001). Concentrations in samples at or below a level five times the highest 

blank value (the higher of the concentrations in the field or 

equipment blank) were censored (censored values are shaded 

in the summary tables, tables 51 and 52). Because particulate 

concentrations are derived from the total concentrations, blank 

elimination of a total value resulted in the censoring of the 

associated particulate concentration. Fortunately, only a few 

total Cd and dissolved Hg concentrations in the grab samples 

were eliminated by this procedure. None of the composite 

samples were affected by the blank elimination.

 Inspection of the concentrations (table 51 and 52) also 

shows that, for any of the rivers, concentrations that would be 

“blank” eliminated are very similar to the other concentrations 

measured in the rivers on other sampling dates. This suggests 

the samples were not appreciably affected by contamination 

during collection, and the censored data may provide useful 

information. The blank-eliminated data were flagged and left 

in the summary table for the readers use but were not used to 

calculate average concentrations.

Concentrations

The trace-element concentrations are presented in 

tables 51 and 52, respectively; the average concentrations for 

both types of samples are listed in table 53, and the average concentrations normalized to organic carbon are listed 

in table 54. Total(tM) and dissolved (dM) concentrations in 

the grab samples are presented in units of nanograms per 

liter. Total metal concentrations in the composite samples are 

reported in units of nanograms per liter. Suspended-sediment 

concentrations (SS) and POC used in these calculations were 

measured in discrete grab samples collected concurrently with 

the grab samples for trace elements (Bonin and Wilson, 2006). 

The concentrations of SS and POC needed for the composite 

samples were calculated as the geometric mean of the concentrations measured in discrete SS samples collected continually 

over the period of storm discharge.

The concentrations of trace elements in the grab samples 

are summarized as follows:

1. Dissolved Cd ranged from 4.5 to 202 ng/L, and particulate 

Cd ranged from 0.130 to 25.1 μg/g. The highest average 

concentrations of Cd (all forms) were in the Elizabeth 

River, and the lowest were in the Hackensack River. Total 

Cd and particulate-Cd were elevated in some of the Rahway River samples. The average total Cd concentrations 

fall in the order:

Hackensack<Raritan<Passaic<Rahway<Elizabeth

2. Dissolved Pb ranged from 14.2 to 4,200 ng/L, and particulate Pb ranged from 14.4 to 1,360 μg/g. The highest 

average concentrations of dissolved and particulate Pb 

were in the Elizabeth River, but the highest average total 

Pb concentration was in the Rahway River. The lowest 

average concentrations were in the Hackensaclk River. 

The highest concentration of total Pb (22,900 ng/L) in a 

single sample was was measured in the Rahway River. 

Average total Pb concentration ranked in the order:

Hackensack<Passaic<Raritan<Elizabeth<Rahway

3. Dissolved Hg ranged from 0.49 to 10.8 ng/L, and particulate Hg ranged 0.030 to 6.92 μg/g. Average concentrations 

of dissolved and particulate Hg were highest in the Elizabeth River, but the highest total Hg concentration was in 

the Rahway River. Average concentrations of dissolved 

and total Hg were lowest in the Hackensack River, and 

the average concentrations of particulate Hg were lowest 

in the Raritan River. The highest concentration of total 

Hg in a single sample was measured in the Rahway River 

(72.3 ng/L). Average concentrations of total Hg were 

ranked in the order:

Hackensack<Raritan<Passaic<Elizabeth<Rahway

4. Concentrations of dissolved Me-Hg ranged from 0.006 

ng/L to 0.222 ng/L. Concentrations of particulate Me-Hg 

concentrations ranged from 1.0 to 20 ng/g. The highest concentration of particulate Me-Hg was measured in 

the Hackensack River, and the lowest was in the Raritan 

River. Average concentrations of total Me-Hg were ranked 

in the order:

Hackensack<Passaic<Elizabeth<Raritan<Rahway

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 119
Table 51. Concentrations of mercury, cadmium, and lead measured in the grab samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey.

[ng/L, nanograms per liter; μg/g, microgram per gram; t, total; d, dissolved; p, particulate; n/a, not analyzed; Hg, mercury; Cd, cadmium; Pb, lead; MeHg, methyl mercury; SS, suspended sediment; POC, particulate organic carbon; shaded values would be removed by blank elimination procedures; * indicates concentration would be removed due to blank elimination of associated dissolved or total value; B, low flow; S, storm; V, variable flow; NA, not applicable

Date sampled

Flow 

regime

SS 

(mg/L)

POC 

(mg/L)

tCd

(ng/L)

dCd

(ng/L)

4pCd 

(μg/g)

tPb 

(ng/L)

dPb 

(ng/L)

4pPb 

(μg/g)

tHg 

(ng/L)

dHg 

(ng/L)

4pHg 

(μg/g)

tMeHg

(ng/L)

dMeHg 

(ng/L)

4pMeHg 

(ng/g)

1Freshwater Aquatic Criteria, in ng/L NA NA NA NA NA 5,400 NA NA 770 NA NA NA NA1Human Health Criteria, in ng/L NA 3,400 NA NA 5,000 NA NA 50 NA NA NA NA NA

Raritan River

June 27, 2000

B 3.90 0.219 20.3 16.5 0.974* 506 250 65.6 3.04 1.67 0.351 NA 0.222 NA

Apr. 13, 2001 S 60.1 1.82 19.0 20.6 3.00 1,760 380 22.9 6.59 2.67 .065 NA .049 NA

Oct. 4, 2001

B 39.9 2.57 26.7 21.5 .130 708 132 14.4 3.55 1.26 .057 0.113 .049 1.60

Mar. 3, 2002 S 42.6 1.69 72.5 16.5 1.31 5,170 170 117 18.6 1.49 .402 .451 .045 9.50Mar. 21, 2002 S 104 1.05 31.5 9.2 .214 2,430 339 20.0 8.43 2.43 .058 .139 .032 1.00*

Passaic River

June 22, 2000

B 17.7 .444 47.8 21.0 1.51* 2,820 369 138 25.4 1.03 1.38* NA .132 NA

Dec. 15, 2000

V 12.5 .953 70.0 54.1 1.27 1,640 348 103* 7.34 2.24 .408* NA .061 NA

March 14, 2001 S 15.9 1.16 70.8 54.0 1.06* 1,820 287 96.4 7.82 2.58 .330* NA .037 NAOct. 17, 2001

B 9.60 .757 69.5 68.1 .146 1,630 361 132 5.76 1.12 .483 .084 .038 4.80

Rahway River

June 28, 2000

B 2.70 .240 20.2 7.00 4.89* 1,580 82.0 555 2.27 2.19 .030 NA .130 NA

Apr. 25, 2001

B 7.30 1.36 31.8 9.90 3.00* 2,410 184 305 3.29 1.66 .223* NA .048 NA

May 22, 2001 S 29.6 3.31 148 25.3 4.14 15,900 2,940 438 32.0 4.21 .939 NA .121 NA

Apr. 28, 2002 S 75.2 5.85 170 25.7 1.92 22,900 1,750 281 72.3 3.65 .913 1.07 .085 13.1

Elizabeth River

June 29, 2000

B 4.50 .360 186 72.9 25.1 6,460 445 1,340 5.08 1.05 .896* NA .012 NA

Apr. 24, 2001

B 4.00 .987 270 202 17.0 6,030 575 1,360 36.3 8.61 6.92 NA .017 NA

May 22, 2001 S 9.60 1.69 153 101 5.42 11,700 4,200 781 25.9 8.05 1.86 NA .109 NAJune 4, 2003 S 23.5 4.77 151 96.0 2.34 8,000 2,120 250 22.8 10.8 .511 .198 .075 5.23

Hackensack

June 23, 2000

B 4.20 .417 10.3 24.80 1.31* 396 28.0 87.6 1.43 0.64 .188* NA .014 NA

Oct. 19, 2001

B 1.80 1.05 24.50 24.50 .00* 298 14.2 158* 1.17 0.49 .378* .042 2.006 20.0

Mar. 13, 2001 Tidal 17.5 1.73 53.8 37.8 .914* 3,570 509 175 10.4 2.02 .479* NA .035 NA

1 Freshwater Aquatic Chronic and Human Health Criteria from New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection website.2 Value reported is the detection limit.3 Dissolved concentration was greater than or equal to total concentration.4 Particulate metal concentration calculated by difference between total and dissolved value.

120 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Table 52. Concentrations of total mercury, cadmium, and lead in composite samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey.

[Cd, cadmium; Hg, mercury; Pb, lead; mg/L, milligrams per liter; ng/L, nanograms per liter; NA, not applicable]

River Date

Flow 

regime

Suspended 

sediment 

(mg/L)

Particulate 

organic carbon 

(mg/L)

Total Cd 

(ng/L)

Total Pb 

(ng/L)

Total Hg 

(ng/L)

Freshwater Human Health Criteria, in ng/L NA NA 3,400 5,000 50

Freshwater Aquatic Chronic Criteria, ng/L NA NA NA NA NA

Raritan April 13, 2001 B 32.4 1.26 26.0 1,590 5.40

Oct. 4, 2001 B 66.7 2.18 32.4 1,250 5.65

Mar. 3, 2002 S 69.4 5.10 68.1 3,680 15.6

Mar, 21, 2002 S 292 3.07 76.3 6,250 22.2

Passaic Mar. 14, 2001 S 16.4 1.28 107 2,500 10.3

Oct. 17, 2001 B 9.40 .86 78.0 1,840 6.50

Rahway Apr. 24, 2001 B 9.40 1.63 46.0 2,960 5.34

May 22, 2001 S 39.3 3.57 67.7 5,520 12.9

Apr. 28, 2002 S 46.3 4.94 160 19,100 59.2

Elizabeth Apr. 25, 2001 B 3.32 .93 254 3,890 34.7

May 22, 2001 S 174 26.8 1,150 111,000 165

June 4, 2003 S 43.4 6.23 758 112,000 81.5

Hackensack Oct. 19, 2001 B 2.80 1.05 5.00 385 1.33

Hackensack Mar. 13, 2001 Tidal 20.2 2.51 116 1,020 26.8

The average Cd and Pb carbon-normalized concentrations 

are highest in the Elizabeth River, while the average Hg concentration is highest in the Passaic River. The lowest average 

cabon-normalized concentrations for all three metals are in the 

Hackensack River.

Relation of Whole-Water Concentrations to SurfaceWater-Quality Criteria

Surface-water standards have been set by the New Jersey 

Department of Environmental Protection for the metals Hg, 

Cd, and Pb for freshwater Aquatic Chronic and Human Health 

criteria. The Aquatic Chronic criteria for dissolved Hg and Pb 

were not exceeded in any of the samples. The Human Health 

criteria are based on whole-water concentrations, which are 

the sum of the concentrations in the dissolved and suspended 

sediment phases, corrected for the mass of sediment per 

liter of water. The total Human Health water-quality criteria (50 ng/L) was exceeded in three samples—the Rahway 

River, April 28, 2002 grab and composite samples and in 

the composite sample from the Elizabeth River collected on 

June 4, 2003. The total Pb water-quality criteria (5,000 ng/L) 

was exceeded in all of the grab samples and two composite 

samples collected from the Elizabeth River, all of the grab 

samples collected during storms from the Rahway River, the 

grab sample from the Raritan River collected on March 3, 

2002, and the composite sample collected from the Raritan 

River on March 21, 2001.

Although the grab and composite samples were collected 

for different purposes, it is instructive to compare the concentrations produced by the two sampling methods. To make this 

comparison, the ratio of the average concentration (total) in 

the composite sample to the total concentrations in the grab 

samples was calculated (from table 53), along with the corresponding ratios for suspended sediment and POC. These ratios 

could not be calculated for the Hackensack River because of 

the limited amount of data available. The average ratios for the 

rivers are presented in table 55.

The ratios for suspended sediment, organic carbon, and 

trace elements within each river are relatively consistent for 

the Passaic, Rahway, and Raritan Rivers, and are highly variable for the Elizabeth River. The ratios in the Elizabeth River 

are much higher than the ratios for the other rivers and also 

showed the most variation among the metals. The composite 

samples collected from the Elizabeth River had concentrations 

four to nine times higher than concentrations in the associated 

grab samples. This indicates that various sources of metals (for 

example, nonpoint sources) may affect the Elizabeth River 

water during storm-discharge events. For the other rivers, the 

ratios indicate that source(s) having a more a consistent chemistry (for example, nonpoint sources) effect the rivers during 

storms.

Also, the ratios for the trace elements (except for Pb in 

the Elizabeth River) differed only slightly from the ratios for 

suspended sediment and carbon, suggesting that the differences in the total metal composition of the composite and 

grab samples were the result of the amount of sediment and/or 

carbon captured.

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 121
Table 53. Average concentrations of mercury, cadmium, and lead in grab and composite samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey.

[Hg, mercury; Cd, cadmium; Pb, lead; MeHg, Methyl-mercury; t,total; d, dissolved; p, particulate-bound;ng/L, nanograms per liter; μg/g, micrograms per gram; --, insufficient data to determine an average value; NA, not applicable; *, value calculated from one or less measured concentration and/or detection levels]

River

tCd 

(ng/L)

dCd 

(ng/L)

pCd 

(μg/g)

tPb 

(ng/L)

dPb 

(ng/L)

pPb 

(μg/g)

tHg 

(ng/L)

dHg 

(ng/L)

pHg 

(μg/g)

tMeHg 

(ng/L)

dMeHg 

(ng/L)

pMeHg 

(ng/g)

Freshwater Human Health Criteria, in ng/L 3,400 NA NA 5,000 NA NA 50 NA NA NA NA NA

Freshwater Aquatic Chronic Criteria, in ng/L NA NA NA NA 5,400 NA NA 770 NA NA NA NA

Grab samples

Raritan 34.0 16.9 0.66 2,120 254 48.1 8.04 1.90 0.187 0.234 0.079 4.1

Passaic 64.5 47.7 .99 1,980 341 118 11.6 1.08 .649 .084* .067 4.8*Rahway 92.5 17.0 3.49 10,700 1,240 395 27.5 2.93 .526 1.07* .096 13.1*Elizabeth 190 118 12.5 8,050 1,840 933 22.5 7.13 2.54 .20 .050 5.23*

Hackensack (freshwater) 7.4 4.7 .65 350 21.1 123 1.30 .57 .283 .042* .010 20*

Composite samples

Raritan 50.7 -- -- 3,190 -- -- 12.2 -- -- -- -- --

Passaic 92.5 -- -- 2,170 -- -- 8.4 -- -- -- -- --

Rahway 91.2 -- -- 9,190 -- -- 25.8 -- -- -- -- --

Elizabeth 721 -- -- 75,600 -- -- 93.7 -- -- -- -- --

Hackensack (freshwater) 5.0 -- -- 385 -- -- 1.33 -- -- -- -- --

122 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Table 54. Concentrations of particulate-bound mercury, 

cadmium, and lead in grab samples normalized to particulate 

carbon in samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey.

[Hg, mercury; Cd, cadmium; Pb, lead; fom, fraction of organic matter in 

sample; μg/gC, microgram per gram of particulate carbon; --, not detected; 

*, indicates concentration would be removed due to blank elimination of 

associated dissolved or total value; B, ;low flow; S, storm; V, variable]

Date

Flow 

regime f

om

pCd 

(μg/gC)

pPb 

(μg/gC)

pHg 

(μg/gC)

Raritan River

June 27, 2000 B 0.056 17.3* 1,170 6.26

Apr. 13, 2001 S .030 -- 757 2.15

Oct. 4, 2001 B .064 2.02 224 .89

Mar. 3, 2002 S .040 33.0 2,950 10.1

Mar. 21, 2002 S .010 21.3 1,990 5.73

Average .040 18.4 1,418 5.03

Passaic River

June 22, 2000 B .025 60.4* 5,520 54.9*

Dec. 15, 2000 V .076 16.7 1,360* 5.35*

March 14, 2001 S .073 14.5* 1,320 4.53*

Oct. 17, 2001 B .079 1.85 1,680 6.13

Average .063 23.3 2,470 17.7

Rahway River

June 28, 2000 B .089 55.0* 6,240 .33

Apr. 25, 2001 B .186 16.1* 1,640 1.20*

May 22, 2001 S .112 37.1 3,920 8.41

Apr. 28, 2002 S .078 24.7 3,620 11.7

Average .116 33.2 3,860 5.4

Elizabeth River

June 29, 2000 B .080 314 16,700 11.2*

Apr. 24, 2001 B .203 68.9 5,530 28.1

May 22, 2001 S .176 30.8 4,440 10.6

June 4, 2003 S 0.111 11.5 1,230 2.51

Average .177 106 6,980 13.1

Hackensack River

June 23, 2000 B .099 13.2* 882 1.89*

Oct. 19, 2001 B .584 -- 270* .65*

Average .341 13.2* 580 1.3

Mar. 13, 2001 Tidal .099 9.24* 1,770 4.84*

Table 55. Ratio of average concentrations of trace elements in 

composite samples to concentrations in grab samples collected 

from selected rivers in New Jersey.

River

Suspended 

sediment

Particulate 

organic 

carbon

Total 

cadmium

Total 

lead

Total 

mercury

Raritan 1.9 1.6 1.5 1.5 1.5

Passaic 1.0 1.1 1.4 1.1 0.7

Rahway 0.8 0.9 1.0 0.9 0.9

Elizabeth 5.9 4.6 3.8 9.4 4.2

Sediment-Water Partitioning

The partitioning of metals between the dissolved and 

particulate phases is an important process controlling the geochemical behavior of trace elements in aqueous environments. 

The in situ partitioning of the trace elements can be evaluated using the concentrations measured in the grab samples. 

The slope of best-fit lines calculated for the relation between 

dissolved and particulate concentrations defines the linear 

distribution coefficient Kd. In essence, the Kd is the average sediment-water concentration ratio. The Kd value can be 

calculated on a sediment-mass basis, on a carbon-normalized 

mass basis, or in unitless form:

Kd = pM / dM (24)

Koc = pM’ / dM (25)

where

pM = concentration in the sediment per unit mass 

of sediment, nanograms per kilogram of 

particulate sediment;

dM = dissolved concentration, in nanograms per 

liter of water;

pM’ = carbon-normalized particulate-bound 

concentration, in nanograms of metal per 

kilogram of particulate carbon;

Kd	 =	 distribution coefficient, in units of liters per

kilogram; 

and

Koc	 =	 carbon-normalized distribution coefficient,

in units of liters per kilogram of carbon.

Kd and Koc are related through the fraction of organic 

matter in the sediment:

Koc = Kd / f

oc (26)

where

f

oc = the fraction of organic matter.

In many natural systems, the relation between dissolved 

and particulate concentrations is logarithmic, so values are 

typically reported as log-Kd. Care must be taken when using 

Kds that the concentration data are transformed to the correct unit system corresponding to the Kd values being used. 

Two unit systems are typically used when reporting Kd, either 

volume per mass (liters per kilogram) or as a unitless value. 

Unitless values can be applied to any data set in which the 

particulate and dissolved values are presented using the same 

units, such as nanograms per liter or moles per liter.

The Kds generated from field data are termed apparent 

distribution coefficients, in contrast to coefficients derived 

from laboratory experiments or calculated using thermodynamic data. In developing the distribution coefficient concept, 

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 123
it is assumed that equilibrium exists between the trace elements in the sediment and water phases. However, it is often 

found that sediment-water concentration ratios (apparent Kds) 

are not consistent even when derived from samples collected 

from a single environmental system and under relatively 

constant conditions. This suggests that non-equilibrium conditions exist, for example, resulting from rapid changes in river 

composition during storms. Non-equilibrium conditions are 

especially of concern when studying rivers where sediment 

can be quickly eroded and a “new” water chemistry can be 

encountered, for example, where overland flow, CSO outfalls, 

seawater, or other sources of water enter the river, and the 

sediment-bound concentrations slowly readjust to the new 

composition of the river water. Sediment that has deposited in 

a new environment will also slowly readjust to new conditions 

and pore-water compositions. Different distribution coefficients can be found during different seasons, for example, 

when increased primary production of carbon increases the 

amount of POC in the water column, or increased rain fall 

increases the SS content (Allan, 1983). While it is not surprising that sediment-water ratios are often not constant in river 

environments, the apparent partitioning coefficients for metals 

are useful for providing a baseline for evaluating and modeling the behavior of trace metals in the environment.

Apparent distribution coefficients were determined as the 

average of the ratios of particulate to dissolved concentrations 

in the combined data set (figs. 45 to 47). The relation between 

the dissolved and particulate-bound concentrations is weak, 

regardless of whether data from an individual stream or the 

combined river data set are studied. Using the carbon-normalized sediment-bound concentrations strengthens the relation, 

especially for Pb. The weak correlation between sediment and 

dissolved concentrations indicates that the partitioning is more 

complex than predicted by simple equilibrium models.

The average sediment-water concentration ratios, Kd and 

Koc, calculated using the concentrations in the grab samples, 

are listed in units of L/g, L/gC, and as unitless Kd values in 

table 56. The average Kd values (L/kg) for each metal vary 

among the rivers up to 0.7 log unit, and by 0.8 log Koc unit 

(exclusive of the Hackensack River, for which the data were 

too limited to evaluate). Within each river, variability among 

the metals in log Koc tended to be slightly greater than that 

for log Kd. As expected, the apparent log Kd values differ 

between the metals within each river, as well as between rivers 

for the same metal.

It is instructive to compare the Kd values calculated in 

this work to values reported by researchers in other freshwater environments, especially for Hg. Log Kd values for 

Hg in freshwater have been reported to fall within a rather 

large range. Values for log Kd for Hg reported by Babiarz 

and others (2001) for samples collected from non-impacted 

forested areas in Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin ranged 

from 3.1 to 5.5, which are similar to the Kd values reported 

here. Values for log Kd for Hg in the Wabigoon River system 

in Ontario, Canada, during non-high flow conditions were 

found to be 2.43 (Allan, 1983), lower than found in this study. 

Log Kd values for Hg in organic rich water (POC and DOC 

concentrations up to 34 and 26 mg/L, respectively) of the 

Everglades, and from the organic-rich Suwanee River (POC 

47 mg/L, DOC 24 mg/L), were generally higher than for the 

forested streams, ranging from 4.2 to 6.4 (Cai and others, 

1999). Although a large range exists in the Kd values from 

the various studies, the similarity in values between the Kds 

determined from this urbanized area with values from non-urbanized areas is encouraging and may be interpreted as showing that some degree of sediment-water equilibrium occurs in 

these New Jersey river systems.

Table 56. Average apparent sediment-water distribution coefficients

[L, liter; kg, kilograms; kg C, kilograms of particulate carbon; Kd; sediment normalized partition coefficient; Koc, carbon normalized partition coefficient; 

NA, no data available for this compound]

River

Cadmium Lead Mercury

log Kd

(L/kg)

Kd

(unitless)

log Koc

(L/kg C)

log Kd

(L/kg)

Kd

(unitless)

log Koc

(L/kg C)

log Kd

(L/kg)

Kd

(unitless)

log Koc

 (L/kg C)

Raritan 4.5 1.6 5.9 5.2 8.9 6.6 4.8 3.6 6.3

Passaic 4.2 .48 5.4 5.5 4.8 6.8 5.5 8.0 6.8

Rahway 5.3 3.6 6.3 5.9 12 6.8 5.0 6.6 5.9

Elizabeth 4.9 .74 5.7 5.8 6.9 6.6 5.3 2.2 6.0

Hackensack1 NA 1.1 NA 6.8 17 7.4 5.7 1.3 6.3

1

 Only one sample from the Hackensack River was suitable for calculating Kd values.

124 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

4.5

-0.4 -0.2 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2

LOG CONCENTRATION OF DISSOLVED MERCURY, IN NANOGRAMS PER LITER

LOG CONCENTRATION OF PARTICULATE MERCURY,

IN NANOGRAMS PER GRAM

A

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

4.5

5.0

-0.5 0.0 0.5 1.0

LOG CONCENTRATION OF DISSOLVED MERCURY, IN NANOGRAMS PER LITER

LOG CONCENTRATION OF PARTICULATE MERCURY,

IN NANOGRAMS PER GRAM OF CARBON

B

Raritan River

Passaic River

Rahway River

Elizabeth River

Hackensack River

Raritan River

Passaic River

Rahway River

Elizabeth River

Hackensack River

Figure 45. Relation between concentration of dissolved mercury and (A) concentration of particulate-bound mercury and (B) 

concentration of particulate-carbon-bound mercury in samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey.

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 125
2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

4.5

5.0

5.5

6.0

6.5

LOG CONCENTRATION OF PARTICULATE LEAD,

IN NANOGRAMS PER GRAM

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

7.0

8.0

0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0

LOG CONCENTRATION OF DISSOLVED LEAD, IN NANOGRAMS PER LITER

0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0

LOG CONCENTRATION OF DISSOLVED LEAD, IN NANOGRAMS PER LITER

LOG CONCENTRATION OF PARTICULATE LEAD,

IN NANOGRAMS PER GRAM OF CARBON

A

B

Raritan River

Passaic River

Rahway River

Elizabeth River

Hackensack River

Raritan River

Passaic River

Rahway River

Elizabeth River

Hackensack River

Figure 46. Relation between concentration of dissolved lead and (A) concentration of particulate-bound lead and (B) concentration of 

particulate-carbon-bound lead in grab samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey.

126 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
0.0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5

LOG CONCENTRATION OF DISSOLVED CADMIUM, IN NANOGRAMS PER LITER

0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5

LOG CONCENTRATION OF DISSOLVED CADMIUN, IN NANOGRAMS PER LITER

LOG CONCENTRATION OF PARTICULATE CADMIUM,

IN NANOGRAMS PER GRAM OF CARBON

0.0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

LOG CONCENTRATION OF PARTICULATE CADMIUM,

IN NANOGRAMS PER GRAM OF CARBON

A

B

Raritan River

Passaic River

Rahway River

Elizabeth River

Raritan River

Passaic River

Rahway River

Elizabeth River

Figure 47. Relation between concentration of dissolved cadmium and (A) concentration of particulate-bound cadmium and (B) 

concentration of particulate-carbon bound-cadmium in grab samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey.

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 127
Predicted Concentrations in the Sediment and 

Water Phases

Flow-averaged total (whole-water) concentrations, 

derived from the composite samples, were used to provide 

total metal loads in the rivers. It is of interest to divide these 

loads into estimates of the dissolved and suspended sediment 

loads. To calculate the concentrations of the dissolved-phase 

and sediment-bound metals requires using the average unitless 

Kd values derived earlier from the grab samples. Using the 

definitions for Kd and the total metal concentration, the concentrations in the phases can be calculated using:

tM = dM + pM (27)

tM = (pM / Kd) + pM

pM’ = tM / (1 + 1 / Kd)

dM’ = tM – pM’

where

Kd	 =	 unitless distribution coefficient;

tM = total metal concentration;

pM’ = estimated sediment-bound metal 

concentration; 

and

dM’ = estimated dissolved metal concentration.

The average concentrations of the trace elements predicted to be in the sediment and dissolved phases are presented 

in table 57, and were calculated using the average total metal 

concentrations of the composite samples (table 53) and the 

average unitless Kd values (table 56).

Concentrations of total, dissolved, and particulate Me-Hg 

species measured in the river water are listed in table 58 for 

the grab samples. The small number of data presently available makes it difficult to draw firm conclusions, but the data 

can be summarized as follows. Concentrations of tMe-Hg are 

low, ranging from 0.113 to 1.07 ng/L, dMe-Hg concentrations 

ranged from 0.006 to 0.222 ng/L, and pMe-Hg concentrations 

ranged from 1.0 to 20 ng/g. The Hackensack River had the 

highest pMe-Hg concentration of all samples collected in this 

study. It is hypothesized this was the result of production in 

the Oradell Reservoir and in the small impoundment immediately upstream from the sampling site. Small impoundments 

also exist upstream of the sampling sites on the Elizabeth and 

Rahway Rivers, which may explain the higher concentrations 

of Me-Hg in these rivers.

Table 57. Average concentrations of mercury, lead, and cadmium predicted for water and sediment in selected rivers in New 

Jersey.

[ng/L, nanograms per liter; Kd, unitless distribution coefficient from table 56; data from table 53]

River

Distribution 

coefficient 

(Kd)

Average total metal 

concentration in 

composite samples 

(measured, in ng/L)

Dissolved metal 

concentration 

(predicted, in ng/L)

Sediment-bound metal 

concentration 

(predicted, in ng/L)

Percentage of total metal 

in sediment phase 

(predicted, in percent)

Mercury

Raritan 3.6 12 2.6 9.4 78

Passaic 8.0 8.4 0.9 7.5 89

Rahway 6.6 26 3.0 23 88

Elizabeth 2.2 94 29 65 76

Hackensack 1.3 1.3 0.6 .7 53

Lead

Raritan 8.9 3,200 300 2,900 91

Passaic 4.8 2,200 400 1,800 82

Rahway 12 9,200 700 8,500 92

Elizabeth 6.8 76,000 10,000 66,000 89

Hackensack 17 390 20 370 95

Cadmium

Raritan 1.6 51 20 31 61

Passaic .48 93 63 30 32

Rahway 3.6 91 20 71 78

Elizabeth .74 720 410 310 44

Hackensack 1.1 5.0 2.4 2.6 52

128 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Table 58. Concentrations of methyl-mercury in samples collected from selected rivers in New Jersey and apparent partitioning 

coefficients.

[ng/L, nanograms per liter; ng/g, nanograms per gram; ng/gC, nanograms per gram of carbon; L/kg, liters per kilogram; L/kgC, liter per kilogram of carbon; 

Kd, apparent distribution coefficient; Koc, apparent distribution coefficient normalized to carbon; --, not measured or not applicable. Shaded values would be 

removed because of blank elimination; B, low-flow; S, storm; V, variable flow]

Date

Flow 

regime

tMeHg 

(ng/L)

dMeHg 

(ng/L)

pMeHg 

(ng/g)

pMeHg 

(ng/gC)

Log Kd 

(L/Kg)

Log Koc 

(L/KgC)

Kd 

(Unitless)

Raritan River

June 27, 2000 B -- 0.222 -- -- -- -- --

Apr. 13, 2001 S -- .049 -- -- -- -- --

Oct. 4, 2001 B 0.113 .049 1.6 25 4.51 5.70 1.3

Mar. 3, 2002 S .451 .045 9.5 240 5.32 6.72 9.0

Mar. 21, 2002 S .139 .032 1.0 102 4.50 6.50 3.3

Average .234 .079 4.0 122 4.78 6.31 4.6

Passaic River

June 22, 2000 B -- .132 -- -- -- -- --

Dec. 15, 2000 V -- .061 -- -- -- -- --

March 14, 2001 S -- .037 -- -- -- -- --

Oct. 17, 2001 B .084 .038 4.8 61 5.10 6.20 1.2

Average .084 .067 4.8 61 5.10 6.20 1.2

Rahway River

June 28, 2000 B -- .130 -- -- -- -- --

Apr. 24, 2001 B -- .048 -- -- -- -- --

May 22, 2001 S -- .121 -- -- -- -- --

Apr. 28, 2000 S 1.07 .085 13 168 5.18 6.29 12

Average 1.07 .096 13 168 5.18 6.29 12

Elizabeth River

June 29, 2000 B -- .012 -- -- -- -- --

Apr. 24, 2001 B -- .017 -- -- -- -- --

May 22, 2001 S -- .109 -- -- -- -- --

June 4, 2003 S .198 .075 5.23 25.8 4.84 5.54 1.64

Average -- .053 5.2 26 4.8 5.5 1.6

Hackensack River

June 23, 2000 B -- .014 -- -- -- -- --

Oct. 19, 2001 B .042 .006 20 34.3 6.52 6.75 6.0

Average .042 .010 20 34.3 6.52 6.75 6.0

Average for all samples -- -- -- -- 5.39 6.34 5.7

Concentrations of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements 129
Tributary Loads of Sediment, Carbon, 

and Chemicals

A fundamental objective of this work is to estimate the 

loads of sediment and the associated chemicals entering the 

New Jersey estuary and harbor systems from the river tributaries. Loads or flux are interchangeable terms used to describe 

the mass of material moved by a river over a defined period 

of time. “Load” is commonly used to describe the mass of 

material moved over long periods of times, such as day, week, 

month, or year; “flux” is typically used to describe loads 

over shorter times or in relation to a unit cross-sectional area 

(Thibodeaux, 1979).

Chemical and sediment loads are closely linked in 

aquatic environments (Forstner and Wittman, 1983). Chemicals are transported in rivers in two phases, either as molecules 

dissolved in the water or associated with solid or semi-solid 

particulate matter. Dissolved chemicals may exist as freely 

dissolved molecules (surrounded by a hydration sphere) or 

as molecules bonded with other forms of DOC. While most 

organic chemicals are soluble to some degree, they are typically hydrophobic and are thermodynamically favored to associate with, or dissolve into, solid or semi-solid organic matter. 

This organic matter exists as distinct particles or as coatings 

on inorganic particles.

Particulates may be either completely suspended in the 

water column (“suspended sediment”) or may move along the 

river bottom as “bed load.” Loads can be calculated for bed 

load; however, the special sampling techniques required to 

measure this load were not employed in this work. “Suspended 

sediment” represents a mixture of inorganic and organic 

matter, typically rock particles (sand, silt, or clay sized) with 

organic coatings, intermixed with particles of solid or semisolid organic matter. In temperate climate rivers, suspended 

sediment can be up to 10 percent by weight organic carbon or 

higher, for example, when leaf litter (during the fall) or algae 

(during the summer) are present in a river.

In this work, suspended sediment, inorganic and organic, 

for chemical analysis was captured on 0.5-micron pore-size 

filters. Chemicals measured in the captured material are considered to be associated with the particulate phase. Chemicals are considered to be dissolved if they were captured from 

the filtered water onto exchange resin (XAD), or for metals, 

measured in filtered (0.45 micron pore-size) water.

Loads associated with suspended sediment are calculated 

using the volumetric discharge of water and estimates of suspended sediment and carbon concentrations, and are defined 

by the load integral as:

L C Qdt SS C

T

= ≡ , 0

(28)

where

L = load of suspended sediment, in mass;

Q = volumetric discharge during time dt;

CSS,C = concentration of SS, carbon, or chemicals, 

in mass per volume;

0 = initial time; 

and

T	 =	 final time.

If SS concentrations and discharge were measured continuously, this integral could be solved for the time period of 

interest. However, continuous monitoring of SS is impractical, 

so an approximation method is used whereby SS and discharge 

are measured at discrete time intervals, separated by as short a 

time as possible. The load integral is then approximated by:

L C Q t i i t

T

= • =1

(29)

where

L = time “integrated” load for the time period 

of interest, T, in mass;

Ci = average SS or C concentration during the 

time interval i, in mass per volume; 

and

Qi = discharge during interval i, in volume per 

time.

This approximation was used to estimate the load of sediment and carbon for the storm events sampled in this work. As 

discussed below, further approximations of the load integral 

were necessary to estimate yearly sediment and chemical 

loads.

Loads of Suspended Sediment and Carbon

The loads of suspended sediment and carbon were estimated for the low-flow and storm events that were sampled.

Methods Used to Calculate Sediment and 

Carbon Loads

River discharge data (15-minute interval) were obtained 

for the USGS streamflow-gaging station nearest to the sampling location for each event (Bonin and Wilson, 2006). USGS 

discharge data typically has an accuracy estimated to be +/- 10 

percent, which is acceptable for the load calculations. With 

this information, the key to estimating accurate sediment loads 

becomes assigning accurate concentrations of suspended sediment (SS) or POC in rivers during each 15-minute interval. 

To help reduce the uncertainty in concentrations, from 40 to 

more than 100 discrete grab samples of river water were collected during each storm event. These samples were collected 

throughout the rise and fall of the storm discharge hydrograph 

each time an aliquot was collected for chemical analysis. 

These grab samples were analyzed for SS, POC, and DOC 

(Bonin and Wilson, 2006).

The load of sediment and carbon (particulate and dissolved) was calculated for each storm and low-flow event 

sampled by combining the measured sample concentrations 

130 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
with the stream discharge measured at the adjacent USGS gaging station over the time of sample collection. Concentrations 

of SS and carbon were interpolated between the measured 

values at 5 mg/L intervals for SS and at 0.5 mgC/L intervals 

for POC and DOC. Examples of the resulting concentrationdischarge relation are presented in figures 48 to 51 for the 

Raritan and Elizabeth Rivers. Loads were calculated using 

equation 29 by multiplying the discharge values by the measured or estimated concentrations and summing the 15-minute 

loads to produce a total load for each storm. Initial points for 

each storm event were chosen so that at least one pre-storm 

discharge and one measured concentration were included. 

The ending time was chosen at a point where the discharge 

was asymptotically approaching the pre-storm discharge, with 

the caveat that the last measured concentration represented a 

point in time when at least 90 percent of the total volume of 

discharge during the event had passed. This minimized the 

contribution to the total load from values extrapolated past the 

last measured concentration in the receding tail of the hydrograph.

Loads during low-flow discharge were calculated by 

multiplying the mean daily discharge (MDD) for the sampling 

date and the geometric mean of the SS, POC, and DOC concentrations measured during the sampling period. Typically, 

four to six grab samples were collected through the low-flow 

events. Loads for lowflow were normalized to a 24-hour 

period of discharge.

Concentrations and Loads of Particulates During 

Sampled Events

Average concentrations of SS, POC, and DOC for each 

event sampled for chemical analysis (low-discharge and storm 

events) are presented in table 59. In addition to the events 

sampled for chemical analysis, a number of storm events were 

sampled for the purpose of measuring SS only (Bonin and 

Wilson, 2006). Mean concentrations and loads for these events 

were calculated indentically to the events sampled for chemical analysis. The mean concentrations measured during the 

events are presented in table 59 as “composite sample” values, 

and are compared with the mean for the interpolated concentrations used to calculate loads for the events, and to the 

concentrations in the discrete grab samples collected for metal 

analysis, which were presented in the previous section of this 

report. Inspection of these values shows the average concentrations for the interpolated data set (used for calculating 

event loads) were, for most samples, very near the composite 

sample concentrations for the storm events. In some cases, 

the grab-sample concentrations were near the interpolated and 

composite concentrations, but in some cases the grab samples 

deviated greatly. Thus, using grab-sample concentrations to 

calculate river loads could produce spurious values. These 

data also indicate the effort needed to interpolate the concentrations over the duration of a storm may not be necessary, but 

it is imperative that (at least) composite samples are produced 

and used for calculating river loads.

1,400

1,200

1,000

800

600

400

200

0

20020317 20020318 20020319 20020320 20020321 20020322 20020323

DATE (YYYYMMDD)

9,000

8,000

7,000

6,000

5,000

4,000

3,000

2,000

1,000

CONCENTRATION OF SUSPENDED SEDIMENT, IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER

0

DISCHARGE, IN CUBIC FEET PER SECOND

Interpolated suspended sediment

Measured suspended sediment

Discharge

Total estimated sediment load: 5,900,000 kilograms

Figure 48. Discharge and the concentration of suspended sediment in samples collected from the Raritan River at Bound Brook, NJ, 

March 17 to 23, 2002.

Tributary Loads of Sediment, Carbon, and Chemicals 131
1,200

1,000

800

600

400

200

0

20020317

DATE (YYYYMMDD)

9,000

8,000

7,000

6,000

5,000

4,000

3,000

2,000

1,000

0

CONCENTRATION OF PARTICULATE ORGANIC  CARBON, IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER

DISCHARGE, IN CUBIC FEET PER SECOND

Interpolated POC

Measured POC

Discharge

Total estimated particulate load:

81,300 kilograms

1,400

20020318

20020319

20020320

20020321

20020322

20020323

Figure 49. Discharge and the concentration of particulate organic carbon (POC) in samples collected from the Raritan River at Bound 

Brook, NJ, March 17 to 23, 2002.

1,200

1,000

800

600

400

200

0

20010521

DATE (YYYYMMDD)

900

800

700

600

500

400

300

200

100

0

CONCENTRATION OF SUSPENDED SEDIMENT, IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER

DISCHARGE, IN CUBIC FEET PER SECOND

Interpolated suspended sediment

Measured suspended sediment

Discharge

Total estimated sediment load: 77,000 kilograms

20010522 20010523 20010524

Figure 50. Discharge and the concentration of suspended sediment in samples collected from the Elizabeth River at Hillside, NJ, May 

21 to 24, 2001.

132 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
To help in describing the events, a magnitude was 

assigned to each storm event on the basis of the maximum 

discharge (in cubic feet per second) reached during the event 

(table 60). Ranges in the discharge for each “magnitude” were 

determined from the 90-, 75-, 50- and 25-percent exceedance 

value for the discharge, as determined from frequency plots 

of the 15-minute discharge data for the period 1975 through 

2000. The discharge for each storm magnitude and the number 

of storm events during an average year (based on the 1975 to 

2000 water year record) are listed in table 60.The storm and 

low-flow events (table 61 and 62) measured in this work ultimately represented only a few of the different-sized magnitude 

storms, especially those sampled for chemical analysis (trace 

organics and metals). For example, the three storms ultimately sampled on the Raritan River were all from the group 

6 magnitude. The largest sediment load measured in a storm 

was from the Raritan River (5.9 million kg), and the smallest 

(2,980 kg) was from the Rahway River. As can be expected, 

the largest sediment and particulate organic carbon loads were 

associated with the largest river sampled (the Raritan), and 

the smallest were associated with the Elizabeth and Rahway 

Rivers. Unfortunately, no storm events were obtained on the 

Hackensack River, because of the controlled discharge from 

the Oradell Reservoir during the years of this study.

The estimated loads for the low-flow discharge conditions (table 62) ranged from 82 kg/d in the Elizabeth River up 

to 32,200 kg/d for the Passaic River (excluding the Hackensack River which is controlled flow). Again, this large 

sediment load in the Passaic River was because of the high 

daily discharge recorded for that day. More typical low-flow 

sediment loads for the Raritan and Passaic Rivers are 2,000 to 

4,000 kg/d. POC loads ranged from 5.92 kg/d in the Hackensack River up to 1,430 kg/d in the Passaic River, and DOC 

loads ranged from 18.2 kg/d in the Hackensack up to 9,090 

kg/d in the Passaic River.

Average composite concentrations during low-flow 

discharge events (discharge below the 90- percent exceedance 

level) on the Raritan, Rahway, Elizabeth, and Hackensack 

Rivers are typically 3 to about 10 mg/L for SS and 0.25 to 

over 2 mgC /L for POC (table 59). In the Passaic River, 

concentrations of SS (up to 16 mg/L) and POC during low 

flow are typically nearer upper values of these ranges. During 

storm discharge, concentrations of SS and POC increased and 

maximum concentrations (in individual samples) were often in 

excess of 1,000 mg/L and 65 mgC/L, respectively. Composite 

concentrations during storm events typically ranged between 

25 mg/L and 50 mg/L for SS, and 1.25 to 5 mg C/L for POC. 

In the Elizabeth River, SS and POC concentrations are typi1,200

1,000

800

600

400

200

0

20010521

DATE (YYYYMMDD)

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

CONCENTRATION OF SUSPENDED SEDIMENT, IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER

DISCHARGE, IN CUBIC FEET PER SECOND

Interpolated particulate organic carbon

Measured particulate organic carbon

Discharge

Total estimated sediment load: 6,617 kilograms

20010522 20010523 20010524

Figure 51. Discharge and the concentration of particulate organic carbon (POC) in samples collected from the Elizabeth River at 

Hillside, NJ, May 21 to 24, 2001.

Tributary Loads of Sediment, Carbon, and Chemicals 133
Table 59. Summary of average concentrations of suspended sediment, particulate organic carbon, and dissolved organic carbon in sampled events on selected rivers in New 

Jersey.[SS, suspended sediment; SC, specific conductance; POC, particulate organic carbon; DOC, dissolved organic carbon; mg/L, milligrams per liter; uS/cm, microsiemens per centimeter; B, low-flow; S, storm event; V, variable discharge]

Date of event

Flow 

regime Magnitude

Composite1 Interpolated2 Grab3

SC 

(μS/cm)

SS 

(mg/L)

POC 

(mg/L)

DOC 

(mg/L)

SS 

(mg/L)

POC 

(mg/L)

DOC 

(mg/L)

SS 

(mg/L)

POC 

(mg/L)

DOC 

(mg/L)

Raritan River

June 27, 2000

B 1 313 3.2 0.25 4.11 3.2 0.25 4.10 3.90 0.219 3.97

Apr. 13, 2001 S 6 256 32.4 1.26 4.13 30.9 0.94 4.00 60.1 1.82 4.47

4Oct. 4, 2001

B 1 369 66.7 2.09 3.83 5* 2.20 3.81 39.9 2.57 3.78

Mar. 3, 2002 S 6 380 49.7 5.29 3.69 75.8 3.71 3.22 42.6 1.69 3.21

Mar. 21, 2002 S 6 312 184 3.07 4.53 180 2.61 4.03 104 1.05 4.38

Passaic River

June 22, 2000

B (5) 374 15.8 .70 4.46 15.8 .702 4.46 17.7 .444 4.52

Dec.. 15, 2000

V 5 704 7.0 .82 3.84 7.07 .84 3.70 12.5 .953 3.77

March 14, 2001 S 6 577 14.6 1.24 3.85 14.1 .67 3.68 15.9 1.16 3.86

Oct. 17, 2001

B 1 668 9.40 .86 4.14 9.36 .86 4.14 9.60 .757 4.18

Rahway River

June 28, 2000

B 1 591 3.40 .27 3.37 3.40 .265 3.37 2.70 .240 3.26

Apr. 25, 2001

B 1 681 9.40 1.63 3.51 9.40 1.63 3.51 7.30 1.36 3.21

May 22, 2001 S 6 344 25.1 3.89 5.16 35.8 3.31 4.51 29.6 3.31 5.54

Apr. 28, 2002 S 7 231 41.5 3.57 4.94 36.7 2.66 4.89 75.2 5.85 4.02

Elizabeth River

June 29, 2000

B 1 751 4.40 .25 3.53 4.40 .25 3.53 4.50 .360 3.54

Apr. 24, 2001

B 1 903 3.50 .91 3.80 3.50 .91 3.80 4.00 .987 4.13

May 22, 2001 S 7 211 51.6 6.85 5.83 33.4 5.75 4.09 9.60 1.69 5.38

June 4, 2003 S 7 164 43.4 6.23 3.41 21.3 4.79 4.68 23.5 4.77 5.49

Hackensack River

June 23, 2000

B 1 448 4.45 0.44 3.83 4.40 0.44 3.83 4.20 .417 0.381

Oct. 19, 2001

B 1 526 2.80 1.05 3.22 2.75 1.05 3.22 1.80 1.05 3.27

July 19, 2002

B 1 511 10.2 3.42 3.83 10.2 3.83 3.42 NC NC NC

Mar. 13, 2001 Tidal 1 382 15.1 2.03 3.09 15.0 2.03 3.09 17.5 1.73 2.79

1 Composite concentrations are the geomentric mean of numerous grab samples collected during each event.2 Interpolated concentrations are the mean of the data set that includes measured concentrations and concentrations interpolated between the measured points.3 Grab concentrations were measured in the discrete grab sample collected during each event for the purpose of measuring dissolved and particulate metals. These values represent only one measurement 

each.

4 Concentrations of suspended sediment in a sample collected from the Raritan River on October 4, 2001, as reported by the laboratory, were excessively high. The load reported here was calculated using 

an estimated concentration of 5 milligram per liter. The measured suspended sediment concentrations resulted in a total sediment load for this period of base flow of 29,300 kilograms.

134 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Table 60. Ranges in discharge for storm events during an average year for selected rivers in New Jersey.

[Based on data from 1975 through 2000; discharge in cubic feet per second; <, less than]

Exceedance 

level Magnitude

Rivers

Passaic Raritan Rahway Elizabeth Hackensack

Average yearly flow, in millions of gallons 251,000 279,000 12,800 6,220 13,900

“Low-flow” 1

Discharge 125 165 3.6 5.6 <0.5

Days at or below discharge level 35 39 34 30 86

90% 2

Peak mean daily mean discharge 125-202 168-202 3.6-9.7 5.6-7.7 0.5-0.6

Number of events 5 11 7 8 8

75% 3

Peak mean daily mean discharge 203-355 203-333 9.8-18 7.8-11 0.6-1.0

Number of events 7 17 11 12 12

50% 4

Peak mean daily mean discharge 356-737 334-750 19-51 12-31 1.1-5.7

Number of events 12 28 19 20 22

25% 5

Peak mean daily mean discharge 738-1,660 751-2,010 52-153 32-78 5.9-20

Number of events 12 28 19 20 21

10% 6

Peak mean daily mean discharge 1,661-2,970 2,011-6,150 154-364 79-174 21-311

Number of events 7 17 11 12 13

<10% 7

Peak mean daily mean discharge 2,970-18,000 6,150-61,000 364-3670 175-1570 311-5,580

Number of events 5 11 7 8 9

cally even higher than these ranges during storm events. DOC 

concentrations during both low-flow and storm events were 

relatively constant in all the rivers at 3 to 5 mg C/L. DOC 

commonly showed a decrease during storm events; this likely 

representes the effect of dilution by (low-DOC content) precipitation.

The ratio of the mean concentration of POC to SS 

(POC/SS) in the rivers ranged from 0.017 to 0.38, with very 

little variability related to discharge conditions. An exception 

to this was the Elizabeth River, where this ratio was consistently greater during storm events. Ratios were more typically 

lower in the Raritan and Passaic Rivers (<0.01), slighty higher 

in the Elizabeth River and Rahway River (0.057-0.173), and 

the highest in the Hackensack Rivers (>0.1). Thus, between 2 

and 11 percent of the mass of the particles transported by the 

Raritan and Passaic Rivers during storms was organic carbon, 

while more than 10 percent was organic carbon in the other 

rivers.

Storm-event hydrographs with the interpolated SS and 

carbon concentrations were prepared for each event sampled 

for trace organics. Storm hydrographs for the larger rivers 

commonly exhibited two or more successive peaks in discharge that resulted from the passing of multiple storm fronts 

and pulses of precipitation, or as discharge from upstream 

tributaries passed the sampling station. Large spikes in concentrations of SS and POC were usually observed near each 

discharge peak. Smaller spikes in SS and POC that did not 

relate to discharge also were observed. These smaller peaks 

may represent pulses of material derived from tributaries or 

other point sources nearby in the basins that did not substantially increase the discharge. In the larger Passaic and Raritan 

Rivers, the discharge, SS, and carbon typically remained 

elevated for several days to a week (fig. 48 and 49). In contrast, the smaller Elizabeth and Rahway Rivers were ‘flashy,” 

exhibiting multiple spikes of SS and POC in conjunction with 

peaks in discharge that typically lasted hours to a day (figs. 

50 and 51). In all rivers, POC concentrations often remained 

elevated over their low pre-storm concentrations well after the 

water discharge had decreased and well after SS had declined 

(fig. 49 and 51). This demonstrates that fine-grained organic 

matter continued to be transported after the larger inorganic 

particles had settled.

Tributary Loads of Sediment, Carbon, and Chemicals 135
Table 61. Estimated loads of suspended sediment and dissolved and particulate carbon in samples collected during storms from 

selected rivers in New Jersey.

[ft3/s: cubic feet per second; Mgal, million gallons; kg, kilogram; -- not collected]

1

Date of sample 

collection

Maximum discharge reached 

(ft3

/s)

Mean daily 

discharge 

(ft3/s) Magnitude

Volume of 

discharge 

(Mgal)

Sediment 

load 

(kg)

Particulate organic 

carbon load 

(kg)

Dissolved organic 

carbon load 

(kg)

Raritan River

Apr. 13, 2001 3,340 2,930 6 3,850 1,541,000 16,500 59,200

Mar. 3, 2002 3,690 2,050 6 3,220 1,710,000 79,300 42,200

Mar. 21, 2002 7,880 5,430 6 7,520 5,900,000 81,300 124,000

Nov. 26, 2001 383 343 4 438 248,000 - -

Dec. 9, 2001 464 409 4 118 22,700 - -

Dec. 25, 2001 485 373 4 35.8 74,700 - -

Passaic River

June 22, 20002 -- 821 5 540 32,200 1,430 9,090

Dec. 15, 2000 791 777 5 444 10,900 1,420 6,310

March 14, 2001 2,210 2,200 6 11,500 531,000 28,500 160,000

Rahway River

May 22, 2001 424 284 6 276 76,700 4,260 5,170

Apr. 28, 2002 585 324 7 349 66,900 4,610 6,440

Oct. 15, 2001 146 71 5 53.9 2,980 - -

Nov. 26, 2001 204 89 5 66.6 22,700 - -

Dec. 9, 2001 302 133 5 95.4 10,400 - -

Dec. 24, 2001 282 99 5 71.8 9,150 - -

Elizabeth River

May 22, 2001 586 235 7 221 79,500 6,620 4,470

June 4, 2003 1,680 590 7 459 61,100 7,480 8,650

Dec. 8, 2001 274 55 5 56.1 6,590 - -

Dec. 4, 2001 266 54 5 34.9 6,320 - -

July 19, 2002 297 53 5 48.9 41,900 - -

1

 Dates in bold indicate samples collected during storm events and analyzed for suspended sediment, carbon, and organic chemicals; non-bolded data indicate samples analyzed only for suspended sediment.

2

 The sample obtained on June 22, 2000, was collected at a time when the river was not at or below the historic 90-percent exceedance level, thus was not at 

true base flow (122 ft3/s). This sample was collected at a steady flow, and is neither a base-flow nor a storm sample.

136 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
 Loads for the sampled storm events (table 61) were 

estimated to range from 2,980 kg to 5.9x106 kg for sediment, 

1,420 to 81,300 kg for POC, and 4,470 to 160,000 kg for 

DOC. Loads for low-flow conditions, normalized to a 24-

hour period (table 62), ranged from 15.5 kg/d to 32,200 kg/d 

for sediment, 5.92 kg/d to 1,430 kg/d for POC, and 18.2 kg/d 

to 9,100 kg/d for DOC. The large daily load for the Passaic 

River sampled on June 22, 2000, was because of the fact that 

the mean-daily flow reported for this date (821 ft3/s) was well 

above the upper limit of the “low-flow” discharge (125 ft3/s) 

determined from the historic discharge data set. This event 

was, however, classified by the program as a “low-flow” 

event.

Inspection of the estimated loads and the hydrographic 

data shows that, as expected, the size of the peak discharge 

reached during an event correlated with the total load of sediment and carbon transported. However, this relation is only 

rough, because the peak discharge reached during an event 

may not directly relate to other factors such as the length of 

time a river remained at high-flow conditions. Other meteorological factors, such as rainfall intensity and conditions within 

the basin such as the degree to which the soil was frozen or 

the length of time since last rainfall, play a role in how each 

river responded to precipitation. These factors all contribute to 

the total sediment/carbon load carried by the rivers during the 

storms.

Annual Loads of Sediment Estimated From 

Historical Data

If the load of sediment was known for each “magnitude” 

of event, then by knowing the number of storms during a 

year, the yearly load of sediment/carbon could be calculated. 

Unfortunately, few storms were ultimately sampled in this 

work, so this approach could not be used. Instead, the ratingcurve approach was used to estimate yearly loads. A “rating curve” relates the mean daily sediment load to the mean 

daily discharge and is produced using the concentrations in 

samples collected repeatedly over time. Each SS concentration is multiplied by the mean daily discharge for the date of 

collection to obtain a daily sediment load. With a sufficient 

number of samples, a relation (usually logarithmic) can be 

produced that can be used to predict loads for a selected time 

period. This method assumes the concentration (SS, carbon, 

Table 62. Estimated daily loads of suspended sediment, dissolved, and particulate carbon during low flow in selected rivers in New 

Jersey.

[MDD, mean daily discharge; ft3/s, cubic feet per second; Mgal/d, million gallons per day; kg/d, kilogram per day]

River Date sampled

MDD 

(ft3/s)

Volume of 

discharge, 

(Mgal/d)

Sediment load 

(kg/d)

Particulate organic 

carbon load 

(kg/d)

Dissolved organic 

carbon load 

(kg/d)

Raritan June 27, 2000 286 188 2,270 180 2,925

Raritan 1

Oct. 4, 2001 180 118 2,240 983 1,700

Passaic 2

June 22, 2000 821 539 32,200 1,430 9,100

Passaic Oct. 17, 2001 171 112 3,970 365 1,760

Rahway June 28, 2000 25 16.4 211 16.4 209

Rahway Apr. 24, 2001 27 17.7 630 109 235

Elizabeth June 29, 2000 11 7.22 120 6.83 96.4

Elizabeth Apr. 25, 2001 10 6.56 87 22.6 94

Hackensack June 23, 2000 14 9.05 151 14.9 131

Hackensack Oct. 19, 2001 2.3 1.49 15.5 5.92 18.2

Hackensack July 19, 2002 4.5 2.91 113 42.2 37.7

Hackensack3 Mar. 13, 2001 11 7.11 404 54.6 83.1

1

 Concentrations of suspended sediment in a sample collected from the Raritan River on October 4, 2001, as reported by the laboratory, were excessively 

high. The load reported here was calculated using an estimated concentration of 5 milligram per liter. The measured suspended sediment concentrations 

resulted in a total sediment load for this period of base flow of 29,300 kilograms.

2

 The sample obtained on June 22, 2000, was collected at a time when the river was not at or below the historic 90 percent exceedance level, and thus was 

not at true base flow (122 ft3/s). This sample was collected at a steady flow, and is neither base flow nor a storm sample.

3

 Loads calculated for this sample may not be realistic. This sample was collected from a tidally influenced region.

Tributary Loads of Sediment, Carbon, and Chemicals 137
etc.) measured in a grab or composite sample collected on a 

specific day represents the average concentration for the entire 

day of flow, which in turn is represented by the mean daily 

discharge. While this approach is useful for rivers that have 

been routinely sampled, the assumption that the concentration 

measured in a sample represents the conditions for the flow 

during the entire collection day is a substantial weakness. Generally, concentrations of SS are higher during times of high 

discharge, although the relation is not simple and a substantial 

hysteresis occurs as the discharge rises and falls.

Consider, for example, the concentrations of SS in the 

Raritan River (March 18-25, 2002) that are plotted against 

the discharge at the time of the collection in figure 52. The 

arrows in this plot show the sequence in which the samples 

were collected. The SS and the discharge do not correlate, 

and the highest SS concentrations did not occur at the time 

of peak discharge. Rather, the maximum SS was measured 

when the discharge first began to rise, the time when the water 

was accelerating and had the greatest ability to erode bottom 

sediment. The SS fell off rapidly after discharge had peaked, 

even though the discharge remained elevated. As a result, very 

different concentrations of SS were measured for the same 

discharge, depending on whether the discharge was rising or 

falling. Unless a SS sample happened to be collected at the 

instant the mean discharge had been reached, its concentration 

would not accurately characterize the daily stream load. A second problem arises because the stream constituents (discharge, 

sediment concentrations, etc.) are usually log-normally distributed. Unless numerical steps are taken to transform values 

between “log-space” to “real space” (Landwehr, 1978; Cohn 

and others, 1989), the calculated loads will be biased low. The 

larger the scatter in concentrations around the best-fit “rating 

curve,” the larger the bias will be in the predicted load. A correction factor must be applied to adjust the predicted sediment 

loads for bias due to transformation.

SS and carbon data have been collected for many years 

on New Jersey rivers at the USGS/NJDEP Cooperative 

National Ambient Surface Water Quality Network stations 

(NASQAN) (table 63). Standardized collection techniques 

used at these stations included collecting either individual 

grab or cross-channel samples that were composited into one 

sample. Concentrations of SS and carbon from the 1968 to 

2001 NASQAN data set, along with the mean daily discharge 

from the associated USGS gaging sites, were used to produce 

rating curves for the Passaic, Rahway, Elizabeth, Hackensack, 

and Raritan Rivers (table 64). The data used were all collected 

at sites very near the sampling sites used in this study. The 

sediment data collected in this present study were not combined with the historic data but were compared with the rating 

curves to demonstrate correspondence in the load estimates.

The distribution of the SS and C data was first tested 

using graphical and statistical means and was found to be 

log-normally distributed. The Raritan River data set is shown 

as an example because of the large number of data available 

(n=215) (fig. 53). The chi-square procedure showed the SS, 

POC, and discharge data were log-normally distributed at a 

Time interval for each limb of hydrograph

Dark diamond symbols:

Light square symbols:

Rising Limb 1: 3/18/02 1419 to 3/19/02 117

Falling Limb 1: 3/19/02 117 to 3/20/02 1555

Rising Limb 2: 3/20/02 1555 to 3/21/02 352

Falling Limb 2: 3/21/02 352 to 3/26/02 1800

Falling Limb 1

Falling Limb 2

Rising Limb 2

Rising Limb 1

Peak suspended sediment

 concentration reached 

 during event

Peak discharge 

 reached during 

 event

2,000

1,800

1,600

1,400

1,200

1,000

800

600

CONCENTRATION OF SUSPENDED SEDIMENT, IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER

400

200

0

0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000

DISCHARGE, IN CUBIC FEET PER SECOND

6,000 7,000 8,000 9,000

Figure 52. Concentrations of suspended sediment and instantaneous discharge in the Raritan River, March 18 to 25, 2002.

138 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Table 63. Summary of water-quality data available for selected 

rivers in New Jersey.

[SS, suspended sediment; POC, particulate organic carbon; DOC, dissolved 

organic carbon; MDD, mean daily discharge; ft3/s, cubic feet per second; 

-- insufficient data]

Constituent

First 

sample 

date 

used

Last 

sample 

date 

used

Number 

of data 

values

Minimum 

MDD

(ft3

/s)

Maximum 

MDD (ft3/s)

Raritan River

SS 3/14/68 8/28/01 215 109 23,600

POC, DOC 11/1/98 9/27/01 80 109 12,600

Passaic River

SS 8/15/78 9/16/94 138 55 6,630

POC, DOC 5/30/79 9/5/01 162 49, 42 4,930

Rahway River

SS 2/13/79 6/6/94 30 5.8 343

POC, DOC 8/7/91 8/21/02 48 2.4 269

Elizabeth River

SS 2/27/78 8/1/94 27 5.4 83

POC, DOC 8/6/91 7/29/97 30 5.4 57

Hackensack River

SS 11/29/79 3/30/94 15 1 946

POC,DOC -- -- -- -- --

Table 64. Calculated regression lines used for predicting load 

of suspended sediment from discharge in selected rivers in New 

Jersey.

(SS, suspended sediment load, in kilograms per day; Q, mean daily 

discharge, in million gallons per day; ln, natural logarithm; equations are 

calculated with low-flow data removed)

Location Regression equation r

2

Raritan River at 

Bound Brook, N.J.

ln (SS) = 1.9741*ln (Q) -2.0156 0.809

Passaic River at Little 

Falls, N.J.

ln (SS)= 1.209*ln (Q) + 3.037 .752

Rahway River at 

Rahway, N.J.

ln (SS) = 1.367*ln (Q) + 2.384 .865

Elizabeth River at 

Hillside, N.J.

ln (SS)= 1.557*ln(Q) + 1.848 .704

Hackensack River at 

Oradell, N.J.

ln(SS) = 0.811*ln(Q) + 4.274 .916

2550

75

100

125

150

175

200

225

250

275

300

325

350

375

400

425

450

475

500

525

550

575

600

625

650

675

700

725

750

775

800

825

850

875

900

925

950

975

1,000

120

110

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

NUMBER OF SAMPLES

CONCENTRATION OF SUSPENDED SEDIMENT, IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER

Figure 53. Distribution of concentrations of suspended sediment in samples from the Raritan River at Queens Bridge, Bound Brook, 

NJ.

Tributary Loads of Sediment, Carbon, and Chemicals 139
99-percent confidence level. Therefore, the SS, carbon, and 

discharge data were log-transformed (natural log) before the 

best-fit regression lines were calculated (fig. 54, table 64). The 

data were also grouped on the basis of whether the SS sample 

was collected on a day the discharge was steady, rising, or 

falling or on a day when it peaked compared with the adjacent 

days. In all cases, the best-fit regression lines (on the basis of 

r2 values) were found when data for the “steady” flow days 

were removed. Generally, “steady-day” samples were collected on days of low discharge and were removed from the 

data set before regression analysis was performed. However, 

loads on low-flow days contributed very little to yearly loads 

of sediment or carbon and thus did not appreciably affect the 

total load calculations. With the exception of the low-flow 

data, there was no other indication that the SS-discharge data 

were stratified; no breaks in the slope of the discharge-load 

relation were indicated.

The rating-curve equation predicts a logarithmic sediment 

load for each mean-daily discharge value, which must then 

be transformed back into a “real” value before being used. As 

discussed by Ferguson (1986, 1987), Landwehr (1978), and 

Koch and Smillie (1986), unless a correction is applied, the 

predicted load will be underestimated by the transformations. 

Numerical methods developed to account for the bias introduced by transformations include the Quasi-Maximum Likelihood Estimator (QMLE) and the Bradu-Mundlak Maximum 

Variance Uncertainty Estimator (MVUE) (Bradu and Mundlak, 1970; Cohn and others, 1989).

The QMLE estimator described by Ferguson (1986) 

uses the variance of the best-fit prediction line to estimate the 

bias. The QMLE estimation of the real concentration (E(Ci)) 

is obtained from the log-concentration (C’i) predicted by the 

rating curve, using:

E(Ci) = exp(C’i) exp(s2 / 2) (30)

where

s2 is an unbiased estimator of the variance in the 

best-fit rating curve line

s Ci C n n

i

2

1

2 = − • (ln ln ' ) / ( ) − 2 (31)

where

Ci = the measured concentration;

C’i	 =	 the concentration predicted by the best-fit

rating line; 

and

n = the number of points used in the prediction 

line.

The QMLE adjustment to predicted concentrations has 

been shown to be useful and easy to apply for many data sets; 

however, it can result in a large bias in estimated loads especially for the large discharges that are typical during storms 

(when the majority of sediment is transported in rivers) (Cohn 

95% confidence interval of predicted load

95% confidence interval of predicted load

Best -fit regression line

R = 0.809 2

In (sediment load kg/day) = 1.974 In (MGD) - 2.016 *

+/- 0.428 log units

+/- 0.220 at median

+/- 0.579 log units

Discharge measured during falling limb

Discharge measured at peak of hydrograph

Discharge measured during rising limb

Discharge measured at steady flow

18

16

14

12

10

8

6

4

2

0

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

LN MEAN DISCHARGE, IN MILLIONS OF GALLONS PER DAY

LN SEDIMENT LOAD, IN KILOGRAMS PER DAY

Figure 54. Relation between mean daily discharge (Q) and daily sediment load for the Raritan River at Bound Brook, NJ. [ln, natural 

logarithm]

140 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
and others, 1989). Another corrector is the MVUE, which is 

unbiased in all cases, and is defined as:

CMVUE = exp(μ') gm (m + 1⁄2m {(1 - V) s2}) (32)

where

g z

m m p

m m m p

m

m m

p

p p ( ) ( )

( )...( ) = ++ +

• = −

2

2 2 0 + 1

p p z

p! ;

CMVUE = estimated load predicted for discharge Q*;

μ' = log of load predicted from rating curve for 

discharge Q*;

gm(z) = Finney’s (1941) transformation function;

m = N - 2 = the number of degrees of freedom in the 

error distribution ;

V = {1/N + ln2(Q*)/ Σ i=1 (ln(Qi) – ln(Q)2};

Q*	 =	 the flow for which a concentration estimate

is desired; 

and

N = the number of data points used in the 

estimation set.

This is a more difficult adjustment to apply, but the transformation is non-biased in all cases of discharge and concentration. Finney’s (1941) transformation function (gm(z)) was 

calculated using the equation described in Cohn and others 

(1989).

The total annual discharge values measured at USGS 

gaging stations for water years 1988, 1994, 1998, 1999, 2000, 

2001, and 2002, were calculated (table 65). These discharges 

are nearly equal to those calculated from the mean daily 

discharge values tabulated in the yearly reports prepared by 

the USGS. The rating curves were then used to predict uncorrected daily sediment loads, which were then transformed 

using the MVUE estimator. Daily loads were also calculated 

for the entire discharge record of 1975 to 2000. The loads 

were then summed for the 1975-2000 period, divided by the 

total number of days, and multiplied by 365 to obtain the average yearly loads.

The average annual loads of sediment ranged from 0.395 

million kilograms of sediment per year in the Hackensack 

River up to 93.1 million kilograms per year in the Raritan 

River (table 66). The Raritan River Basin was estimated to 

provide approximately four times more sediment than did the 

Passaic, which can be related to the size and characteristics 

of the two basins (Bonin and Wilson, 2006). Of the smaller 

rivers, the Rahway is estimated to contribute about twice the 

sediment of the Elizabeth River, which was somewhat surprising considering the similarities in these urbanized basins.

The sediment loads calculated from the 2000 water year 

on the Raritan River were used to demonstrate the effect of the 

QMLE and MVUE corrections on calculated yearly loads. The 

uncorrected load predicted using the rating curve was 2.77x107

kg/yr, the QMLE adjusted load was 4.52x107 kg/yr, and the 

MVUE adjusted load was 4.33x107 kg/yr. The closeness of the 

QMLE and MVUE loads is a result of the low scatter in the 

discharge and, more significantly, scatter in the SS values. The 

corrected loads for this example are nearly 35 percent greater 

than the non-corrected sediment load estimate.

The loads predicted using the rating-curve methods were 

also compared with the loads calculated for the individual 

storms sampled in this study (table 67). The mean daily 

discharges for each day of the storm event were used as input 

to the rating curve. The non-corrected loads and the loads corrected using the MVUE estimator were calculated and compared with the measured total loads for each storm. The results 

of the comparision are mixed, sometimes the MVUE corrected 

Table 65. Total annual discharge for water years 1988, 1994, and 1998-2002 and the average annual discharge for water years 1975 to 

2000 in selected rivers in New Jersey.

[Values in million gallons per year]

Water Year Raritan River Passaic River Rahway River Elizabeth River Hackensack River

1988 238,000 202,000 10,000 5,440 4,070

1994 328,000 255,000 15,000 6,630 12,700

1998 279,000 279,000 16,800 7,320 15,000

1999 223,000 160,000 12,900 6,130 7,830

2000 202,000 225,000 11,200 5,890 7,390

2001 238,000 193,000 12,200 6,500 13,000

2002 102,000 47,000 5,700 3,500 210

25-year average 279,000 251,000 12,900 6,220 13,900

Tributary Loads of Sediment, Carbon, and Chemicals 141
Table 66. Estimated annual sediment loads predicted for selected water years for selected rivers in New Jersey.

[WY, water year; MVUE, maximum value likelihood estimator correction applied; >, greater than]

River WY 1988 WY 1994 WY 1998 WY 1999 WY 2000 WY 2001 WY 2002 25 year average

MVUE corrected loads, in millions of kilograms

Raritan 67.3 161 118 304 43.3 74.2 19.3 93.1

Passaic 21.5 29.9 32.9 18.5 23.9 21.3 4.29 22.7

Rahway .628 1.02 1.23 1.15 .637 .793 .322 .882

Elizabeth .296 .385 .468 .453 .315 .422 .166 .417

Hackensack .172 .447 >.4821 .199 .324 .305 .007 .395

MVUE uncorrected loads, in millions of kilograms

Raritan 44.3 108 26.3 188 27.7 48.9 12.6 60.1

Passaic 16.9 23.9 26.4 14.8 18.8 16.8 3.32 17.6

Rahway .576 .954 1.17 1.18 .576 .736 .292 .80

Elizabeth .291 .392 .499 .603 .307 .464 .159 .40

Hackensack .139 .376 .415 .182 .259 .255 .015 .84

1

 Only partial discharge records were available for the Hackensack River WY 1998. The value presented is a minimum estimated value.

predicted loads were near the measured load, and sometimes 

they were less than the measured load. For the Passaic River 

(all events), loads derived from the rating curves (MVUE 

corrected) were greater than the measured loads; in the other 

rivers, the corrected rating curve loads were near or less than 

measured loads. Loads (event specific) calculated for low-flow 

events on the Rahway, Elizabeth, and Hackensack Rivers were 

less than the corresponding loads calculated using the rating 

curve. Considering the assumptions and the data available, 

loads derived from rating curves are likely to underestimate 

actual loads.

Annual Loads of Dissolved and Particulate 

Carbon Estimated From Historical Data

The concentrations of POC and DOC in the composite 

samples ranged between 0.25 and 3.42 mg/L and 3.22 and 

4.46 mg/L respectively, during low flow in all rivers (table 

59). During storms, the concentration of POC in individual 

grab samples would rise considerably, in some cases to over 

1,000 mg/L; DOC would increase to roughly 4 to 6 mg/L. 

The concentration of POC in the rivers appeared to track the 

concentration of SS and peaked before the peak in discharge 

(see for example, figs. 48 to 51). In contrast, concentrations of 

DOC typically peaked at or slightly after the peak discharge 

(fig. 55). POC is controlled by physical processes involving particle resuspension and settling and by rates of primary 

production. In contrast, DOC in river water is affected mostly 

by rates of dissolution and the mixing of water masses – such 

as from inputs of water from point sources such as waste 

discharges and from precipitation. Evidence for mixing of 

water masses is observed in the specific conductance values, 

a measured value that is related to the dissolved ion content of 

the water. In the Raritan River example (fig. 55), the specific 

conductance decreased as DOC increased just after the large 

peak in discharge, indicating river water had mixed with water 

having high DOC but a low dissolved ion content, such as 

surface runoff.

The POC and DOC loads were calculated in the same 

manner as SS, for the sampled storms and low flow by interpolating concentrations between measured values and combining the concentrations with the 15-minute discharge data. The 

DOC load during storms ranged from 4,470 kg to 160,000 kg 

of carbon (table 61). Loads during low flow ranged from 5.92 

kg/d to 1,430 kg/d for POC, and 18.2 kg/d to 9,100 kg/d for 

DOC, respectively. The highest loads for low-flow discharge 

(table 62) were for the Passaic River on June 22, 2000, and 

again, were the result of the high daily discharge reported by 

the USGS gaging station for that date.

142 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Table 67. Sediment loads measured during sampled events and loads predicted using rating-curve method for selected rivers in 

New Jersey.

[ft3/s, cubic feet per second; MDD, mean daily discharge; kg, kilogram; B, low- flow event; S, storm flow; V, variable flow; MVUE, minimum variance unbiased estimator; MDD, mean daily discharge; POC, particulate organic carbon; DOC, dissolved organic carbon]

Date of 

sample 

collection

Flow 

regime

Storm 

magnitude

Maximum MDD for 

storm event 

(ft3

/s)

Measured load of 

sediment 

(kg)

Load of sediment from 

rating curve, 

uncorrected 

(kg)

Load of sediment from 

rating curve, 

corrected using MVUE 

(kg)

Raritan River

Apr. 13, 2001 S 6 2,930 1,540,000 1,034,000 1,317,000

Mar. 3, 2002 S 6 2,050 1,710,000 370,000 554,000

Mar. 21, 2002 S 6 5,430 5,900,000 2,230,000 3,290,000

Nov. 26, 2001 S 4 343 248,000 12,400 18,990

Dec. 9, 2001 S 4 409 22,700 9,500 14,500

Dec. 25, 2001 S 4 373 74,700 7,900 12,100

June 27, 2000 B 1 286 2,270 4,730 6,900

Oct. 4, 20011 B 1 180 2,230 1,940 2,190

Passaic River

Dec. 15, 2000 V 5 777 10,900 63,600 80,300

Mar. 14, 2001 S 6 2,200 531,000 1,190,000 1,470,000

June 22, 2000 B 5 821 32,200 56,700 52,700

Oct. 17, 2001 B 1 171 3,970 8,500 8,140

Rahway River

May 22, 2001 S 6 284 76,700 17,600 18,900

Apr. 28, 2002 S 7 324 66,900 24,700 25,000

Oct. 15, 2001 S 5 71 2,980 2,250 2,330

Nov. 26, 2001 S 5 89 22,700 3,370 1,960

Dec. 9, 2001 S 5 133 10,400 5,270 5,550

Dec. 24, 2001 S 5 99 9,150 3,260 3,610

June 28, 2000 B 1 25 211 497 579

Apr. 24, 2001 B 1 27 630 553 642

Elizabeth River

May 22, 2001 S 7 235 79,500 19,300 17,300

Dec. 8, 2001 S 5 55 6,590 2,570 2980

Dec. 24, 2001 S 5 54 6,320 1,650 1400

July 19, 2002 S 5 53 41,900 2,130 2410

June 29, 2000 B 1 11 120 138 182

Apr. 25, 2001 B 1 10 87 118 158

Hackensack River

June 23, 2000 B 1 14 151 364 570

Oct. 19, 2001 B 1 2.3 15.5 61.2 505

1

 Concentration of suspended sediment was estimated at 5 mg/L for this sample.

Tributary Loads of Sediment, Carbon, and Chemicals 143
Table 67. Sediment loads measured during sampled events and loads predicted using rating-curve method for selected rivers in 

New Jersey.—Continued

[ft3/s, cubic feet per second; MDD, mean daily discharge; kg, kilogram; B, low- flow event; S, storm flow; V, variable flow; MVUE, minimum variance unbiased estimator; MDD, mean daily discharge; POC, particulate organic carbon; DOC, dissolved organic carbon]

Date of 

sample collectionFlow 

regime

Storm 

magnitude

Maximum MDD 

for storm event

(ft3

/s)

POC load 

Measured

(kg)

POC load 

Predicted using 

rating curve

(kg)

DOC load 

Measured

(kg)

DOC load 

Predicted using 

rating curve

(kg)

Raritan River

Apr. 13, 2001 S 6 2,930 16,500 6,070 59,200 29,900

Mar. 3, 2002 S 6 2,050 79,300 3,780 42,200 20,200

Mar. 21, 2002 S 6 5,430 81,300 13,800 121,000 58,500

June 27, 2000 B 1 286 180 276 2,930 2,360

Oct. 4, 2001 B 1 118 983 86 1,700 900

Passaic River

Dec. 15, 2000 V 4 777 1,420 1,360 6,310 8,780

Mar. 14, 2000 S 6 2,200 28,500 3,310 160,000 24,900

June 22, 2000 B 5 821 1,430 1,430 9,090 9,280

Oct. 17, 2001 B 1 171 363 376 1,760 1,930

Rahway River

May 22, 2001 S 6 284 4,260 1,000 5,170 3,010

Apr. 28, 2002 S 7 324 4,600 1,200 6,440 3,460

June 28, 2000 B 1 25 16.4 43 209 235

Apr. 24, 2001 B 1 27 109 48 235 255

Elizabeth River

May 22, 2001 S 7 235 4,470 447 6,620 1,980

June 4, 2003 S 7 590 7,480 1,370 8,650 4,650

June 29, 2000 B 1 11 6.8 11 96 115

Apr. 24, 2001 B 1 10 23 10 100 105

1

 Concentration of suspended sediment was estimated at 5 mg/L for this sample.

4

3

2

1

0

20020317 20020318 20020319 20020320 20020321 20020322 20020323

DATE (YYYYMMDD)

9,000

8,000

7,000

6,000

5,000

4,000

3,000

2,000

1,000

0

CONCENTRATION OF SUSPENDED SEDIMENT, IN 

MILLIGRAMS PER DAY, OR SPECIFIC CONDUCTANCE

IN MICROSIEMENS PER CENTIMETER AT 

25 DEGREES CELSIUS

DISCHARGE, IN CUBIC FEET PER SECOND

Interpolated suspended 

 sediment

Measured suspended 

 sediment

Discharge

6

5

Figure 55. Discharge, specific conductance, and concentrations of dissolved organic carbon in the Raritan River at Bound Brook, NJ, 

March 18 to 23, 2001.

144 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Rating curves (table 68) were prepared for POC and 

DOC using data from the USGS NWIS database (fig. 56). 

Because of a lack of data, a meaningful rating curve could 

not be constructed for the Hackensack River, so for this river, 

a total carbon load was generated by multiplying the mean 

of the measured DOC and POC concentrations by the yearly 

discharge for the various time periods of interest. The DOC 

concentrations were found to be less scattered than the historical suspended-sediment data presented earlier (for example, 

compare fig. 54 and fig. 56).

Several characteristics regarding stream characteristics 

are noted in the calculated regression curves. The best-fit 

regression lines for the DOC rating curves (table 68) have 

slopes very close to 1 for all rivers. Thus, a 1:1 logarithmic 

relation is evident between the DOC load and the mean daily 

discharge. Slopes for POC regression lines are greater than 1 

for all rivers except the Passaic but are slightly less than the 

slopes calculated for SS (table 64). Thus, POC increased with 

discharge but at a slightly slower rate than SS. The significance of the low slope for POC in the Passaic River is curious 

and can not be explained at present. Also, the y-intercepts for 

the POC regression lines are smaller than the intercepts for the 

SS regression lines, reflecting the fact that the POC values at 

lowflow were consistently lower than the SS in these rivers. 

As was the case for SS, loads of POC and DOC for the sampled events that were estimated using the annual-load regression curves typically differ from the measured loads (table 66). 

Predicted loads are generally lower than the measured loads, 

especially for the larger magnitude discharge events.

DOC and POC loads were calculated for water years 

1988, 1994, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002 and for the 

average year using the mean daily discharge measurements 

from the respective USGS gaging stations. The predicted 

daily loads were corrected using the MVUE method described 

earlier before being summed to obtain yearly loads, and these 

corrected loads are presented along with the uncorrected loads 

for comparison (table 69 and 70). Average annual loads ranged 

from 14,400 to 866,000 kg/yr for POC, and 89,000 to 4.3 

million kg/yr for DOC. On the basis of the 25-year average 

values, the loads of POC were ranked in the following order:

•	 Elizabeth< <Rahway<Hackensack <<Passaic<Raritan.

Average loads for DOC were ranked in the following 

order:

•	 Elizabeth< Rahway <Hackensack < Raritan <Passaic.

Summing the POC and DOC results in total organic 

carbon loads (table 71) that ranged from 103,400 kg in the 

Elizabeth River up to 5,056,000 kg in the Raritan. Of these 

totals, POC represented between 12 and 34 percent of the total 

organic carbon transported in the rivers.

Because the regression coefficients are similar for the different rating curves, the yearly loads for SS, POC, and DOC 

in these rivers generally tracked with the magnitude of the 

water discharge in each of these rivers. However, characteristics unique to each river are found in the ratios of the loads of 

suspended sediment, POC, and DOC. The ratio of the average 

POC/SS load (table 72), calculated for the 25-year average 

discharge conditions, indicates that each gram of SS (a mix of 

inorganic and organic matter) in the Rahway River contained 

73 mg of carbon, but each gram of sediment carried by the 

Raritan River contained only 9.3 mg of carbon. Thus, particuTable 68. Calculated regression lines for predicting load of particulate organic carbon and dissolved organic carbon from discharge 

in selected rivers in New Jersey.

[POC, particulate organic carbon load, in kilograms per year; DOC, dissolved organic carbon load, in kilograms per year; Q, daily mean discharge, in million 

gallons per day; ln, natural logarithm; --, insufficient data were available to calculate regression lines; equations were calculated with low-flow data removed; 

regression lines were calculated to include the Maximum Variance Uncertainty Estimator transformation adjustment]

Sampling Site POC DOC

Raritan River at Bound Brook, N.J. ln POC = 1.327 * ln Q – 1.303, r2

 = 0.88 ln DOC = 1.090 * ln Q +2.079, r2 = 0.955

Passaic River at Little Falls, N.J. ln POC = 0.851 * ln Q + 1.926, r2

 = 0.67 ln DOC = 1.000 * ln Q +2.861, r2 = 0.936

Rahway River at Rahway, N.J. ln POC = 1.291 * ln Q + 0.179, r2

 = 0.88 ln DOC = 1.048 * ln Q + 2.547, r2 = 0.929

Elizabeth River at Elizabeth, N.J. ln POC = 1.218 * ln Q – 0.015, r2

 = 0.56 ln POC = 0.929 * ln Q +2.923, r2 = 0.668

Hackensack River at Oradell, N.J. -- --

Regression line

In Dissolved Organic Carbon Load = 

1.0907 In discharge + 2.0788 *

13

12

11

10

9

8

7

6

4 5 6 7 8 9 10

LN MEAN DAILY DISCHARGE, IN MILLIONS OF GALLONS PER DAY

LH DISSOLVED CARBON LOAD,

IN KILOGRAMS PER DAY

Figure 56. Relation between mean daily discharge and daily load 

of dissolved organic carbon in the Raritan River at Bound Brook, 

NJ. [ln, natural logarithm]

Tributary Loads of Sediment, Carbon, and Chemicals 145
Table 69. Estimated loads of particulate organic carbon in selected rivers in New Jersey.

[MVUE, maximum value unbiased estimator; WY, water year; --, insufficient data available to estimate loads]

River WY 1988 WY 1994 WY 1998 WY 1999 WY 2000 WY 2001 WY 2002

Average year 

(1975-2000)

MVUE corrected loads, in kilograms

Raritan 757,000 1,230,000 1,016,000 944,700 590,000 783,000 271,000 866,000

Passaic 629,000 740,000 798,000 476,200 701,000 594,000 173,000 589,000

Rahway 47,900 76,600 92,000 83,600 49,300 60,000 24,900 64,800

Elizabeth 10,100 12,500 13,900 11,300 11,000 12,000 6,350 14,400

Hackensack -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 113,0001

MVUE uncorrected loads, in kilograms

Raritan 681,000 1,130,000 928,000 903,000 525,000 707,000 240,000 767,000

Passaic 526,000 623,000 673,000 400,000 586,000 496,000 142,000 483,500

Rahway 45,200 72,800 87,600 82,000 46,200 56,800 23,400 60,900

Elizabeth 11,900 15,100 17,600 15,900 12,800 15,700 7,140 16,200

Hackensack -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

1

 Load for particulate organic carbon in the Hackensack River was estimated using a concentration of 2 milligrams per liter.

Table 70. Estimated loads of dissolved organic carbon in selected rivers in New Jersey.

[MVUE, maximum value unbiased estimator; --, Insufficient data available to estimate loads; WY, water year]

River WY 1988 WY 1994 WY 1998 WY 1999 WY 2000 WY 2001 WY 2002

Average year 

(1975-2000)

MVUE corrected loads, in kilograms

Raritan 3,713,000 5,360,000 4,584,000 3,719,000 3,081,000 3,750,000 1,500,000 4,190,000

Passaic 3,730,000 4,723,000 5,150,000 2,960,000 4,161,000 3,586,000 871,000 4,260,000

Rahway 166,000 244,000 280,000 219,000 181,000 199,000 91,600 205,000

Elizabeth 94,200 101,000 101,000 82,900 85,800 89,800 53,800 89,000

Hackensack -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 215,0001

MVUE uncorrected loads, in kilograms

Raritan 3,590,000 5,200,00 4,900,000 3,620,000 2,980,000 3,630,000 1,450,000 837,000

Passaic 3,540,000 4,490,000 4,900,000 2,820,000 3,940,000 3,400,000 825,000 4,040,000

Rahway 159,000 234,900 270,000 211,000 174,000 192,000 87,900 845,000

Elizabeth 79,800 95,900 104,000 86,600 86,400 92,700 53,300 88,200

Hackensack -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

1

 Load for dissolved organic carbon in the Hackensack River was calculated using a concentration of 3.8 milligrams per liter.

Table 71. Estimated average annual loads of total organic carbon in selected rivers in New Jersey.

[kg, kilograms]

River

Particulate organic 

carbon load1

(kg)

Dissolved organic 

carbon load1

(kg)

Total organic 

carbon load1

(kg)

Percent of total carbon 

load due to particulate 

organic carbon 

(kg)

Raritan 866,000 4,190,000 5,054,000 17

Passaic 589,000 4,260,000 4,849,000 12

Rahway 64,800 205,000 269,800 24

Elizabeth 14,400 89,000 103,400 14

Hackensack 113,000 215,0002 328,000 34

1

 Values are for the average year based on discharge record for the water years 1975-2000.

2

 For the Hackensack River, load of particulate organic carbon based on an estimated average concentration of 2 milligrams per liter POC; load of dissolved 

organic carbon based on an estimated average concentration of 3.8 milligrams per liter.

146 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
lates transported in the Rahway River contained the most (by 

weight) particulate organic matter; particulates carried by the 

Raritan River contain the lowest mass of organic carbon. Likewise, the low ratio of POC to DOC load in the Elizabeth and 

Passaic Rivers may indicate a source of high dissolved carbon 

existed in these river basins, for example, sewage outfalls or 

other sources of dissolved carbon.

Another useful descriptor of the rivers is the relative load 

of suspended sediment and organic carbon per unit volume of 

discharge delivered from the basin. These values are derived 

by dividing the estimated average annual loads of SS, POC, 

and DOC by the average annual discharges, in essence, the 

long-term (yearly) average concentrations of these components. Values calculated using the average discharge and average yearly loads (table 73) show that each million gallon of 

discharge in the Raritan River transported 334 kg of sediment, 

3.1 kg of POC, and 15 kg of DOC. The large average yearly 

concentrations of SS and carbon calculated for the Raritan River during WY 1999 were the result of a high annual 

discharge caused by hurricane “Floyd” that affected the area 

in September of 1999. Comparing the average yearly values 

shows the Raritan River transported roughly 3.7 times the 

amount of sediment as the Passaic River and roughly 5 times 

the mass in the Elizabeth and Rahway Rivers, and 12 times 

that in the Hackensack Rivers. An example of sediment-trapping behind dams is the low value for SS in the Hackensack 

River, which flows through the Oradell Reservoir immediately 

upstream of the sampling site. The lower sediment yield on 

the Passaic River may be a response to the water withdrawl 

system on this river or the presence of the Passaic River Great 

Swamp area (just upstream of the sampling site). Diverting 

water from the Passaic River would remove suspended sediment and POC and would reduce the ability of the river to 

transport materials. The values for sediment in the Rahway 

and Elizabeth Rivers are nearly equal, which was likely the 

result of the similar characteristics of these highly urbanized 

basins. However, the largest values for POC were found in the 

Rahway River, and the smallest were for the Elizabeth River. 

The long-term DOC concentrations were generally constant 

throughout the water years and were similar among the rivers.

Table 72. Average ratio of concentrations of particulate and 

dissolved organic carbon to suspended sediment in loads 

calculated for selected rivers in New Jersey water years 1988-

2001.

[SS, suspended sediment; POC, particulate organic carbon; DOC, dissolved 

organic carbon; g, gram; mg, milligrams]

River POC/SS 

(g POC/g SS)

POC/DOC 

(g POC/g DOC)

Raritan 9.3 x 10-3 0.21

Passaic 25 x 10-3 .14

Rahway 73 x 10-3 .32

Elizabeth 34 x 10-3 .16

Table 73. Suspended sediment, particulate organic carbon, and dissolved organic carbon loads normalized to discharge for 

selected rivers in New Jersey.

[WY, water year]

River WY 1988 WY 1994 WY 1998 WY 1999 WY 2000 WY 2001 WY 2002 Average year

Suspended Sediment, in kilograms per million gallons of discharge

Raritan 279 491 423 1,360 214 312 189 334

Passaic 105 115 116 114 105 108 91 90

Rahway 61 68 72 88 56 64 56 68 

Elizabeth 54 57 63 73 53 64 47 67

Hackensack 41 34 32 25 43 23 33 28

Particulate organic carbon, in kilograms per million gallons of discharge

Raritan 3.1 3.8 3.5 4.2 2.9 3.2 2.7 3.1

Passaic 3.1 2.9 2.8 2.9 3.1 3.0 3.7 2.3

Rahway 4.6 5.1 5.4 6.4 4.3 4.8 4.4 5.0

Elizabeth 1.8 1.9 1.9 1.8 1.8 1.9 1.8 2.3

Dissolved organic carbon, in kilograms per million gallons of discharge

Raritan 15 17 16 16 15 15 16 15

Passaic 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 17

Rahway 16 16 16 17 16 16 16 16

Elizabeth 17 15 14 13 14 14 14 14

Tributary Loads of Sediment, Carbon, and Chemicals 147
Tributary Loads of Chemicals

The estimated annual loads of sediment and carbon can 

be combined with the average chemical concentrations to estimate annual loads of each chemical or chemical class originating from the tributary basins.

Methods Used to Estimate Chemical Loads

A primary goal of this work was to accurately estimate 

the chemical loads in the rivers. Originally the plan was to 

measure loads in storms of various magnitudes and assign 

these loads to the numbers of storms (of each magnitude) 

during a time period of interest. Unfortunately, only a small 

number of storms were ultimately sampled because of the 

drought experienced in the area. Therefore, a second method 

was used wherein historic SS, POC, and discharge data were 

combined with the average concentrations of the chemicals of 

interest described earlier.

 Chemical loads are estimated using the present-day concentrations of chemicals, the measured volumetric water discharge, and the estimated loads of sediment or POC that were 

described earlier in this report. It should be realized that each 

variable has a degree of uncertainty associated with it, and that 

while chemical loads can be calculated for any time period 

of interest, it must be remembered that present-day chemical 

concentrations are only rough approximations of concentrations that existed in the past. Depending on the approximations 

made and the availability of data, the load estimates present 

here contain varying degrees of uncertainty.

The load for a chemical associated with particulate matter in a river over a defined period of time is given by a load 

equation similar to that described for sediment:

L C C Qdt chemical ss chemical

T

= ≡0

(33)

 where

Lchemical = load of chemical for time period 0 to T, in 

mass;

Q = volumetric discharge during time dt, in 

volume per time;

Css = concentration of SS or particulate carbon 

during period of interest, in mass per 

volume;

Cchemical = average concentration of chemical during 

period of interest, in mass per mass of 

sorbent;

0 = initial time; 

and

T	 =	 final time.

Dissolved loads are defined by removing the value of Css

from this (and subsequent) equations, and by replacing Cchemical

with the dissolved concentration in units of mass per volume 

of water. In reality, Css, Cchemical, and Q are functions of time as 

well.

The characteristics of the discharge and the sediment 

transport in rivers, and the types and amounts of data that 

can be collected, force the use an approximation to the load 

integral. Concentrations of chemicals, sediment, and POC 

may vary considerably as river discharge varies and may vary 

independently of one another. If a sufficient number of Css 

and Cchemical measurements are made, separated by short 

time intervals, then a sufficiently accurate load estimate can be 

made using the following approximation to the load integral:

L C C IQ t ss i chemical i i t

n

= • = , , 1

(34)

where

L = time “integrated” load of chemical for the 

time period of interest, T, in mass;

Css,i = concentration of suspended sediment (or 

particulate carbon) during the time interval 

I, in mass per volume;

Cchemical, i = concentration of chemical associated with 

the particulate phase during time period i, 

in mass per mass of sorbent;

Qi = discharge during interval I, in volume per 

time;

∆t = discrete time interval; and

n = number of discrete intervals sampled 

during time period of interest.

This approximation typically is used to estimate loads of 

chemicals that are inexpensive and/or easy to measure, thereby 

allowing sufficient data to be collected to provide acceptable 

resolution and accuracy in the estimated loads. However, in 

most studies, only a few data points will be available to define 

Cchemical , even though numerous measurements of Css are 

available. For chemicals that are difficult or expensive to measure, such as those studied in this work, typically only a few 

chemical data points will be available. A composite sample is 

then relied on that provides an “average” concentration that 

characterizes the river at any discharge. A further approximation is then needed to estimate the total load-making concentrations of chemicals independent of time:

L C C C IQ t est chemical i ss i chemical i i t

n

= = • = , , , 1 C L contaminant, , ss ss i (35)

where

Lest = estimated load, in mass;

Ccontamint, ss = “average” concentration of chemical in 

suspended particulate matter, in mass per 

mass of sediment or carbon; 

and

Lss,i = load of suspended sediment or particulate 

carbon for time period of interest.

For dissolved phase chemicals, the approximation is:

Lest = Cchemical, dQt (36)

148 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
where

Qt = the volumetric discharge for the time 

period of interest; and

Cchemical, d = an estimation of the concentration of 

dissolved chemical of interest, in mass per 

volume.

The different approximations of the load integral will 

provide different degrees of uncertainties in estimated loads. 

Concentrations of chemicals (dissolved and sediment bound) 

are expected to vary by perhaps an order of magnitude or 

less. Discharge is usually known to a relatively high degree of 

accuracy due to the nature of USGS gaging systems. Ultimately, the uncertainty in load estimates is controlled by the 

uncertainty in sediment-load estimation, which is typically a 

fairly large number. As discussed previously, the rating-curve 

method used to estimate daily sediment load is a second-order 

approximation method, with an accuracy that improves with 

the number of SS analyses available to produce the regression 

curve. Even with sufficient data points, the accuracy of a rating curve is likely to be biased low by some unknown amount 

because of the fact that typically one concentration is used to 

calculate each daily load.

Uncertainty is also inherited from the calculated best-fit 

rating-curve equation. For example, as a measure of the precision of the rating-curve estimation, the 95-percent confidence 

band was calculated for the Rartian River data (fig. 54) using 

the equations in Steel and Torrie (1980). The smallest error, 

+/-0.22 log units, or +/- 46,000 kg/d, was associated with the 

median discharge value of 361 Mgal/d and represented an 

uncertainty of approximately 22 percent in the predicted load 

at this discharge. At the largest discharge for which measured 

SS data exists (3,689 Mgal/d), the error in the predicted load 

was +/-343,900 kg/d, which was equivalent to 57 percent of 

the predicted load. An estimated error in the loads predicted 

for this river would fall between these values, becoming greatest near the ends of the discharge spectrum and smallest near 

the mean discharge. Because of the fewer SS data available 

to construct the rating-curve equations, the uncertainties in 

the uppermost predicted loads for the Rahway, Elizabeth, and 

Hackensack Rivers were as high as 50 percent. In general, an 

uncertainty of roughly 30 percent is assumed reasonable for 

the sediment loads predicted in this work.

The uncertainty in chemical loads is also a function of 

the uncertainty in analytical concentration values. Although 

each chemical measurement may have a suitable accuracy and 

precision (+/- 10 to 15 percent, Bonin and Wilson, 2006), the 

fact that only a few analyses were ultimately available to be 

averaged into a single concentration introduced an unknown 

amount of uncertainty in loads. The concentrations reported 

here may not be representative of concentrations throughout 

the year and were certainly not representative of past (or 

future) conditions. However, concentration values were very 

small compared with the water and sediment discharges and 

are likely to be fairly representative of the average annual 

concentrations. Another factor affecting the estimated total 

chemical load is the use of the EDLs (or one-half the EDL) 

for nondetected concentrations. The analytical methods and 

large volume samples used in this work resulted in very low 

detection levels. Replacing nondetected values with EDLs is 

likely to have increased the total chemical load over the load 

that would result if nondetected values were dropped from the 

data. In spite of the sensitive analytic methods employed in 

this work, replacing nondetected values by one-half the EDL 

may have caused substantial increases for dissolved PCBs and 

PAHs. For example, the sample collected from the Hackensack River (June 23, 2000) had a total PCB concentration of 

647 pg/L (table 74) (using one-half EDL and no blank correction), of which 74 percent (481 pg/L) were concentrations of 

detected congeners (“hits”). The blank-elimination procedure 

Table 74. Contribution to total concentration from estimated detection levels for dissolved polychlorinated biphenyls in a sample 

collected from the Hackensack River, New Jersey, on June 23, 2000.

[EDL, estimated detection limit; values in picograms per liter]

Homolog group

All data, ND = 1⁄2 EDL, 

Not blank eliminated

Blank eliminated data 

set, ND = 1⁄2 EDL 

Detected concentrations only, blank 

eliminated data set 

Blank eliminated concentrations only Total of the 1⁄2 EDL 

values only 

Mono + Di 83 29 15 54 14

Tri 161 162 162 0 0

Tetra 205 187 177 19 8

Penta 94 94 88 0 5

Hexa 50 50 31 0 19

Hepta 31 31 8 0 23

Octa 17 17 0 0 17

Nona 4 4 0 0 4

Deca 2 2 0 0 2

Total PCB 647 576 481 73 95

Percent of total PCB 

in “all data” set 100 89 84 11 15

Tributary Loads of Sediment, Carbon, and Chemicals 149
described earlier removed about 11 percent (73 pg/L) of this 

total, whereas the replacement of the nondetected values by 

one-half the EDL added 15 percent (95 pg/L) to the total PCB 

in this sample (table 74). As can be seen in the breakdown of 

these values by homolog group, blank elimination generally 

affected the lighter homologs, and nondetected values were 

mainly from the heavier homolog groups. These were typical 

percentages of blank elimination and nondetected values in the 

dissolved samples; sediment samples were not greatly affected 

by blank elimination and nondetected values. As a result of the 

replacement of nondetects by their (one-half) EDL, approximately 10 to 20 percent of the load of dissolved total PCBs in 

any river may be the result of the EDL values used. Considering all these factors, the level of uncertainty to the chemical 

loads was obtained from the uncertainty in sediment loads and 

was assumed to be 30 percent of the reported value.

Estimates of the dissolved and particulate-bound chemical loads for the discrete storm or low-flow events sampled 

were calculated using equation 34. Estimates of annual sediment-bound and dissolved chemical loads for water years 

between 1988 and 2002, the water years of interest to the NJ 

DEP (New Jersey Department of Environmmental Protection, 

2001) were calculated using equation 35 and 36, respectively. 

Because the river discharge in New Jersey varied widely 

during the selected years, it was difficult to compare among 

the various tributaries. A more representative base mark of 

the loads was the “average year,” which was calculated using 

the mean daily discharge and average loads of sediment and 

POC for the water years 1975 to 2000, as discussed previously. These “average year” sediment loads, the average 

annual water discharge, and the present-day average chemical 

concentrations were used to obtain the chemical loads for each 

river for an “average” year. It should emphasized that the true 

chemcial load over this period cannot be defined because the 

present-day concentrations do not represent past concentrations in these rivers. Nontheless, the “average” values presented a useful measure to compare among rivers.

Polychlorinated Biphenyls

The loads of sediment and dissolved total PCBs were 

calculated for each storm and base-flow event sampled 

(table 75). The total PCB concentrations used were the sum 

of the individual congener concentrations in the blank-eliminated data set with nondetected values replaced by one-half 

the reported EDL. The PCB loads (table 75) are tabulated in 

order of increasing total volume discharge for storm events, 

or the average daily discharge for the low-flow events. The 

storm event on the Elizabeth River, June 4, 2003, transported 

the largest total load of PCBs (234 g), of which 230 g of PCB 

were associated with the sediment and 4 g were dissolved 

PCBs. By far, the largest sediment, and total PCB load (12 

g/day) during low flow conditions were in the Passaic River 

(June, 2000). As expected, a strong positive relation exists 

between the magnitude of discharge and the dissolved PCB 

loads in each river. The relation between sediment-bound 

load and discharge is more complicated because of the fact 

that sediment loads are not linearly related to discharge. This 

independence between discharge and sediment load during a 

storm results in large changes in the relative contributions of 

the sediment and dissolved phase to the total chemical loads 

during each storm. In contrast, the use of a “rating” curve to 

estimate daily or annual sediment loads forces a logarithmic 

relation to exist between daily discharge and daily sediment 

load, and thus, sediment-bound chemical load.

As a measure of the importance of the storm discharges 

in transporting chemicals in these rivers, the number of 

equivalent base-flow days was calculated for each event. 

Equivalent base-flow days were calculated by dividing the 

total load for the event by the smallest load measured on each 

river during low-flow conditions. The equivalent base-flow 

days represented the number of days of low-flow discharge 

needed to deliver the same mass of chemicals transported 

during a storm. For example, the largest sampled storm event 

on the Raritan River (March 21, 2002) moved as much PCBs 

as were transported in 580 days of low flow (table 75). By 

definition, low-flow conditions are when discharge is at a level 

that is exceeded 90 percent of each year, so low-flow conditions occur 36.5 days each year. Therefore, this single storm 

delivered as much PCB from the basin as would be transported 

in nearly 16 years of low flow. In the smaller Elizabeth River 

where the concentrations of PCB are much higher, the largest 

storm event that was sampled (June 4, 2003) also transported a 

load of PCB equivalent to 573 days, or 15.6 years of low flow, 

nearly identical to the value in the much larger Raritan River.

The relative contribution of the dissolved and sedimentbound loads to the total load is demonstrated by calculating 

the ratio of the loads during the events (table 75). This ratio is 

found to vary as a function of storm magnitude (measured by 

peak discharge reached), demonstrating how the two phases 

vary in importance in the chemical transport. For example, in 

the Raritan River, the ratio of particulate load to dissolved load 

was much less than 1 for the low-discharge events, showing 

that the water was most important in transporting PCBs to 

the estuary under these conditions. As the “magnitude” of the 

storm increased (measured by the peak discharge reached), the 

particle load / dissolved load ratio increased, until a maximum was reached. In the Raritan River, a maximum ratio of 

19 was reached, indicating that roughly 20 times more PCBs 

(by mass) were transported with the particulate phase than 

with the dissolved phase. As the size of the event increased 

further, the ratio declined and the dissolved phase gained in 

importance. A variation in relative importance of each phase in 

transporting PCBs also was indicated in the loads for the other 

rivers, but more samples would be needed to determine if this 

relation holds, especially for the Passaic River.

The annual dissolved and sediment-bound PCB loads 

for selected water years were calculated (table 76) using the 

average concentrations of total PCB in the sediment and 

water (table 12), the annual average discharge (table 65), and 

average annual sediment loads (table 67). The total yearly 

discharge was determined from daily mean discharge recorded 

150 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Table 75. Estimated loads of polychlorinated biphenyls in samples collected during storms and low-flow conditions in selected rivers in New Jersey.

[Mgal, million gallons; Mgal/d, million gallons per day; ng/g nanograms per gram; pg/L, picograms per liter; g/d, grams per day; g, grams; B, low flow; S, stormflow; V, variable discharge; PCB, polychlorinated biphenyls]

Date

Flow 

regime and 

magnitude1

Volume of 

discharge 

(Mgal or 

Mgals/d)

Suspended 

sediment load2

(kg or kg/day)

Suspended 

sediment PCB concentration 

(ng/g)

Dissolved PCB 

concentration 

(pg/L)

Suspended 

sediment 

PCB load3

(g or g/d)

Dissolved 

PCB load3

(g or g/d)

Total PCB 

load3

(g or g/d) 

Equivalent 

base-flow 

(days)

Ratio of sediment load/dissolved load

Raritan River

Oct. 4, 2001 B-1 118 2,230 10.5 511 0.02 0.23 0.25 1 0.09June 27, 2000 B-1 188 2,270 70.2 980 .16 .70 .86 3.4 .23Apr. 13, 2001 S-6 3,850 1,541,000 58.2 1,110 93 16 109 436 5.8

Mar. 3, 2002 S-6 3,220 1,710,000 65.9 473 113 5.8 119 476 19

Mar. 21, 2002 S-6 7,520 5,900,000 18.4 1,340 109 38 145 580 2.8

Passaic River

Oct. 17, 2001 B-1 112 3,960 256 1,910 1.01 .82 1.8 1 1.2June 22, 2000 B-1 540 32,200 251 1,870 8.1 3.8 12 6.7 2.1

Dec 15, 2000 V-5 444 10,900 5,400 1,100 59 1.9 61 34 31

March 14, 2001 S-6 11,500 531,000 238 1,300 126 57 183 100 2.2

Rahway River

June 28, 2000 B-1 16.4 211 831 1,750 .17 .11 .28 1 1.5

Apr. 24, 2001 B-1 17.7 630 277 1,490 .18 .11 .29 1 1.5May 22, 2001 S-6 276 76,700 203 1,160 13 1.2 14 50 11

Apr. 28, 2002 S-7 349 66,900 376 1,090 25 1.4 26 93 18

Elizabeth River

Apr. 25, 2001 B-1 6.56 82 3,050 6,580 0.25 .16 .41 1 1.6June 29, 2000 B-1 7.22 120 2,320 7,840 .28 0.21 .49 1.2 1.3May 22, 2001 S-7 221 79,500 725 3,080 58 2.6 61 146 922

June 4, 2003 S-7 459 61,100 3,750 2,680 230 4.7 235 573 50

Hackensack River

July 19, 2002 B-1 2.91 113 113 896 .01 .01 .02 1 1

June 23, 2000 B-1 9.05 151 65.5 576 .01 .02 .03 1.5 .5

Mar. 13, 2001 Tidal 7.11 543 168 1,090 .09 .03 .12 6 3

1 Magnitude of flow refers to discharge distribution listed in table 61.2 Discharge and sediment loads for each sampled event are presented in table 61.3 Loads calculated for storm events are in units of grams. Loads calculated for low-flow events are in units of grams per day.

Tributary Loads of Sediment, Carbon, and Chemicals 151
at USGS gaging stations. The average yearly loads (for water 

years 1975 to 2000) also were calculated.

The largest loads of sediment-bound and dissolved total 

PCBs (table 76) were on the Passaic River for all years except 

during WY 1999 (sediment) and WY2002 (dissolved), when 

the largest loads were on the Raritan River. This was the result 

of a single, very large discharge event associated with a hurricane in September 1999, which apparently affected the Raritan 

River Basin more than the Passaic River Basin. The low total 

loads on all rivers during the 2000 water year were the result 

of a drought during this time.

Average annual sediment-bound PCB loads were highest 

in the Passaic River (5,600 g/yr) and lowest in the Hackensack River (35 g/yr). Dissolved loads ranged from 1,600 g 

in the Passaic River down to 39 g in the Hackensack River. 

Average annual loads for total PCB ranged from 74 g in the 

Hackensack up to 7,200 g in the Passaic River. In an average 

year, a total of 14 kg of PCBs was estimated to be delivered to 

Newark and Raritan Bays by these tributaries.

The relative contribution of the particulate-bound PCBs 

to the total PCB load and the contributions of the individual 

PCB homologs to the load also were calculated (table 77). The 

average homolog distribution (table 13) and the average sediment PCB concentration (table 12) were used in these calculations. Particulate-bound PCBs contributed from 47 percent of 

the total PCBs in the Hackensack River up to 90 percent in the 

Elizabeth River. The low percentage in the Hackensack River 

was the result of the lack of storm-event data and the sediment 

trapping in the Oradell Reservoir. During low-flow discharge, 

the distribution of PCB load between the two phases was 

nearly equal in all the rivers, which was the result of the low 

SS/water ratio that existed in rivers during low flow. This 

occurs in spite of the much higher concentrations (per equal 

mass) of PCBs in the sediment phase. The PCBs in the sediment phase were dominated (greater than 32 percent) by the 

penta-chloro congeners in all rivers except the Elizabeth, 

where roughly 31 percent of the sediment PCB load consisted 

of the hexachloro- and 24 percent by the hepta-chloro congeners. As discussed previously, the PCB congener makeup of 

the Elizabeth River sediment differed from the makeup of the 

other studied rivers in that the hexa- and hepta-chlorinated 

congeners dominate.

Table 76. Estimated loads of sediment-bound and dissolved phase polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) for water years 1988 through 

2002, and for the average annual discharge in selected rivers in New Jersey.

[WY, water year; --, not applicable; load values in grams]

River

Load, in grams Contribution to 

average annual 

load 

WY1988 WY1994 WY1998 WY1999 WY2000 WY2001 WY2002 (percent)

Average 

annual

Suspended sediment PCBs

 Raritan 3,000 7,100 5,200 13,500 1,900 3,300 860 4,100 82

Passaic 5,300 7,400 8,200 4,600 5,900 5,300 1,100 5,600 78

Rahway 260 420 512 480 270 330 130 370 84

Elizabeth 730 950 1,200 1,110 775 1,040 410 1,000 90

Hackensack 15 40 43 18 29 27 .62 35 47 

Total for WY 9,300 16,000 15,000 20,000 8,900 10,000 2,500 11,000 --

Dissolved PCBs

Raritan 790 1,100 900 740 670 790 340 920 18

Passaic 1,300 1,600 1,800 1,000 1,400 1,200 300 1,600 22

Rahway 53 77 88 67 58 63 30 67 16

Elizabeth 100 130 140 120 110 120 67 120 10

Hackensack 11 34 40 21 20 34 .56 39 53

Total for WY 2,300 3,000 3,000 2,000 2,300 2,300 740 2,700 --

Total PCBs

Raritan 3,800 8,300 6,200 14,000 2,600 4,100 1,200 5,000 --

Passaic 6,600 9,000 9,900 5,600 7,300 6,500 1,400 7,200 --

Rahway 320 510 610 550 330 400 170 440 --

Elizabeth 830 1,100 1,300 1,200 890 1,200 480 1,150 --

Hackensack 27 75 85 40 50 64 1.2 74 --

Total for WY 11,000 19,000 18,000 22,000 11,000 12,000 3,200 14,000 --

Percent contribution to total load 

from sediment 

(percent)

85 84 83 91 81 83 78 79 --

152 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Dioxins, Furans, and Dioxin-Like Polychlorinated 

Biphenyls

The estimated loads of sediment-bound dioxins and 

furans for the sampled storms and for low flow events were 

calculated in units of total mass and toxic equivalencies 

(TEQs) (table 78), using the data from table 19. Annual loads 

were calculated as the product of the average total concentrations (table 20) or the average total TEQ values for dioxins, 

furans, and co-planar PCBs (table 22 and 23) and the estimated annual sediment loads (MVUE corrected, table 67) 

for the respective river and years. The total concentrations 

were calculated by summing all 2,3,7,8 substituted CDD and 

CDFs concentrations in the blank-eliminated data set with the 

nondetected values replaced by one-half the reported EDL. 

The average TEQs are the sums of the TEQs for the individual 

dioxins (CDDs), furans (CDFs), and the co-planar PCBs in the 

average sediment composition. TEQ loads represent the mass 

of 2,3,7,8-TCDD needed to generate an equivalent toxicity to 

that of the mixture of CDDs, CDFs, and PCBs in the suspended sediment. The contribution to the sediment toxicity by 

the PCBs is important because the PCB content in these rivers 

greatly exceeded the dioxin and furan content.

The total mass of sediment-bound CDD+CDFs delivered 

by the storms ranged from a high of 44 g in the Raritan River 

storm (Apr. 13, 2001) down to 0.46 g in the Rahway River 

storm on May 22, 2001 (table 78). During low-flow periods, 

the total CDD+CDF loads ranged from 0.33 g/d in the Passaic 

River down to less than 0.001 g/d (1 mg/d) in the Hackensack 

River. The largest storm load in the Raritan River carried a 

total CDD+CDF load equivalent to 11,000 days of low-flow 

discharge. When calculated as TEQs, the rivers transported 

very low total toxicity loads. The largest storm on the Raritan 

River transported 69 mg (as 2,3,7,8-TCDD) of TEQ; in all 

rivers, the low-flow discharges carried TEQ loads of approximately 2 mg or less (table 78).

The mass loads of the CDD plus CDFs calculated for the 

average yearly sediment load ranged from slightly over 2.2 

g/y for the Hackensack River up to 1,070 g/yr in the Raritan River (tables 79 and 80). Mass loads for the dioxin like 

co-planar PCBs range from 4.7 g/yr in the Hackensack River 

up to 570 g/yr in the Passaic River (table 80). The co-planar 

PCBs contribute between 31 percent (Raritan River) and 92 

percent (Elizabeth River) of the total PCDD+PCDF+co-planar 

PCB mass (table 80). The dioxin-like PCBs are from the tetrathrough hepta-chlorinated congener groups, and as discussed 

previously, the majority of the mass of the 2,3,7,8-substituted 

dioxins and furans in these rivers was from octa-dioxin 

(OCDD) (82 to 95 percent of total CDD+CDF mass, figure 

17) and octa-difuran (OCDF), and followed to a lesser extent 

by the hepta-chlorinated dioxin congeners.

Average annual loads calculated as total TEQs (from 

CDD plus CDF) ranged from 9 mg/yr in the Hackensack River 

up to 1,340 mg/yr in the Raritan River (table 79 and 80). The 

co-planar PCBs add additional toxicity, ranging from 2 mg/yr 

in the Hackensack River up to 510 mg/yr in the Raritan River. 

Total TEQ values, which is the sum of the CDD, CDF, and 

co-plananr toxicity values for the average annual discharge 

conditions range from 11 mg/yr in the Hackensack River up 

to 1,900 mg/yr in the Raritan, and fall in the order Hackensack River <Rahway River <Elizabeth River <Passaic River 

<Raritan River.

Table 77. Contribution of sediment-bound polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) homologs to the total polychlorinated biphenyl load for the 

average annual discharge in selected rivers in New Jersey.

[Values in percent of total mass unless noted; PCB, polychlorinated biphenyl]

Homolog group

Raritan 

River

Passaic 

River

Rahway 

River

Elizabeth 

River

Hackensack 

River

Percent of total suspended sediment load

mono + di 0.73 1.7 0.47 1.4 1.6

tri 3.3 10 5.9 6.9 4.1

tetra 16 26 20 12 21

penta 36 32 36 17 40

hexa 25 18 24 31 23

hepta 13 7.4 10 24 8.2

octa 4.2 2.5 3.1 6.2 2.3

nona 1.1 .81 .56 1.0 .60

deca .70 .51 .27 .44 .31

Total PCB sediment load, in grams 4,130 5,630 366 1,030 35

Total PCB load, in grams 5,060 7,200 438 1,150 74

Contribution of sediment-bound 

PCBs to total PCB load, in percent 82 78 84 90 47

Tributary Loads of Sediment, Carbon, and Chemicals 153
Table 78. Estimated loads of polychlorinated dioxins and difurans in samples collected during storms and low-flow conditions in 

selected rivers in New Jersey.

[Mgal, million gallons; Mgal/d, million gallons per day; pg/g picograms per gram; kg/d, kilograms per day; g/d, grams per day; B, low flow; S, storm flow; V, 

variable discharge; TEQ, toxic equivalency quotient]

Date

Flow 

regime and 

magnitude1

Volume of 

discharge2

(Mgal or Mgal/d)

Suspended 

sediment 

load2

(kg or kg/d)

Suspended 

sediment 

CDD +CDF 

(pg/g)

Suspended 

sediment TEQ 

(pg/g)

PCDD+PCDF 

suspended 

sediment 

load3

(grams or g/d)

PCDD+PCDF 

suspended 

sediment TEQ 

load3

(grams or g/d)

Raritan River

June 27, 2000 B-1 188 2,270 13,700 22.2 0.03 5.0 x 10-5

Oct. 4, 2001 B-1 118 2,230 1,590 6.45 .004 1.4 x 10-5

Apr. 13, 2001 S-6 3,850 1,541,000 28,700 28.8 44.4 4.4 x 10-2

Mar. 3, 2002 S-6 3,220 1,710,000 10,800 12.7 18.5 2.2 x 10-2

Mar. 21, 2002 S-6 7,520 5,900,000 2,630 2.92 15.5 1.7 x 10-2

Passaic River

Oct. 17, 2001 B-1 112 3,960 13,200 32.5 0.052 1.3 x 10-4

June 22, 2000 B-1 540 32,200 10,100 24.4 .33 7.9 x 10-4

4

Dec.15, 2000 V-5 444 10,900 12,500 277 .14 3.0 x 10-3

March 14, 2001 S-6 11,500 531,000 11,100 28.1 5.9 1.5 x 10-2

Rahway River

June 28, 2000 B-1 16.4 211 23,100 88.7 .005 1.9 x 10-5

Apr. 24, 2001 B-1 17.7 630 7,620 32.9 .005 2.1 x 10-5

May 22, 2001 S-6 276 76,700 5,980 23.6 .46 1.8 x 10-3

Apr. 28, 2002 S-7 349 66,900 9,930 32.3 .66 2.2 x 10-3

Elizabeth River

June 29, 2000 B-1 7.22 120 18,200 101 .002 1.2 x 10-5

Apr. 25, 2001 B-1 6.56 82 29,100 180 .002 1.5 x 10-5

May 22, 2001 S-7 221 79,500 10,300 47.0 .82 3.8 x 10-3

June 4, 2003 S-7 459 61,100 57,800 209 3.5 1.3 x 10-2

Hackensack River

June 23, 2000 B-1 9.05 151 3,420 11.5 0.0005 1.7 x 10-6

July 19, 2002 B-1 2.91 113 7,870 32.4 .001 3.7 x 10-6

Mar. 13, 2001 Tidal 7.11 543 9,500 47.4 .005 2.6 x 10-5

1

 Magnitude of flow refers to discharge distribution listed in table 6.

2

 Discharge and sediment loads for each sampled event are presented in table 61.

3

 Loads calculated for storm events are in units of grams. Loads calculated for low-flow events are in units of grams per day.

4

 Values for Dec. 15, 2000 samples were not included in calculating average concentration values.

154 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Table 79. Estimated loads of sediment-bound dioxin, difurans, and co-planar polychlorinated biphenyls for water years 1988 through 

2002, and for the average annual discharge in selected rivers in New Jersey

[WY, water year; --, not applicable; <, less than]

River WY1988 WY1994 WY1998 WY1999 WY2000 WY2001 WY2002 Average 

annual

Suspended sediment CDD+CDF load, in grams

Raritan 770 1,900 1,400 3,500 500 850 220 1,070

Passaic 250 340 380 210 280 250 49 260

Rahway 7.3 12 14 13 7.4 9.2 3.8 10

Elizabeth 8.5 11 14 13 9.1 12 4.8 12

Hackensack 1.0 2.5 2.7 1.1 1.8 1.7 <0.01 2.2

Total for WY 1,040 2,270 1,810 3,740 800 1,120 278 1,350

Suspended sediment TEQ load, from CDD+CDF, in grams as 2,3,7,8-TCDD

Raritan .97 2.3 1.7 4.4 .62 1.1 .30 1.3

Passaic .59 .82 .90 .51 .66 .58 .12 .62

Rahway .028 .045 .054 .051 .028 .035 .014 .039

Elizabeth .040 .052 .063 .061 .043 .057 .022 .056

Hackensack .004 .010 .011 .004 .007 .007 <.001 .009

Total for WY 1.62 3.2 2.7 4.9 1.4 1.7 .43 2.1

Total TEQ load, co-planar PCBs, in grams as 2,3,7,8-TCDD

Raritan .38 .90 .66 1.70 .24 .42 .11 .52

Passaic .24 .33 .36 .20 .26 .24 .047 .25

Rahway .012 .020 .024 .022 .012 .015 .006 .017

Elizabeth .020 .025 .031 .030 .021 .028 .011 .028

Hackensack .001 .002 .003 .001 .002 .002 <.001 .002

Total for WY .65 1.3 1.1 1.9 .54 .70 .17 .82

Total TEQ load, CDD+CDF plus co-planar PCBs, in grams as 2,3,7,8-TCDD

Raritan 1.3 3.2 2.4 6.1 .87 1.5 .38 1.8

Passaic .83 1.2 1.3 .71 .92 .82 .17 .87

Rahway .040 .064 .078 .073 .040 .050 .020 .056

Elizabeth .060 .077 .082 .091 .065 .075 .033 .084

Hackensack .005 .012 .013 .005 .009 .008 <.001 .011

Total for WY 2.2 4.6 3.9 6.8 1.9 2.4 .60 2.8

Tributary Loads of Sediment, Carbon, and Chemicals 155
The percentage of the toxicity in these loads resulting 

from co-planar PCBs was from 18 percent in the Hackensack 

River up to 33 percent in the Elizabeth River. In the Rahway 

and Elizabeth Rivers, where the highest concentrations of the 

co-planar PCBs were measured (table 80) the percent contributions from co-planar PCBs in the average annual load was 

nearly equal at 30 and 33 percent, respectively. These estimates show the importance of considering the co-planar PCBs, 

dissolved and sediment bound, when evaluating dioxin toxicity in these rivers, because the PCBs can account for roughly 

one-third of the estimated total TEQ values.

 Because the dissolved dioxin and furan concentrations 

were not measured, it was not possible to calculate the relative 

contribution of dioxin loads by the two phases. Generally, the 

vast majority of CDD and CDF compounds were expected to 

partition into the sediment phase, and in early trials measurable dissolved concentrations could not be found.

However, an estimate can be made of the dissolved 

dioxin/difuran loads in the rivers. One sample of dissolved 

XAD (1USG00020SA) was collected from the Passaic River 

on March 14, 2001. The results of this analysis are presented 

in table 81.

Most of the CDD/CDF compounds in this 121 liter 

sample were not detected. OCDD and OCDF were measured 

in the highest mass in the XAD sample (260 pg and 38 pg, 

respectively). In this sample (table 81), the measured total 

concentrations (3.0 pg/L) results in a total CDD+CDF disolved load for the Passaic River of roughly 3 grams per year 

of CDD+CDF mass, which is slightly greater than 1 percent 

of the sediment-bound CDD+CDF load in this river. This 

supports that dissolved dioxin-difurans contribute negliable 

amounts to the total load in these rivers.

Table 80. Loads of dioxin, furans, and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls estimated for the average annual discharge in selected 

rivers in New Jersey.

[TEQ, toxic equivalencies, as 2,3,7,8-TCDD; CDD, polychlorinated dioxins; CDF, polychlorinated difurans; PCB, polychlorinated biphenyls]

River

Total CDD Load 

(grams)

Total CDF load 

(grams)

Total dioxin-like 

PCB load 

(grams)

Total load 

(grams)

Contributed to total load 

by dioxin-like PCBs 

(percent)

Raritan 1,050 15 500 1,600 31

Passaic 250 13 570 830 69

Rahway 9.5 .71 37 47 79

Elizabeth 11 1.0 110 120 92

Hackensack 2.0 .20 4.7 6.9 68

Total 1,320 30 1,200 2,600 46

River

TEQ from CDD 

(grams)

TEQ from CDF 

(grams)

TEQ from 

dioxin-like PCB 

(grams)

Total TEQ load 

(grams)

Contribution to total TEQ 

load by dioxin-like PCBs 

(percent)

Raritan 0.88 0.46 0.51 1.9 27

Passaic .38 .25 .25 .88 28

Rahway .019 .020 .017 .056 30

Elizabeth .033 .023 .028 .084 33

Hackensack .005 .004 .002 .011 18

Total 1.3 .75 .81 2.9 28

Table 81. Concentrations of dissolved dioxin and difuran 

compounds in a sample collected from the Passaic River, N.J.

[pg/L, picograms per liter; -- not detected; U, compound not detected at or 

above the estimated detection level; B, compound found in method blank; J, 

value less than lowest standard used]

Compound

Concentration 

(pg/L) Flag

Estimated 

detection level 

(pg/L)

2,3,7,8-TCDD -- U 0.12

1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD -- U .06

1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDD -- U .06

1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDD -- U .07

1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDD -- U .06

1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD 0.48 B J .10

OCDD 2.1 B J .13

2,3,7,8-TCDF -- U .11

2,3,7,8-TCDF -- U .04

2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF -- U .04

1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDF -- U .03

2,3,4,6,7,8-HxCDF .033 B J .03

1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDF .049 B J .04

1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDF -- U .05

1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF .065 B J .04

1,2,3,4,7,8,9-HpCDF -- U .07

OCDF .29 B J .10

Total 3.0 -- --

156 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

Loads calculated for the PAHs in the individual storms 

and low-flow events sampled in this study are presented in 

table 82. Estimates of annual loads in the rivers (table 83) 

were made using the average chemical compositions (table 

30 and 31), the average yearly annual discharge (table 65), 

and the average yearly estimated sediment loads (table 67). 

The average concentrations were calculated using the blankeliminated data set with the non-detected values replaced by 

one-half the reported EDL.

The total sediment-bound PAH load for the storm events 

sampled (table 82) ranged from 25.5 kg in the Passaic River 

storm (Mar. 14, 2001) down to .31 kg in the Rahway River 

storm (May 22, 2001) (excluding the high load in the Raritan 

River, where the average concentrations was influenced by 

a questionable concentration). The percentage of these total 

loads due to sediment-bound PAHs was variable within and 

among the rivers. For example, during the April 13 2001 storm 

on the Raritan River, 91 pecent of the total load was calculated 

to be due to sediment-bound PAHs, while in the Mar. 21, 2002 

storm, 63 percent was attributed to the transport of sediment. 

During low-flow discharge, total sediment-bound PAH loads 

were estimated to be from 42 g/d in the Passaic River down to 

roughly 0.085 g/d in the Hackensack River. Again, the contribution to the total load by sediment-bound PAHs was highly 

variable within and among the rivers.

The total PAH load (sediment-bound plus dissolved) of 

the rivers during an average year (table 83) ranged from 15 kg/

yr in the Hackensack Rivers, up to 1,400 kg/yr in the Raritan 

River, andincreased in the following order:

•	 Hackensack (15 kg/y) <Rahway (69) <Elizabeth 

(280)< Passaic (1,000) < Raritan (1,400)

The dissolved PAHs loads for the average year ranged 

from 9.5 kg in the Hackensack River up to 630 kg in the Passaic River (table 83). The dissolved PAH loads in the Raritan 

and Passaic Rivers differed by about a factor of 2, and the 

loads on these rivers were 5 to 10 times greater than the loads 

in each of the other rivers. The dissolved load in the Elizabeth 

River (220 kg) is five times the load in the Rahway River (44 

kg), reflecting the large differences in PAH concentrations 

measured in these rivers (table 26). As previously discussed, a 

number of difficulties were encountered in the dissolved PAH 

collection and analysis scheme used, and a large number of 

dissolved PAH concentrations were removed because of blank 

contamination or were not detected because of the low analytical response from the small sample volumes used. Therefore, 

these loads should be considered rough estimates and are 

likely underestimate of the true loads.

 The average annual sediment-bound PAH loads ranged 

(table 83) from about 6 kg/yr for the Hackensack River up to 

1,000 kg/yr in the Raritan River. Of particular note is that the 

total sediment-bound load in the Passaic River was roughly 

one-half of the total sediment load in the Raritan River, but 

the dissolved load in the Passaic River was roughly 1.5 times 

greater than the dissolved load in the Raritan River.

Only in the Raritan River is the sediment-bound phase 

the principal route of transport for most of the PAH compounds. In all other rivers, the dissolved phase was responsible 

for the majority of the total PAH transport. For example, in the 

Elizabeth River, an estimated 80 percent of the total load was 

in the dissolved phase (table 83). Inspection of the average 

annual loads calculated for the individual compounds shows 

that for some compounds, however, the sediment phase is 

the princiapal transport route (table 84). This is the result of 

the extremely high concentrations in the sediment for some 

compounds, especially the high molecular weight hydrophobic 

compounds such as pyrene, chrysene, and others. The differences in the loads among the sediment and dissolved phases 

relates to the differences in solubility of the compounds, the 

differences in affinity for particulates exhibited by the compounds, and the differences in concentrations in the stream 

sediment and the other sources of PAHs in the river basins.To 

some extent, this variation may also reflect different inputs of 

liquid-phase PAHs or particulate-bound PAHs. For example, 

the contribution of the total biphenyl load from the suspended 

sediment load ranged from 12 to 100 percent, indicating 

tremendous variation in contribution by each phase. For many 

of the PAH components, less than 50 percent of the load was 

estimated to be transported by the sediment. Generally, these 

are the more soluble PAHs. It is important to recall, however, 

that some of these compounds (such as 2,3,5-trimethylnaphthalene) have few detected measurements or were greatly 

affected by blank contamination. Those PAHs having 100 percent (or near 100 percent) of their loads derived from sediment 

are likely to be the compounds that did not have dissolved 

concentrations reported.

Organochlorine Pesticides

Loads calculated for the OCPs in the individual storms 

and low-flow events sampled in this study are presented in 

table 85. Estimates of the annual loads in the rivers (table 86) 

were made using the average chemical compositions (tables 

45 and 46), the average yearly annual discharge (table 65), 

and the estimated average annual sediment loads for each river 

(table 67). The average OCP concentrations were calculated 

using the blank-eliminated data set with the nondetected 

values replaced by one-half the reported EDL. As discussed 

previously, several of the samples had poor IS recoveries for 

compound series such as the DDTs, BHCs, endosulfans, and 

endrins. This may introduce larger uncertainty in the load 

calculations because the suspect concentrations were not 

removed from the data sets before calculating the average 

concentrations. Also, the Passaic River sample collected on 

December 15, 2000 was removed before the average for this 

river was calculated. Loads are also presented for selected 

compound groups including the DDT, BHC, chlordane, aldrin, 

endosulfan, endrin, and heptachlor series, calculated for the 

average year discharge (table 87).

Tributary Loads of Sediment, Carbon, and Chemicals 157
Table 82. Estimated loads of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in samples collected during storms and low-flow conditions in selected rivers in New Jersey.

[Mgal, million gallons; Mgal/d, million gallons per day; ng/g nanograms per gram; ng/L, nanograms per liter; g/d, grams per day; g, grams; kg, kilograms; kg/d, kilograms per day; B, low-flow; S, storm flow; V, variable discharge; PAH, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons]

Date

1Flow 

regime and 

magnitude

2Volume of 

discharge 

(Mgal or Mgal/d)

2Suspended 

sediment load 

(kg or kg/d)

Suspended 

sediment 

PAH 

(ng/g)

Dissolved 

PAH 

 (ng/L)

3Suspended 

sediment 

PAH load 

(g or g/d)

3Dissolved 

PAH load 

(g or g/d)

3Total 

PAH load 

(g or g/d)

Contribution to 

total PAH load by 

suspended sediment

(percent)

Raritan River

June 27, 2000 B-1 188 2,270 77,000 8.2 175 5.8 181 97

Oct. 4, 2001 B-1 118 2,230 230 190 .513 85 85 .6

Apr. 13, 2001 S-6 3,850 1,541,000 13,000 130 20,000 1,890 22,000 91

Mar. 3, 2002 S-6 3,220 1,710,000 9,300 550 15,900 6,700 22,600 70

Mar. 21, 2002 S-6 7,520 5,900,000 3,200 390 19,000 11,100 30,100 63

Passaic River

Oct. 17, 2001 B-1 112 3,960 3,300 230 13 98 111 12

June 22, 2000 B-1 540 32,200 1,300 3.4 42 7 49 86

Dec.15, 2000 V-5 444 10,900 230,000 220 2,500 370 2,870 87

March 14, 2001 S-6 11,500 531,000 48,000 820 25,500 35,700 61,200 42

Rahway River

June 28, 2000 B-1 16.4 211 4,100 46 .87 2.9 3.8 23

Apr. 24, 2001 B-1 17.7 630 50,000 150 32 10 42 76

May 22, 2001 S-6 276 76,700 4,100 1,300 314 1,360 1,670 19

Apr. 28, 2002 S-7 349 66,900 44,000 1,600 2,940 2,100 5,050 58

Elizabeth River

June 29, 2000 B-1 7.22 120 14,000 160 1.7 4.4 6.1 28

Apr. 24, 2001 B-1 6.56 82 150,000 350 12 8.7 21 57

May 22, 2001 S-7 221 79,500 13,000 12,000 1,030 10,000 11,000 9

June 4, 2003 S-7 112 61,100 340,000 20,000 20,800 8,480 29,300 71

Hackensack River

June 23, 2000 B-1 9.05 151 9,700 9.5 1.5 0.33 1.8 83

Oct. 19, 2001 B-1 1.51 15.7 5,400 52 .085 .30 .38 22

July 19, 2001 B-1 2.91 113 29,000 220 3.3 2.4 5.7 58

Mar. 13, 2001 Tidal 7.11 543 60,000 650 33 18 50 66

1 Magnitude of flow refers to discharge distribution listed in table 61.2 Discharge and sediment loads for each sampled event are presented in table 61.3 Loads calculated for storm events are in units of grams. Loads calculated for low-flow events are in units of grams per day.

158 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Table 83. Estimated loads of sediment-bound and dissolved total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) for water years 1988 

through 2002, and for the average annual discharge in selected rivers in New Jersey.

[WY, water year; --, not applicable]

River

Load, in kilograms

Contribution to 

total average load 

WY1988 WY1994 WY1998 WY1999 WY2000 WY2001 WY2002 (percent)

Average 

annual

Suspended sediment PAH load

Raritan 750 1,800 1,300 3,400 490 830 220 1,000 71

Passaic 380 530 580 330 420 370 76 400 40

Rahway 18 29 34 32 18 22 9.0 25 36

Elizabeth 38 50 60 58 41 54 21 54 20

Hackensack 2.5 6.6 7.1 2.9 4.8 4.5 .10 5.8 39

Total for WY 1,200 2,400 2,000 3,800 970 1,300 330 1,500 54

Dissolved PAH load

Raritan 320 440 380 300 270 320 140 380 29

Passaic 500 640 700 400 560 480 120 630 60

Rahway 35 51 58 44 39 42 20 45 64

Elizabeth 200 240 260 220 210 230 130 220 80

Hackensack 2.8 8.7 10 5.3 5.0 8.9 .14 9.5 61

Total for WY 1,100 1,400 1,400 970 1,100 1,100 410 1,300 46

Total PAH load

Raritan 1,100 2,200 1,700 3,700 760 1,200 350 1,400 --

Passaic 880 1,200 1,300 730 980 860 190 1,000 --

Rahway 53 79 92 77 57 64 29 69 --

Elizabeth 230 290 320 280 250 290 150 280 --

Hackensack 5.3 15 17 8.3 9.8 13 .20 15 --

Total for WY 2,300 3,800 3,400 4,800 2,100 2,400 740 2,800 --

Tributary Loads of Sediment, Carbon, and Chemicals 159
Table 84. Estimated loads of individual polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds and contribution to total load by sediment-bound compounds for the average 

annual discharge in selected rivers in New Jersey.[<, less than; kg, kilogram]

Compound

Raritan River Passaic River Rahway River

Suspended 

sediment 

(kg)

Dissolved

(kg)

Total

(kg)

Sediment 

contribution

(percent)

Suspended 

sediment 

(kg)

Dissolved 

(kg)

Total 

(kg)

Sediment 

contribution 

(percent)

Suspended 

sediment

(kg)

Dissolved

(kg)

Total

(kg)

Sediment 

contribution

(percent)

Naphthalene 150 4.7 150 97 1.1 4.2 5.0 20 0.13 <.01 .13 100

1-Methylnaphthalene 1.8 2.4 4.2 42 .5 <.01 .52 100 .05 <.01 .05 100

2-Methylnaphthalene 4.5 <.01 4.5 100 .9 <.01 .86 100 .08 <.01 .08 100

2,6-Dimethylnaphthalene 6.7 12 18 37 3.0 <.01 3.0 100 1.8 <.01 1.8 100

12,3,5-Trimethylnaphthalene .5 .48 1.0 53 .3 1.4 1.7 19 .53 .08 .61 86Acenaphthene 2.8 4.4 7.2 39 1.2 <.01 1.2 100 .07 <.01 .07 100

Acenaphthylene 6.9 7.3 14 49 1.6 <.01 <.01 100 .12 .47 .59 21

Biphenyl .8 3.3 4.1 20 .4 3.0 3.3 11 .06 .15 .21 27

Fluorene 3.7 6.0 9.7 38 1.6 <.01 1.6 100 .10 <.01 .10 100

Anthracene 11 12 23 49 4.3 7.4 12 37 .37 1.1 1.5 26

Phenanthrene 47 35 82 58 30 68 97 30 1.3 3.8 5.1 26

1-Methylphenanthrene 6.0 2.3 8.3 72 3.0 5.3 8.3 36 .13 .59 .72 18

Fluoranthene 120 40 160 75 61 87 150 41 2.3 5.9 8.2 28

Pyrene 93 38 130 71 52 52 100 50 2.2 5.9 8.0 26

Chrysene 87 30 120 75 39 50 89 44 1.6 3.7 5.3 30

Benzo(a)anthracene 45 17 62 73 14 22 36 40 1.1 2.4 3.4 31

Benzo(b)fluoranthene 75 20 95 79 36 71 110 34 1.2 2.9 4.1 30

Benzo(k)fluoranthene 79 19 98 81 36 41 77 47 1.6 2.8 4.4 36

Benzo(a)pyrene 71 22 93 76 25 34 59 42 1.4 3.0 4.4 32

Benzo(e)pyrene 69 21 90 77 27 37 64 43 1.2 2.8 4.0 31

Perylene 24 7.8 32 76 6.4 7.5 14 46 .36 1.0 1.4 26

Indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene 52 23 75 69 20 44 64 32 .97 3.3 4.3 23

Benzo(ghi)perylene 59 26 85 69 22 46 67 32 .86 3.4 4.3 20

Dibenz(a,h)anthracene 13 <.01 13 100 4.1 <.01 4.1 100 .24 1.5 1.7 14

C2 Alkylnaphthalenes 9.3 <.01 9.3 100 5.9 <.01 5.9 100 4.3 <.01 4.3 100

C3 Alkylnaphthalenes 3.4 23 27 13 2.5 34 37 7 .71 <.01 .71 100

Total PAHs 1,000 380 1,400 73 400 610 1,000 40 25 45 70 36

1 Values for 2,3,5-Trimethylnaphthalene in Raritan River do not include sample from June, 2000.

160 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Table 84. Estimated loads of individual polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds and contribution to total load by sediment-bound compounds for the average 

annual discharge in selected rivers in New Jersey.—Continued[<, less than; kg, kilogram]

Compound

Elizabeth River Hackensack River

Suspended 

sediment

(kg)

Dissolved 

(kg)

Total 

(kg)

Sediment 

contribution 

(percent)

Suspended 

sediment 

(kg)

Dissolved 

(kg)

Total 

(kg)

Sediment 

contribution 

(percent)

Naphthalene 0.25 <0.01 0.25 100 0.02 <0.01 0.02 100

1-Methylnaphthalene .08 3.7 3.8 2 .01 <.01 .01 100

2-Methylnaphthalene .10 .71 .81 13 .02 <.01 .02 100

2,6-Dimethylnaphthalene .15 1.7 1.8 8 .26 .32 .58 45

2,3,5-Trimethylnaphthalene .38 .13 .50 75 .02 .06 .08 23

Acenaphthene .20 1.7 1.9 11 .01 .68 .70 2

Acenaphthylene .24 1.2 1.4 17 .04 <.01 .04 100

Biphenyl .03 .14 .17 20 .01 <.01 .01 100

Fluoene .21 2.2 2.4 9 .02 .58 .60 4

Anthracene .75 3.5 4.3 18 .06 .52 .58 10

Phenanthrene 3.4 20 23 15 .35 1.7 2.1 17

1-Methylphenanthrene .46 3.1 3.5 13 1.0 <.01 1.0 100

Fluoranthene 7.9 26 34 23 .37 1.6 2.0 19

Pyrene 7.1 33 40 18 .40 .79 1.2 33

Chrysene 5.0 16 21 24 .47 .90 1.4 35

Benzo(a)anthracene 3.3 14 14 23 .24 <.01 .24 100

Benzo(b)fluoranthene 3.7 14 18 21 .33 .63 .96 34

Benzo(k)fluoranthene 3.5 15 18 20 .36 .84 1.2 30

Benzo(a)pyrene 4.6 16 21 18 .36 .52 .88 41

Benzo(e)pyrene 4.0 12 16 24 .32 .51 .83 39

Perylene 1.2 5.0 6.1 19 .10 .12 .22 46

Indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene 2.8 15 18 15 .34 <.01 .34 100

Benzo(ghi)perylene 3.2 13 16 20 .28 <.01 .28 100

Dibenz(a,h)anthracene .50 5.9 6.4 8 .11 .01 .13 91

C2 Alkylnaphthalenes .39 2.8 3.2 12 .20 <.01 .20 100

C3 Alkylnaphthalenes .38 2.8 3.2 12 .08 <.01 .08 100

Total PAH 54 220 280 19 5.8 9.77 15 39

1 Values for 2,3,5-Trimethylnaphthalene in Raritan River do not include sample from June, 2000.

Tributary Loads of Sediment, Carbon, and Chemicals 161
Table 85. Estimated loads of organochlorine pesticides in samples collected during storms and low-flow conditions in selected rivers in New Jersey.

[Mgal, million gallons; Mgal/d, million gallons per day; ng/g nanograms per gram; kg/d, kilograms per day; ng/L, nanograms per liter; kg, kilograms; g/day, grams per day; B, low-flow; S, storm flow; V, variable discharge; T, tidal influenced; OCP, organochlorine pesticides; --, not analyzed]

Date

1Flow 

regime and 

magnitude

2Volume of 

discharge 

(Mgal or Mgal/d)

2Suspended 

sediment load 

(kg or kg/d)

Suspended 

sediment OCP 

(ng/g)

Dissolved 

OCP 

 (ng/L)

3Suspended 

sediment OCP load 

(g or g/d) 

3Dissolved 

OCP load 

(g or g/d)

3Total 

OCP load 

(g or g/d)

Sediment 

contribution 

(percent)

Raritan River

June 27, 2000 B-1 188 2,270 72 2.7 .16 1.9 2.1 7.7

Oct. 4, 2001 B-1 118 2,300 6.9 2.0 .02 .89 .91 2.2

Apr. 13, 2001 S-6 3,850 1,541,000 170 2.3 260 34 290 88

Mar. 3, 2002 S-6 3,220 1,710,000 47 2.2 81 27 110 75

Mar. 21, 2002 S-6 7,540 5,900,000 14 2.1 77 60 140 56

Passaic River

Oct. 17, 2001 B-1 112 3,960 130 3.6 0.52 1.5 2.0 26

June 22, 2000 B-1 540 32,200 120 2.9 3.9 5.9 9.8 40

Dec.15, 2000 V-5 444 10,900 1,100 3.7 12 6.2 18 66

March 14, 2001 S-6 11,500 531,000 170 2.0 90 87 180 51

Rahway River

June 28, 2000 B-1 16.4 211 1,100 7.8 .23 .48 .71 32

Apr. 24, 2001 B-1 17.7 630 610 8.5 .38 .57 .95 40

May 22, 2001 S-6 276 76,700 350 13 27 14 41 66

Apr. 28, 2002 S-7 349 66,900 550 8.90 37 12 49 76

Elizabeth River

June 29, 2000 B-1 7.22 120 710 5.8 .09 .16 .25 36

Apr. 25, 2001 B-1 6.56 82 2,100 9.2 .17 .23 .40 43

May 22, 2001 S-7 221 79,500 570 7.5 45 6.3 51 88

June 4, 2003 S-7 459 61,100 -- -- -- -- -- --

Hackensack River

June 23, 2000 B-1 9.05 153 120 3.40 0.02 0.12 0.14 14

Oct. 19, 2001 B-1 1.51 15.7 400 3.33 .006 .019 .025 24

July 19, 2002 B-1 2.91 113 740 7.4 .084 .082 .17 51

Mar. 13, 2001 Tidal 7.11 543 760 6.9 .41 .19 .60 68

1 Magnitude of flow refers to discharge distribution listed in table 61.2 Discharge and sediment loads for each sampled event are presented in table 61.3 Loads calculated for storm events are in units of grams. Loads calculated for low-flow events are in units of grams per day.

162 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Loads of total OCPs (sum of all OCP loads) calculated 

for the sampled storm events ranged from 290 g in the Raritan 

River (Apr. 13, 2001) down to 41 g in the Rahway River May 

22, 2001 sample (table 85). Dissolved loads for the storm 

events ranged from 87 g in the Passaic River March 14, 2001 

sample down to 6.3 g in the Elizabeth River May 22, 2001 

sample. Loads of sediment bound OCPs in the storms ranged 

from 260 g in the Raritan Apr. 13, 2001 sample down to 27 g 

in the Rahway May 22, 2001 sample. For low-flow conditions, 

total OCP loads ranged from about 10 g/d on the Passaic River 

down to 0.025 g/d in the Hackensack River. Generally, OCPs 

were associated with the sediment phase particularly during 

storm events; typical contributions to the total OCP load were 

between 51 to 88 percent of the total storm load. The contribution by sediment in the low-flow conditions was estimated to 

be lower, less than 44 percent, particularly in the Raritan River 

(2 to 8 percent). These results show that, in general, loads during the storm events are much greater than the loads estimated 

for low-flow conditions, and that a larger percentage of the 

OCPs are delivered by sediment during storm flow than during 

low-flow.

 The loads of total pesticides (dissolved plus sedimentbound) in the annual average discharge (table 86) ranged from 

420 g in the Hackensack River up to 8.0 kg in the Raritan 

River, and increased in the following order:

•	 Hackensack (420 g/yr) <Elizabeth (670) <Rahway 

(1,100)<Passaic (6,000)<Raritan (8,000)

Like the storm samples described above, the majority of 

the total OCP load in an average year was associated with the 

particulate phase (40 to 74 percent). The low percent contribution (40 percent) in the Hackensack River was likely the result 

of sediment being trapped in the Oradell Reservoir.

However, inspecting the annual average loads of the compound groups (table 87) showed that a large range of contribution by the sediment/water phases is predicted, depending 

on the compound; the sediment contribution ranged from <1 

percent up to 96 percent of the total annual load. Principal 

compounds in the sediment phase included the DDT series, the 

chlordane series, the nonachlor series, and to a lesser extent, 

dieldrin.

Total OCP loads for the dissolved phase ranged from 

180 g/yr in the Elizabeth River up to 2,800 g/yr in the Passaic 

River (table 86). The average annual loads for various dissolved OCP pesticide groups of interest ranged from 0.02 g/yr 

for Mirex in the Elizabeth River up to 710 g/yr for total chlordane in the Passaic River (table 87). These estimates clearly 

show that a substantial dissolved load of some OCPs existed, 

specifically BHC, aldrin+dieldrin, endosulfan, endrin, and the 

heptachlor series. This reflects the higher dissolved concentrations for these compounds (table 46).

Table 86. Estimated loads of sediment-bound and dissolved total organochlorine pesticides (OCP) for water years 1988 through 2002, 

and for the average annual discharge in selected rivers in New Jersey.

[WY, water year; --, not applicable]

River

Load, in grams Contribution to 

average total load 

WY1988 WY1994 WY1998 WY1999 WY2000 WY2001 WY2002 (percent)

Average 

annual

Suspended sediment OCP load

Raritan 4,000 9,700 7,100 18,000 2,600 4,500 1,200 5,600 70

Passaic 3,100 4,200 4,700 2,600 3,400 3,000 610 3,200 53

Rahway 420 680 820 770 430 530 220 590 54

Elizabeth 360 460 560 540 380 510 200 490 73

Hackensack 72 190 200 84 140 130 3.0 170 40

Total 8,000 15,000 13,000 22,000 7,000 8,700 2,200 10,100 62

Dissolved OCP load

Raritan 2,200 3,000 2,500 2,000 1,800 2,200 930 2,400 30

Passaic 2,200 2,800 3,100 1,800 2,500 2,100 520 2,800 47

Rahway 370 530 610 460 400 440 210 460 46

Elizabeth 160 190 210 180 170 190 100 180 27

Hackensack 74 230 270 140 130 240 4.0 250 60

Total 5,000 6,700 6,700 4,600 5,000 5,100 1,800 6,200 38

Total OCP load

Raritan 6,200 13,000 9,600 20,000 4,400 6,700 2,100 8,000 --

Passaic 5,300 7,000 7,800 4,400 5,900 5,100 1,100 6,000 --

Rahway 790 1,200 1,400 1,200 830 970 420 1,100 --

Elizabeth 520 650 770 720 550 700 300 670 --

Hackensack 150 420 470 220 270 370 7.0 420 --

Total 13,000 22,000 20,000 27,000 12,000 14,000 3,900 16,700 --

Tributary Loads of Sediment, Carbon, and Chemicals 163
Table 87. Estimated loads of dissolved and sediment-bound organochlorine pesticides and contribution to total load by sedimentbound compounds for the average annual discharge in selected rivers in New Jersey.

Compound

Raritan River Passaic River

Suspended 

sediment

(grams)

Dissolved

(grams)

Total

(grams)

Sediment 

contribution

(percent)

Suspended 

sediment

(grams)

Dissolved

(grams)

Total

(grams)

Sediment 

contribution

(percent)

Hexachlorobenzene 29 41 70 41 32 29 61 52

Mirex 14 .65 15 93 27 1.4 29 96

Methoxychlor 57 39 96 59 22 76 98 22

Total DDD 550 140 690 80 410 130 540 76

Total DDE 1,300 120 1,400 93 570 100 670 85

Total DDT 2,100 76 2,200 95 660 60 720 92

Total DDT Series 4,000 340 4,300 93 1,600 290 1,900 84

Total BHC 100 580 680 15 6.8 690 700 1

Total chlordane 690 380 1,100 63 1,200 710 1,900 63

Total nonachlor 440 100 540 81 490 130 620 79

Total endosulfan 88 210 300 29 1.4 110 120 1

Total endrin 41 180 220 19 1.4 69 70 2

Total aldrin + dieldrin 220 430 650 34 150 370 520 29

Total heptachlor 65 170 230 28 54 230 280 19

Total OCP 5,700 2,400 8,200 70 3,600 2,700 6,300 57

Compound

Rahway River Elizabeth River

Suspended 

sediment

(grams)

Dissolved

(grams)

Total

(grams)

Sediment 

contribution

(percent)

Suspended 

sediment

(grams)

Dissolved

(grams)

Total

(grams)

Sediment 

contribution

(percent)

Hexachlorobenzene 2.5 1.9 4.4 57 3.5 1.9 5.4 65

Mirex .11 .03 .14 79 .29 .02 .31 94

Methoxychlor 4.4 11 15 29 3.3 2.8 6.1 54

Total DDD 110 33 140 79 64 12 76 84

Total DDE 55 11 66 83 42 3.8 46 92

Total DDT 45 7.5 52 88 69 6.1 75 92

Total DDT Series 210 51 260 87 180 22 200 90

Total BHC .59 28 29 2 1.3 22 23 6

Total chlordane 230 140 370 62 160 42 200 80

Total nonachlor 86 25 110 78 58 7.0 65 89

Total endosulfan 11 12 23 51 31 5.4 36 86

Total endrin 5.8 9.9 15 39 2.4 5.2 8.0 33

Total Aldrin + dieldrin 23 85 110 21 38 45 83 46

Total Heptachlor 16 99 120 13 16 25 41 39

Total OCP 600 460 1,100 54 490 180 670 73

Compound

Hackensack River

Suspended 

sediment

(grams)

Dissolved

(grams)

Total

(grams)

Sediment 

contribution

(percent)

Hexachlorobenzene 0.95 1.4 2.4 40

Mirex .02 .03 .05 40

Methoxychlor .95 .90 1.8 53

Total DDD 8.5 4.6 13 65

Total DDE 13 5.6 20 70

Total DDT 13 2.2 15 87

Total DDT Series 35 12 47 75

Total BHC .23 18 18 1.3

Total chlordane 77 76 150 51

Total nonachlor 31 15 46 67

Total endosulfan .45 10 11 4

Total endrin .26 12 12 2

Total Aldrin + dieldrin 15 64 79 19

Total Heptachlor 6.7 40 47 14

Total OCP 170 250 420 40

164 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Mercury, Cadmium, and Lead

Loads calculated for the trace elements in the individual 

storms and low-flow events sampled in this study are presented in table 88. These loads and the estimates of the annual 

and the average annual loads in the rivers (table 89) were 

calculated using the average whole-water (grab sample total 

concentration) chemical concentrations (table 53) and the 

average discharge (table 65). The average concentrations were 

calculated using the blank-eliminated data set for the grab 

samples; nondetected values were replaced by one-half the 

reported EDL.

For the storm events sampled (table 88), the composite 

sample concentrations result in loads of total Hg ranging from 

10 g in the Elizabeth River up to 340 g in the Mar. 14, 2002 

event on the Passaic River. Loads during low-flow discharge 

were much lower, ranging from 0.01 g/d in the Hackensack 

River up to 52 g/d in the Passsaic River. Generally, low-flow 

discharge loads are less than 2.5 g/day. The load of total Pb in 

the storm events ranged from 3,400 g in the Elizabeth River 

up to 79,200 g in the Passaic Riverr. Loads during low-flow 

discharge were lower then the storm load, ranging from 1.7 

g/d in the Hackensack River up to 5,800 g/d in the Passaic 

River. Loads of total Cd in the storms ranged from 64 g in the 

Elizabeth River up to 3,100 g in the Passaic River (Mar. 14, 

2001). Loads for low-flow events ranged from 0.03 g/d in the 

Hackensack River up to 98 g/d in the Pasaic River. Generally, 

low-flow loads were less than 30 g/day.

The storm event loads correlate with the the volume of 

discharge that occurred during the event, which is a result 

of using whole-water concentrations and total volume of 

discharge to calculate the loads. As discussed earlier in this 

report, whole-water concentrations of trace compounds in 

rivers were related to the amount of suspended sediment that 

was captured in a sample. Because a “grab sample” of river 

water collected during a storm event can have a very wide 

range of suspended matter in it, estimates of loads can vary 

greatly from these values. The concentrations used in calculating these loads were from composite samples that likely were 

a more accurate representation of the average concentration in 

the stream.

The average annual discharge (table 89) predicts loads 

of total Hg estimated to range from 70 g/yr in the Hackensack 

River up to 13,000 g/yr in the Raritan River. Annual loads 

for total lead are much greater than for the other two elements (table 89), and range from 20 kilograms per year in the 

Hackensack River up to 3,400 kg/yr per in the Raritan River. 

Average annual loads for total Cd ranged from 260 g/yr in 

the Hackensack River up to 88,000 g/yr in the Passaic River. 

Although differences may occur depending upon variation in 

the yearly discharges in the each river basin, in general, the 

rivers can be ranked on the magnitude of the loads for total Hg 

and Pb:

•	 Hackensack<Rahway<Elizabeth<Passaic<Raritan

Alternatively, the annual loads can be calculated using the 

average concentrations of trace elements in the grab samples 

(table 53) or the concentrations predicted using the composite 

samples and unitless distribution coefficients (table 57), along 

with the annual discharge (table 65). This allows estimations 

to be made of the dissolved and particulate trace metal loads 

presented in table 90. The total or whole-water loads are calculated as the sum of the dissolved and sediment-bound loads for 

comparision with the loads calculated using composite sample 

concentrations (table 89). Although differences existed for 

specific years, the average annual loads (table 90) calculated 

using the average concentrations (either measured in grab 

samples or predicted using Kd’s) only roughly correspond to 

the the loads calculated using composite samples - typically 

differing by 50 to 100 percent. The sediment-bound trace element concentrations measured using the composite samples 

should be considered the most reliable in characterizing the 

loads transported in the rivers. Using these estimated average 

annual loads, the percent of each trace metal load associated 

with the sediment phase was calculated (table 91). Between 

76 and 94 percent of the Hg load, 85 and 98 percent of the Pb 

load, and 34 to 79 percent of the Cd load was estimated to be 

transported by sediment in an average year.

Summary and Conclusions

A study was undertaken to measure the concentrations 

and loads of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxins, 

furans, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), organchlorine pesticides (OCPs), Hg, Cd, and Pb in the major tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, in northeastern New Jersey. 

Flow-weighted, large-volume (greater than 50 L) composite 

samples of co-existing water and sediment in low-flow and 

storm discharge events were collected from above the head-oftide of the Raritan, Passaic, Rahway, Elizabeth, and Hackensack Rivers. Composite samples of suspended particulate 

matter were collected using filtration, and the dissolved phase 

was sampled using exchange resin. Samples for analysis of 

inorganic trace elements were collected using grab-sample and 

composite methods. Using these measured concentrations, and 

measured and historical data on the river discharge and concentrations of SS and dissolved and particulate organic carbon, 

the loads of these chemicals were estimated for the average 

annual river discharge and for selected water years. The findings of the study are summarized as follows.

Polychlorinated Biphenyls

1. PCBs were measured using U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) method 1668-A (modified), which 

used high-resolution, gas chromatography/mass-spectrometry methods to analyze for 114 polychlorinated 

biphenyls (PCB) congeners.

Summary and Conclusions 165
Table 88. Estimated loads of trace elements in samples collected during storms and low-flow conditions in selected rivers in New Jersey.

[Mgal, million gallons; Mgal/d, million gallons per day; ng/L, nanograms per liter; g/day, grams per day; g, grams; B, low flow; S, storm flow; V, variable discharge; Hg, mercury; Pb, lead; Cd, cadmium; --, not analyzed]

Date

1Flow 

regime and 

magnitude

2Volume of 

discharge 

(Mgal or Mgal/d)

2Suspended 

sediment load 

(kg or kg/day)

Total Hg 

(ng/L)

Total Pb 

 (ng/L)

Total Cd 

(ng/L)

3Load of Hg 

(g or g/d)

3Load of Pb 

(g or g/d)

3Load of Cd 

(g or g/d)

Raritan River

June 27, 2000 B-1 188 2,270 3.0 506 20 2.1 360 14

Oct. 4, 2001 B-1 118 2,230 3.6 708 27 1.6 320 12Apr. 13, 2001 S-6 3,850 1,541,000 6.6 1,760 19 96 25,600 280

Mar. 3, 2002 S-6 3,220 1,710,000 19 5,170 73 230 63,200 890

Mar. 21, 2002 S-6 7,520 5,900,000 8.4 2,430 32 240 69,200 910

Passaic River

Oct. 17, 2001 B-1 112 3,960 5.8 1,630 70 2.5 690 30

June 22, 2000 B-1 540 32,200 25 2,820 48 51 5,750 98

Dec. 15, 2000 V-5 444 10,900 7.3 1,640 70 12 2,760 120

Mar. 14, 2001 S-6 11,500 531,000 7.8 1,820 71 340 79,200 3,100

Rahway River

June 28, 2000 B-1 16.4 211 2.3 1,580 20 .14 98 1.2

Apr. 24, 2001 B-1 17.7 630 3.3 2,410 32 .22 160 2.1

May 22, 2001 S-6 276 76,700 32 15,900 150 33 16,600 160

Apr. 28, 2002 S-7 349 66,900 72 22,900 170 95 30,200 220

Elizabeth River

June 29, 2000 B-1 7.22 120 5.1 6,460 190 .14 180 5.2

Apr. 25, 2001 B-1 6.56 82 36 6,030 270 .90 150 6.7

May 22, 2001 S-7 221 79,500 26 11,700 150 22 9,790 130June 4, 2003 S-7 112 61,000 23 8,000 150 9.8 3,400 64

Hackensack River

June 23, 2000 B-1 9.19 153 1.43 396 10 .05 13.8 0.35

Oct. 19, 2001 B-1 1.51 15.7 1.17 298 4.5 .01 1.7 .03

July 19, 2002 B-1 2.91 113 -- -- -- -- -- --

Mar. 13, 2001 Tidal 7.11 543 10.4 3,600 54 .28 96 1.5

1 Magnitude of flow refers to discharge distribution listed in table 61.2 Discharge and sediment loads for each sampled event are presented in table 61 and 62.3 Loads calculated for storm events are in units of grams. Loads calculated for low-flow events are inunits of grams per day.

166 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
Table 89. Estimated loads of sediment-bound and dissolved total mercury, lead, and cadmium for water years 1988 through 2002, and 

for the average annual discharge in selected rivers in New Jersey.

[WY, water year]

River

Load

WY1988 WY1994 WY1998 WY1999 WY2000 WY2001 WY2002 Average annual

1

Total mercury, in grams

Raritan 11,000 15,100 12,900 10,300 9,400 11,000 4,700 13,000

Passaic 6,400 8,100 8,900 5,100 7,200 6,100 1,500 8,000

Rahway 1,000 1,400 1,600 1,300 1,100 1,200 560 1,300

Elizabeth 1,900 2,400 2,600 2,200 2,100 2,300 1,300 2,200

Hackensack 21 64 76 39 37 65 1.0 70

Total 20,000 27,000 26,000 19,000 20,000 21,000 8,000 25,000

1

Total lead, in kilograms

Raritan 2,900 4,000 3,400 2,700 2,400 2,900 1,300 3,400

Passaic 1,700 2,100 2,300 1,300 1,800 1,600 390 2,100

Rahway 350 510 590 450 390 420 200 450

Elizabeth 1,600 1,900 2,100 1,800 1,700 1,900 1,000 1,800

Hackensack 5.9 19 22 11 11 19 .31 20

Total 6,600 8,500 8,400 6,300 6,300 6,800 2,800 7,800

1

Total cadmium, in grams

Raritan 45,600 63,000 53,000 43,000 39,000 46,000 20,000 54,000

Passaic 70,600 89,000 98,000 56,000 79,000 68,000 16,000 88,000

Rahway 3,500 5,100 5,800 4,400 3,900 4,200 2,000 4,500

Elizabeth 15,000 18,000 20,000 17,000 16,000 18,000 9,600 17,000

Hackensack 77 240 280 150 140 250 4.0 260

Total 135,000 175,000 177,000 121,000 138,000 136,000 47,600 164,000 1

 Calculated using average concentrations in composite samples listed in table 53 and average annual discharge values from table 65.

Table 90. Estimated loads of sediment-bound mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb) for the average annual discharge in 

selected rivers in New Jersey, calculated using grab sample and predicted concentrations.

[g/yr, grams per year; kg/yr, kilograms per year]

River

1

dHg 

(g/yr)

2

pHg 

(g/yr)

3

tHg 

(g/yr)

1

dPb 

(kg/yr)

2

pPb 

(kg/yr)

3

tPb 

(kg/yr)

1

dCd 

(g/yr)

2

pCd 

(g/yr)

3

tCd 

(g/yr)

Loads estimated using average grab-sample concentrations

Raritan 2,000 17,000 19,000 270 4,500 4,800 17,800 61,000 79,000

Passaic 1,030 15,000 16,000 320 2,700 3,000 45,000 23,000 68,000

Rahway 140 460 600 61 350 410 830 3,100 3,900

Elizabeth 170 1,100 1,300 43 390 430 2,800 5,200 8,000

Hackensack 30 110 140 1.1 49 50 230 260 490

Total 3,400 34,000 37,400 700 8,000 8,700 66,700 92,600 159,000

Loads estimated using composite sample concentrations and unitless Kd values4

Raritan 2,800 10,100 13,000 340 3,000 3,400 21,000 32,000 53,000

Passaic 900 7,100 8,000 360 1,700 2,100 59,000 29,000 88,000

Rahway 170 1,100 1,300 35 420 450 970 3,500 4,50

Elizabeth 690 1,500 2,200 230 1,600 1,800 9,800 7,200 17,000

Hackensack 28 37 65 1.2 19 20 130 130 260

Total 4,600 20,000 24,600 970 6,700 7,800 91,000 73,000 164,000

1

 Dissolved loads calculated using average concentrations of grab samples from table 53 and average discharge from table 65.

2

 Particulate loads calculated using average particulate concentrations of grab samples from table 53, and sediment loads from table 67.

3

 Total loads are sum of dissolved and particulate loads estimated using grab sample concentrations from table 53

4

 Loads calculated using total concentrations from composite samples and unitless partition values, listed in table 57

Summary and Conclusions 167
2. Average concentrations of total dissolved PCBs ranked in 

the following order of increasing concentration (values in 

picograms per liter):

• Hackensack River (740 pg/L) < Raritan River (880) <

Rahway River (1,400) < Passaic River (1,700) < Elizabeth 

River (5,050)

3. Average concentrations of sediment-bound total PCBs 

were ranked in the following order of increasing concentration (values in nanograms per gram):

• Raritan River (45 ng/g) < Hackensack River (89) < Passaic River (248)< Rahway River (420) < Elizabeth River 

(2,460).

4. Whole-water concentrations (sediment plus dissolved 

fractions) for total PCBs exceeded the New Jersey surface 

freshwater criteria for carcinogenic human-health criteria 

in all rivers studied. Individual samples from the Passaic, 

Rahway, and Elizabeth Rivers exceeded the freshwater 

total PCB standard for aquatic life.

5. Differences were measured in the absolute and relative 

concentrations of dissolved and sediment-bound PCBs 

for base-flow and storm-discharge samples in all rivers. 

In the smaller Rahway and Elizabeth Rivers, the absolute 

concentrations of total PCBs in the suspended sediment 

decreased during storms; little change was observed in the 

suspended sediment PCB concentrations in the larger Passic River, while the concentrations increased in the Raritan River during storm events. In all four of the rivers, the 

relative proportion of each homolog group did not vary 

greatly between low-flow and high discharge samples. 

The suspended sediment in the tidally affected area just 

below the Oradell Dam was clearly different from the 

sediment released from the Oradell Reservoir. Changes 

in dissolved PCB concentrations were more difficult to 

characterize. Generally, concentrations of dissolved total 

PCBs declined during storms, except in the Raritan River 

where concentrations increased during storm events. In 

Table 91. Contribution of sediment-bound trace elements to 

the total load of trace metals for the average annual discharge 

in selected rivers in New Jersey.

[Values in percent of total mass; percent contributed by sediment calculated 

using loads in table 90 that were calculated using average concentration in 

grab samples listed in table 53]

Trace 

element

Raritan 

River

Passaic 

 River

Rahway 

River

Elizabeth 

River

Hackensack 

River

Mercury 89 94 77 85 79

Lead 94 90 85 91 98

Cadmium 77 34 79 65 53

the Rahway and Elizabeth Rivers, the relative percentages 

of penta- and higher dissolved congeners increased during 

storms. The percentage of these homologs decreased in 

the Raritan and Passaic Rivers during storm events.

6. In general, the observed sediment-water partitioning 

agreed well with the partitioning predicted by octanolwater coefficients for the mono- through penta-homologs. 

However, measured ratios for the octa- through deca-chlorinated homologs were less than the respective octanolwater partitioning coefficients (Kow).

Dioxin and Furans

1. Seventeen 2,3,7,8-substituted chlorodibenzene-p-dioxin 

(CDD) and chlorodibenzene-p-furans (CDF) were measured in suspended sediment using USEPA Method 1613.

2. Average concentrations of total dioxins and furans ranged 

from 5,600 pg/g in the Hackensack River to 28,900 pg/g 

in the Elizabeth River and were ranked in the following order of increasing average concentration (values in 

picograms per gram):

• Hackensack River (5,600 pg/g) <Passaic River (11,500)

=Raritan River (11,500) =Rahway River (11,700) <Elizabeth River (28,900).

3. The 2,3,7,8-TCDD whole-water concentration, calculated 

from the measured concentration and the average suspended-sediment concentration, exceeded the New Jersey 

fresh surface-water-quality criteria only for the samples 

from the Raritan River (Mar. 21, 2002), the Passaic River 

(June 22, 2000 and Dec. 15, 2000) and the Elizabeth 

River (June 4, 2003). In all other samples, this congener 

was not detected (below EDL concentration). However, 

with the exception of two samples from the Hackensack 

River, the EDL for 2,3,7,8-TCDD in all samples was 

above the water-quality criteria. Therefore, exceedances 

cannot be unequivocally ruled out using the data generated in this work.

4. The dioxin compounds were the largest contributors to 

the total CDD/CDF content in all rivers, with mean values 

ranging from 91 to 98 percent of the total CDD+CDF 

concentrations. The highest concentrations were generally measured for the congeners OCDD, 1,2,3,4,6,7,8 

HpCDD, OCDF, and occasionally 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF.

5. The compound 2,3,7,8-TCDD (TEF=1) was measured 

in one sample from the Elizabeth River (12 pg/g) and in 

trace amounts in one sample from the Raritan River (0.15 

pg/g) and one from the Passaic River (2.1 pg/g). Another 

sample from the Passaic River (collected Dec. 15, 2000) 

had a very high concentration of 2,3,7,8-TCDD (150 pg/

g), the cause for which was unknown but may be related 

168 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
to the extremely high PCB concentrations that were also 

measured in this sample. 2,3,7,8-TCDD was not detected 

in any sample collected from the Rahway or Hackensack 

Rivers.

6. Other toxic congeners detected in the suspended sediment 

included 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD (TEF=1), at average concentrations of 1.8 to 31 pg/g; 2,3,7,8-TCDF (TEF=0.1), at 

average concentrations of 7.7 up to 51 pg/g; and 2,3,4,7,8-

PeCDF (TEF = 0.1) at average concentrations of 3.8 to 

34 pg/g. Averages for several of these congeners were 

skewed by the high percentage of nondetected values that 

were replaced by one-half the EDL values for the calculations. Generally, the highest concentrations of these toxic 

dioxins and furans were measured in the Elizabeth River.

7. Sediment toxicity, determined from toxicity equivalent 

quotients (TEQs), was present in the sediment from all 

rivers studied. Average total TEQ values for CDD plus 

CDF compounds ranged in the following order of increasing average TEQ value (values in picogram per gram as 

2,3,7,8-TCDD):

• Raritan River (14) <Hackensack River (22) < Passaic

River (28)< Rahway River (44) <Elizabeth River (135).

The major contributors to the sediment toxicity (as 

percentage of the total TEQ), in all rivers, are 1,2,3,7,8-

PentaCDD; 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HeptaCDD; and 2,3,4,7,8-

PentaCDF. The contribution of several of the congeners 

(2,3,7,8-TCDD; 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD; and 1,2,3,7,8,9-

HxCDF) was skewed because of the replacement of a 

large number of nondetected values with one-half the 

reported EDLs before calculating the sediment toxicity.

8. Dioxin-like, co-planar PCBs also contributed toxicity 

to the sediment and average values were ranked in the 

following order (values in picogram per gram as 2,3,7,8-

TCDD):

• Hackensack River (5.3) < Raritan River (5.5) <Passaic

River (11) <Rahway River (19) <Elizabeth River (66)

The PCB toxicity for average compositions ranged from 

20 percent up to 33 percent of the total CDD+CDF+PCB 

toxicity values.

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

1. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH ) compounds in 

water and sediment were measured using low-resolution 

GC/MS, isotope-dilution methods.

2. Dissolved PAH concentrations, measured in flowweighted composite samples (1 to 2L total volume), were 

typically low in all rivers except the Elizabeth. However, 

dissolved concentrations were greatly affected by method 

and field blank contamination, and as a result, a large 

number of data points were culled from the useable data 

set. Average total dissolved PAH concentrations ranged 

from 180 ng/L in the Hackensack River to 9,500 ng/L 

in the Elizabeth River, and were ranked in the following 

order (values in nanograms per liter):

• Hackensack River (180) < Raritan River (360 ng/L) <

Passaic River (660 ng/L)< Rahway River (910 ng/L)< 

Elizabeth River (9,500 ng/L)

3. Average sediment-bound total PAH concentrations ranged 

from 11,200 ng/g in the Raritan up to 129,000 ng/g in the 

Elizabeth River, and were ranked in the following order 

(values in nanograms per gram):

• Raritan River (11,200)<Hackensack River

(14,700)<Passaic River (17,600)<Rahway River 

(28,000)<Elizabeth River (129,000)

4. Whole-water concentrations of several PAH compounds 

were found to exceed the New Jersey fresh surfacewater-quality human-health criteria in all rivers studied. 

Compounds found to exceed the criteria in more than 

50 percent of the samples included benzo(a)anthracene, 

benzo(b)fluoranthene, benzo(k)fluoranthene, 

benzo(a)pyrene, indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene, pyrene, and 

dibenz(a,h)anthracene.

5. Heavy molecular weight compounds (MW greater than 

202) are the dominant PAH compounds (by weight) in the 

suspended-sediment fraction. On a molecular scale, the 

Passaic, Rahway, Hackensack, and Raritan Rivers (without the sample collected on June 22, 2000) were dominated by fluoranthene, pyrene, and chrysene, followed by 

the other heavy molecular weight compounds.

6. Ratios of indicator PAH compounds suggested a mix of 

pyrogenic, petrogenic, and diagenetic sources affected the 

river sediment. The dominant processes were pyrogenic, 

and the ratios of indicator PAHs indicated grass/wood/

coal combustion, and in some cases, fossil-fuel (petroleum) combustion. However, the presence and dominance 

of alkylated-napthalenes and alkyl-phenanthrene homologs support the conclusion that petrogenic sources of 

PAHs also were present in the basins. The detection of 

perylene in the sediment was interpreted as showing diagenetic sources (anaerobic degradation of organic matter) 

also were present in the river basins.

7. Sediment-water partitioning was investigated to the extent 

that the limited number of dissolved concentrations would 

allow. A large range of concentration ratios were observed 

for each compound, indicating the PAHs were not at concentrations predicted by empirical equations describing 

equilibrium partitioning.

Summary and Conclusions 169
Organochlorine Pesticides

1. Dissolved and suspended sediment bound organochlorine 

pesticides (OCPs) were measured with an isotope dilution 

method using high resolution GC/MS for analysis, based 

on methods adapted from the PCB analysis. Difficulties 

were found with the recoveries for several IS compounds 

in the sediment fraction, including the labeled IS for 

endosulfan and α-BHC. These difficulties in turn caused

difficulties in quantifying the corresponding native compounds along with native endrin, dieldrin, and heptachlor 

epoxide in the sediment samples.

2. Average dissolved total organochlorine pesticide concentrations were ranked in the following order (values in 

nanograms per liter):

Raritan River (2.3)<Passaic River (2.9)<Hackensack 

River (4.8)<Elizabeth River (7.6)<Rahway River (9.5).

3. Average suspended sediment-bound total pesticide concentrations were ranked in the following order (values in 

nanograms per gram):

• Raritan River (60)<Passaic River (140)<Hackensack River (420)<Rahway River (670)<Elizabeth River 

(1,170).

4. Whole-water concentrations of OCPs exceeded the New 

Jersey fresh surface-water-quality standards for 4,4’-

DDD, 4,4’-DDE, and 4,4’-DDT in all of the Elizabeth 

and Rahway River samples, most of the Passaic River 

samples, and some of the samples from the other rivers.

5. In the dissolved phase, the chlordane series was usually 

dominant, representing up to 30 percent of the total pesticide concentration in the Rahway and Hackensack Rivers. 

In the Raritan and Passaic Rivers, the BHC series of 

pesticides was dominant, representing roughly 25 percent 

of the total concentration. The second most abundant OCP 

in the rivers was dieldrin, which constituted 13 to 25 percent of the total OCP concentration. In all rivers the DDT 

series (DDD, DDE, and DDT) represented 5 to 14 percent 

of the total pesticide content.

6. In the sediment phase in most of the rivers (and particulary the sediment from the Raritan River), the DDT series 

was the dominant species representing 20 to 70 percent of 

the total pesticide concentration, followed by the chlordane series, which accounted for 10 to 45 percent of the 

total pesticide concentration. The chlordane series dominates in the Hackensack River, followed by the total DDT 

series. Dieldrin represented 4 to 8 percent of the total in 

all rivers.

7. Concentrations of total pesticides in suspended-sediment 

in the Raritan, Passaic, Rahway, and Elizabeth Rivers 

were generally lower during storm events than in lowflow. Cocentrations of total dissolved pesticides generally 

remained the same in storm and low-flow.

8. The distribution coefficients for samples having dissolved 

and sediment-bound concentrations were calculated. 

Distribution coefficients normalized to sediment carbon 

content (Koc) were generally larger than published octanol-water partitioning coefficients (Kow) or published Koc

values for most compounds.

Mercury, Cadmium, and Lead

1. Grab and composite samples were measured using ICPmass spectrometry (USEPA Method 1638) for cadmium 

(Cd) and lead (Pb), and cold-vapor atomic fluorescence 

spectrometry (USEPA Method 1631B and 1630) for 

mercury (Hg) and methyl-Hg. Composite samples were 

analyzed only for total (whole water) concentrations.

2. Although some differences existed for specific metals, 

concentrations of total Hg, Pb, and Cd in the rivers generally were generally ranked in the order (values in nanograms per liter):

• tHg: Hackensack River (1.30)<Raritan River

(8.04)<Passaic River (11.6)<Elizabeth River (22.5)<Rahway River (27.5)

• tPb: Hackensack River (350)<Passaic River

(1,980)<Raritan River (2,120)<Elizabeth River 

(8,050)<Rahway River (10,700)

• tCd: Hackensack River (7.4)<Raritan River (34.0)<Passaic River (64.5)<Rahway River (92.5)<Elizabeth River 

(190)

The Human Health Freshwater Criteria for total Hg was 

rarely exceeded in all of the rivers. The total Pb criteria 

was frequently exceeded in the Elizabeth River and was 

exceeded during storm events in the Rahway River.

3. Average concentrations of dissolved Cd in grab samples 

ranged from 4.7 ng/L in the Hackensack River to 118 ng/L 

in the Elizabeth. Average concentrations were ranked in 

the following order (values in nanograms per liter):

• Hackensack River (4.7)<Raritan River (16.9)=Rahway

River (17.0)<Passasic River (47.7)<Elizabeth River (118)

4. Average concentrations of particulate Cd in grab samples 

ranged from 0.65 ng/g in the Hackensack River, up to 

12.5 ng/g in the Elizabeth River and were ranked in the 

following order (values in nanograms per gram):

• Hackensack River (0.65)=Raritan River (0.66)<Passaic

River (0.99)<Rahway River (3.49)<Elizabeth River (12.5)

170 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
5. Average concentrations of dissolved Pb in grab samples 

ranged from 21.1 ng/L in the Hackensack River up to 

1,840 ng/L in the Elizabeth River and were ranked in the 

following order (values in nanograms per liter):

• Hackensack River (21.1)<Raritan River (254)<Passaic

River (341)<Rahway River (1,240)<Elizabeth River 

(1,840)

The Aquatic Chronic Water Quality criteria for dissolved 

Pb was not exceeded in any of the samples.

6. Average concentrations of particulate-bound Pb in grab 

samples ranged from 48.1 ug/g in the Raritan River up to 

933 ug/g in the Elizabeth River and were ranked in the 

following order (values in micrograms per gram):

• Raritan River (48.1)<Passaic River (118)< Hackensack

River (123)<Rahway River (395)<Elizabeth River (933)

7. Average concentrations of dissolved Hg in grab samples 

ranged from 0.57ng/L in the Hackensack River up to 7.1 

ng/L in the Elizabeth River and were ranked in the following order (values in nanograms per liter):

• Hackensack River (0.57)<Passaic River (1.08)<Raritan

River (1.90)<Rahway River (2.93)<Elizabeth River (7.13)

The Aquatic Chronic Water Quality criteria for dissolved 

Hg was not exceeded in any of the samples.

8. Average concentrations of particulate-bound Hg in grab 

samples ranged from 0.187 ng/g in the Raritan River up 

to 2.54 ng/g in the Elizabeth River and were ranked in the 

following order (values in nanograms per gram):

• Raritan River (0.187)<Hackensack River (0.283)<Rahway River (0.526)<Passaic River (0.649)<Elizabeth River 

(2.54)

9. Average concentrations of dissolved Me-Hg in grab 

samples ranged from 0.01 ng/L in the Hackensack River 

up to 0.96 ng/L in the Rahway River and were ranked in 

the following order (values in nanograms per liter):

• Hackensack River (0.01)<Elizabeth River (0.050)< Passaic River (0.067)<Raritan River (0.079)<Rahway River 

(0.096)

Only a few grab samples were available to determine 

particulate Me-Hg. Concentrations of Me-Hg ranged from 

4.1 ng/g in the Raritan River up to 20 ng/g in the Hackensack River and were ranked in the following order (values 

in nanograms per gram):

• Raritan River (4.1)<Passaic River (4.8)<Elizabeth River

(5.2)<Rahway River (13.1)<Hackensack River (20)

10. Sediment water partitioning coefficients were calculated 

for grab samples having dissolved and sediment-bound 

metals. Values were not constant within or between rivers, 

but for Hg, were within the range of partitioning values 

reported in other published studies.

Sediment and Carbon Loads

1. Multiple samples of sediment (SS), dissolved organic 

carbon (DOC), and particulate organic carbon (POC) 

were collected from the Raritan, Passaic, Rahway, Elizabeth, and Hackensack Rivers during low-flow and storm 

discharge conditions to provide concentrations required to 

calculate loads of these constituents during the sampled 

events.

2. Two types of hydrologic response were observed in the 

discharge and sediment concentrations in the rivers during 

storms. In the larger basins of the Raritan and Passaic 

Rivers, the storm hydrographs were observed to rise and 

fall slowly, typically over days. Sediment concentrations 

would typically peak before peak discharges on these 

rivers; POC concentrations commonly would lag behind 

the peak in discharge. In the smaller Rahway and Elizabeth River Basins, the storm hydrograph had multiple 

rises in discharge that typically would last for several 

hours or less. Sediment and POC concentrations in these 

rivers would typically peak before discharge but in later 

discharge peaks, would commonly not increase. The 

discharge in the Hackensack River was controlled in large 

part by releases from the Oradell Reservoir, which commonly were initiated before the onset of precipitation.

3. Because of the limited number of events that were ultimately sampled, the rating-curve method was used to calculate yearly loads of SS, POC, and DOC. Rating curves 

were produced using historic USGS water-quality and 

mean daily discharge data for each river and were used 

to estimate loads of sediment, particulate organic carbon, 

and dissolved organic carbon during selected water years 

and for the average yearly load over the period 1975 to 

2000. Comparison of loads calculated using the rating 

curve to loads measured during the sampled storm events 

indicated rating curves are likely to underestimate the 

actual annual loads.

4. Sediment loads during an “average” year ranged from 

0.395 million kilograms per year for the Hackensack 

River up to 93.1 million kilograms per year for the 

Raritan and were ranked in the following order (values in 

million kilograms per year):

• Hackensack River (0.395)<Elizabeth River

(0.417)<Rahway River (0.882)<Passaic River (22.7)<Raritan River (93.1).

Summary and Conclusions 171
5. Loads of particulate organic carbon during an “average” 

year ranged from 14,400 kg/yr in the Elizabeth up to 

866,000 kg/yr in the Raritan River, and were ranked in the 

following order (values in kilograms per year):

• Elizabeth River (14,400) <Rahway River (64,800)

<Passaic River (589,000) <Raritan River (866,000)

A rating curve could not be produced for POC in the 

Hackensack River. Assuming an average concentration of 

2 mg/L for POC resulted in an estimated average yearly 

POC load of 113,000 kg/yr.

6. Loads of dissolved organic carbon during an average 

year were calculated and ranged from 89,000 kg/yr in 

the Elizabeth River, up to 4,260,000 kg/yr in the Passaic 

River, and were ranked in the following order (values 

kilograms per liter):

• Elizabeth River (89,000) <Rahway River (205,000)

<Raritan River (4,190,000)<Passaic River (4,260,000)

A rating curve for DOC could not be produced for the 

Hackensack River. Assuming an average concentration of 

3.8 mg/L for DOC resulted in an estimated average yearly 

load of 215,000 kg/yr.

Chemical Loads

1. Estimations were made of the loads of selected organic 

chemicals and metals at the head-of-tide of the major 

tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays. Loads were calculated for the storm and base-flow events sampled in this 

work, using flow-weighted average concentrations for the 

chemicals of concern, sediment, and carbon.

2. Estimates of long-term loads of chemicals were made 

using historic river discharge measurements collected 

for the period 1975 to 2000, along with the sediment and 

carbon loads estimated using rating curves prepared using 

water-quality data collected by the USGS. The average 

annual discharge and sediment loads (for the period 1975 

to 2000) were combined with the average present-day 

concentrations of chemicals generated in this work, to 

estimate chemical loads for the rivers studied. The sediment and discharge estimates also allowed loads to be 

calculated for specific water years of interest.

3. Estimates of loads for PCBs, dioxins-furans, PAHs, OCPs, 

and Hg, Cd, and Pb are presented for selected water years, 

and for the average annual discharge in the rivers (on the 

basis of the 1975-2000 yearly discharge records). The 

general ranking by increasing magnitude of total chemical load (dissolved load plus sediment-bound load) for the 

average annual discharge (over the period 1975-2000) for 

the chemical groups studied here are (values in kilograms 

per year of total PCB):

Hackensack River (74) <Rahway River (440) <Elizabeth 

River (1,100) <Raritan River (5,000) <Passaic River 

(7,200)

Of these loads, sediment-bound PCBs represented 

between 47 and 90 percent of the total load. In the Hackensck River, the sediment-bound contribution was lowest (47 

percent), likely because of sediment trapping in the Oradell 

Reservoir. However, the mass contributed by sediment varied 

greatly by congener and homolog group.

For sediment-bound dioxin and difurans (values in grams 

per year):

•	 Hackensack River (2.2) <Rahway (10)<Elizabeth River 

(12)<Passaic River (260) < Raritan River (1,070)

The largest proportion of the dioxin-difuran mass was 

due to the octa-chlorinated dioxin/difuran congeners.

The dioxin-like co-planar PCBs (values in grams per 

year):

•	 Hackensack River (3.6)< Rahway River (37)<Elizabeth River (110) < Raritan River (490) < Passaic River 

(570)

For total TEQ due to dioxins and furans (values in milligrams per year as 2,3,7,8-TCDD):

•	 Hackensack River (9) <Rahway River (39)< Elizabeth 

River (56) <Passaic River (640) <Raritan River (1,300)

For TEQ due to dioxin-like co-planar PCBs (values in 

milligrams per year):

•	 Hackensack River (2) <Rahway River (17)<Elizabeth 

River (28)< Passaic River (250) < Raritan River (510)

Total TEQ due to dioxins, furans, and co-planar PCBs 

(values in milligrams per year):

•	 Hackensack River (11) < Rahway River (56) < Elizabeth River (84) < Passaic River (890) < Raritan River 

(1,800)

Approximately 18 to 33 percent of the total TEQ load 

resulted from the co-planar, dioxin-like PCBs.

For total PAHs in the average annual discharge (values in 

kilograms per year):

•	 Hackensack River (15) < Rahway River (69) <Elizabeth River (270) < Passaic River (1,000) < Raritan 

River (1,400)

Between 20 and 71 percent of these estimated loads 

were calculated to be associated with suspended sediment. 

However, the mass contributed by sediment varied greatly by 

chemical – generally the HMW compounds were associated 

with the sediment phase, and the LMW compounds with the 

aqueous phase. A large percentage of the low-weight dissolved 

PAH compounds had non-detectable concentrations; loads for 

these compounds were set by the use of estimated detection 

levels.

172 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
For total OCPs in the average annual discharge (values in 

grams per year):

•	 Hackensack River (420) < Elizabeth River (680) < 

Rahway River (1,100) < Passaic River (6,400) < Raritan River (6,600)

Between 40 and 74 percent of these total estimated loads 

were calculated to be associated with suspended sediment. 

However, the mass contributed by sediment varied greatly by 

chemical.

For total Hg (values in kilograms per year), the average 

annual loads were estimated to be:

•	 Hackensack River (0.073) < Rahway River (1.3) < 

Elizabeth River (2.2) < Passaic River (8.0) < Raritan 

River (13)

Using data from grab samples, it was estimated that 

between 76 and 94 percent of the total Hg load was associated 

with sediment.

For total Pb (values in kilograms per year), the average 

annual loads were estimated to be:

•	 Hackensack River (20) <Rahway River (450) < Elizabeth River (1,800)< Passaic River (2,100) < Raritan 

River (3,400)

Between 85 and 98 percent of the total Pb load was estimated to associated with sediment

For total Cd (values in kilograms per year), the average 

annual loads were estimated to be:

•	 Hackensack River (0.26) < Rahway River (4.5) <Elizabeth River (17) < Raritan River (54) < Passaic River 

(88)

Between 33 and 79 percent of the total cadmium load was 

estimated to be associated with sediment.

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Nicholas Smith of the USGS for 

assistance with sampling; Joel Pecchioli, Floyd Genicola, and 

Gary Buchanan of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for program coordination and review; David 

Thal of STL Laboratories, Knoxville Tennessee for guidance 

in chemical analysis protocols; and Scott Douglas of the New 

Jersey Department of Transportation for guidance in program 

development.

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176 Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey
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Wilson, T.P. and Bonin, J.L.—Concentrations and Loads of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in Tributaries to Newark and Raritan Bays, New Jersey— 

Scientific Investigations Report 2007-5059

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