Prepared in cooperation with Department of the Navy

Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Northwest

Improved Estimates of Filtered Total Mercury Loadings and 

Total Mercury Concentrations of Solids from Potential 

Sources to Sinclair Inlet, Kitsap County, Washington

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Scientific Investigations Report 2013–5081

Improved Estimates of Filtered Total Mercury Loadings and 

Total Mercury Concentrations of Solids from Potential 

Sources to Sinclair Inlet, Kitsap County, Washington 

By Anthony J. Paulson, Kathleen E. Conn, and John F. DeWild

Prepared in cooperation with Department of the Navy

Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Northwest

Scientific Investigations Report 2013–5081

U.S. Department of the Interior

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

SALLY JEWELL, Secretary

U.S. Geological Survey

Suzette M. Kimball, Acting Director 

U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2013

For more information on the USGS—the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living 

resources, natural hazards, and the environment, visit http://www.usgs.gov or call 1–888–ASK–USGS.

For an overview of USGS information products, including maps, imagery, and publications, 

visit http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod

To order this and other USGS information products, visit http://store.usgs.gov

Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the 

U.S. Government.

Although this information product, for the most part, is in the public domain, it also may contain copyrighted materials 

as noted in the text. Permission to reproduce copyrighted items must be secured from the copyright owner.

Suggested citation:

Paulson, A.J., Conn, K.E., and DeWild, J.F., 2013, Improved estimates of filtered total mercury loadings and total 

mercury concentrations of solids from potential sources to Sinclair Inlet, Kitsap County, Washington: U.S. Geological 

Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2013–5081, 36 p., http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2013/5081.
iii

Contents

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

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

Purpose and Scope ..............................................................................................................................4

Site Description..............................................................................................................................................4

Summary of Previous Results......................................................................................................................4

Methods...........................................................................................................................................................8

Sampling.................................................................................................................................................8

Quality Assurance...............................................................................................................................10

Filtered Total Mercury Concentrations and Loadings from Potential Sources .................................11

Creeks ..................................................................................................................................................11

Steam Plant..........................................................................................................................................13

Landfill Areas.......................................................................................................................................13

Dry Docks.............................................................................................................................................18

Revised Ranking of Potential Sources to Sinclair Inlet ...............................................................18

Total Mercury Concentrations of Solids and Solids Loadings from Potential Sources ...................20

Creeks ..................................................................................................................................................20

Steam Plant..........................................................................................................................................20

Landfill Areas.......................................................................................................................................21

Dry Docks.............................................................................................................................................21

Potential Effects on Natural Attenuation of Sinclair Inlet Sediment ..................................................25

Minimal Dispersion Scenario ...........................................................................................................27

Maximum Dispersion Scenario ........................................................................................................28

Summary........................................................................................................................................................29

Acknowledgments.......................................................................................................................................29

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

Appendix A. Sampling Details and Quality Assurance Results ..........................................................31
iv

Figures

1. Map showing location of Sinclair Inlet in Puget Sound, Kitsap County, Washington ......3

2. Map showing locations of the Sinclair Inlet seaward boundary, U.S. Geological

Survey creek sampling sites, and the Bremerton naval complex Operable Units 

and boundary, Sinclair Inlet, Kitsap County, Washington......................................................5

3. Map showing location of the U.S. Navy Long-Term Monitoring Program grid cells 

in Operable Unit (OU) B Marine and locations of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)

sampling sites within the Bremerton naval complex boundary, including detailed

views of Site 10C and Site 10E, Sinclair Inlet, Kitsap County, Washington.........................6

4. Graph showing filtered total mercury concentrations in four creeks draining into

Sinclair Inlet, during the 2008 dry season and the 2012 wet season, Kitsap County,

Washington..................................................................................................................................12

5. Graph showing water elevations in well OUBT-709 as compared to Sinclair Inlet

and filtered total mercury concentrations in well water from OUBT-709, Kitsap

County, Washington ...................................................................................................................15

6. Graph showing water elevations in well OUBT-724 as compared to Sinclair Inlet

and filtered total mercury concentrations in well water from OUBT-724, Kitsap

County, Washington, December 2011......................................................................................16

7. Revision of loadings of filtered total mercury from freshwater sources, from

seawater recycled in and out of Bremerton naval complex, and from net advective

transfers between Sinclair Inlet and Puget Sound, Kitsap County, Washington.............20

8. Graph showing suspended-solids concentrations and total mercury concentration

of solids during pump cycles of Dry Docks 1–5 and 6 at the Bremerton naval

complex, Sinclair Inlet, Kitsap County, Washington, November and December 2011....22

9. Graph showing total mercury concentrations of solids versus suspended-solids

concentration in dry dock discharges during four pumping cycles, Sinclair Inlet,

Kitsap County, Washington, November and December 2011..............................................24

Tables

1. Total mercury concentration in filtered water and of particles in four creeks

draining into Sinclair Inlet, Kitsap County, Washington, February and March 2012 .......12

2. Total mercury concentration in filtered water and of particles in the steam plant

effluent on the Bremerton naval complex, Kitsap County, Washington, November

and December 2011....................................................................................................................13

3. Field measurements and total mercury concentrations in filtered water and of

particles in groundwater from well OUBT-709 and in stormwater in nearby drains

on the Bremerton naval complex, Kitsap County, Washington, November 2011.............14

4. Field measurements and total mercury concentrations in filtered water and of

particles in groundwater from well OUBT-724 and in stormwater in nearby drains

on the Bremerton naval complex, Kitsap County, Washington, December 2011.............17

5. Revised concentrations and loadings of filtered total mercury (FTHg) for Sinclair

Inlet, Kitsap County, Washington .............................................................................................19

6. Total mercury concentration of particles in dry dock discharges on the Bremerton

naval complex, Kitsap County, Washington, November and December 2011..................21

7. Estimated net effect of high mercury solids discharged from Bremerton naval

complex sources on Operable Unit (OU) B Marine sediment under two hypothetical

dispersion scenarios..................................................................................................................27
v

Conversion Factors, Datums, and Abbreviations and 

Acronyms

Conversions Factors

Inch/Pound to SI

Multiply By To obtain

Length

inch (in.) 2.54 centimeter (cm)

foot (ft) 0.3048 meter (m)

SI to Inch/Pound

Multiply By To obtain

Length

micrometer (μm) 0.003937 inch (in.)

millimeter (mm) 0.03937 inch (in.)

centimeter (cm) 0.3937 inch (in.)

meter (m) 3.281 foot (ft) 

meter (m) 1.094 yard (yd) 

Area

square kilometer (km2) 247.1 acre

square meter (m2) 10.76 square foot (ft2) 

square kilometer (km2) 0.3861 square mile (mi2)

Volume

milliliter (mL) 0.0338 ounce, fluid (fl. oz)

liter (L) 0.2642 gallon (gal)

cubic meter (m3) 0.0002642 million gallons (Mgal) 

cubic meter (m3) 0.0008107 acre-foot (acre-ft) 

Flow rate

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

milliliter per minute (mL/min) 5.8857 cubic foot per second (ft3/s)

Mass

gram (g) 0.03527 ounce, avoirdupois (oz)

kilogram (kg) 2.205 pound, avoirdupois (lb)

metric ton per year 1.102 ton per year (ton/yr) 

Sedimentation rate

gram per square centimeter (g cm-2) 0.228 ounce per square inch (oz/in2)

Temperature in degrees Celsius (°C) may be converted to degrees Fahrenheit (°F) as follows:

°F=(1.8×°C)+32

Temperature in degrees Fahrenheit (°F) may be converted to degrees Celsius (°C) as follows:

°C=(°F-32)/1.8

Specific conductance is given in microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius (μS/cm at 

25 °C).

Concentrations of chemical constituents in water are given either in milligrams per liter (mg/L), 

micrograms per liter (μg/L), or nanograms per liter (ng/L).

Concentrations of chemical constituents of solids are given in either percentage of dry weight, 

milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) or nanograms per milligram (ng/mg), which are equivalent.

Conversion Factors, Datums, and Abbreviations and 

Acronyms
vi

Datums

Vertical coordinate information is referenced to the North American Vertical Datum of 29 (NAVD 

29). The vertical datum mean lower low water (MLLW) is defined as -1.83 m relative to NAVD 29.

Horizontal coordinate information is referenced to the North American Datum of 1988 (NAD 88).

Altitude, as used in this report, refers to distance above the vertical datum.

Abbreviations and Acronyms

BNC Bremerton naval complex

CERCLA Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act

ENVVEST ENVironmental inVESTment 

FTHg Filtered total mercury (ng/L)

HCl Hydrochloric acid

HDPE High-density polyethylene

LTMP Long-term Monitoring Program

MHg Methylmercury (ng/L)

MLLW Mean lower low water

NBK Bremerton Naval Base Kitsap at Bremerton

OU Operable unit

OUBT Operable Unit B Terrestrial

PETG Polyethylene terephthalate copolyester

PFA Perfluoroalkoxy

PP Polypropylene

PSNS Puget Sound Naval Shipyard

PSNS&IMF Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility

PSNSXXX Stormwater drain of Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (XXX = stormwater drain 

number)

PST Pacific Standard Time

PTFE Polytetrafluoroethylene 

PTHg particulate total mercury (ng/L)

QFF Quartz fiber filter

RI/FS Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study

RO Reverse-osmosis

RPD Relative percent difference

SSC Suspended sediment concentration (mg/L)

STHg Total mercury concentration of sediment (mg/kg)

THg Total mercury (ng/L)

TSS Total suspended solids (mg/L)

USGS U.S. Geological Survey

WAWSC Washington Water Science Center

WMRL Wisconsin Mercury Research Laboratory

WTHg Total mercury in whole (unfiltered) water (ng/L)

YSITM Yellow Springs Instruments

Conversion Factors, Datums, and Abbreviations and 

Acronyms—Continued
Improved Estimates of Filtered Total Mercury Loadings and 

Total Mercury Concentrations of Solids from Potential 

Sources to Sinclair Inlet, Kitsap County, Washington

By Anthony J. Paulson, Kathleen E. Conn, and John F. DeWild

Abstract 

Previous investigations examined sources and sinks of 

mercury to Sinclair Inlet based on historic and new data. This 

included an evaluation of mercury concentrations from various 

sources and mercury loadings from industrial discharges and 

groundwater flowing from the Bremerton naval complex 

to Sinclair Inlet. This report provides new data from four 

potential sources of mercury to Sinclair Inlet: (1) filtered and 

particulate total mercury concentrations of creek water during 

the wet season, (2) filtered and particulate total mercury 

releases from the Navy steam plant following changes in the 

water softening process and discharge operations, (3) release 

of mercury from soils to groundwater in two landfill areas 

at the Bremerton naval complex, and (4) total mercury 

concentrations of solids in dry dock sumps that were not 

affected by bias from sequential sampling.

The previous estimate of the loading of filtered total 

mercury from Sinclair Inlet creeks was based solely on dry 

season samples. Concentrations of filtered total mercury in 

creek samples collected during wet weather were significantly 

higher than dry weather concentrations, which increased the 

estimated loading of filtered total mercury from creek basins 

from 27.1 to 78.1 grams per year. 

Changes in the concentrations and loading of filtered 

and particulate total mercury in the effluent of the steam 

plant were investigated after the water softening process 

was changed from ion-exchange to reverse osmosis and the 

discharge of stack blow-down wash began to be diverted to 

the municipal water-treatment plant. These changes reduced 

the concentrations of filtered and particulate total mercury 

from the steam plant of the Bremerton naval complex, which 

resulted in reduced loadings of filtered total mercury from 

5.9 to 0.15 grams per year. 

Previous investigations identified three fill areas on 

the Bremerton naval complex, of which the western fill 

area is thought to be the largest source of mercury on the 

base. Studies of groundwater in the other two fill areas were 

conducted under worst-case higher high tidal conditions. A 

December 2011 study found that concentrations of filtered 

total mercury in the well in the fill area on the eastern 

boundary of the Bremerton naval complex were less than or 

equal to 11 nanograms per liter, indicating that releases from 

the eastern area were unlikely. In addition, concentrations of 

total mercury of solids were low (<3 milligrams per kilogram). 

In contrast, data from the November 2011 study indicated that 

the concentrations of filtered total mercury in the well located 

in the central fill area had tidally influenced concentrations 

of up to 500 nanograms per liter and elevated concentrations 

of total mercury of solids (29–41 milligrams per kilogram). 

This suggests that releases from this area, which has not been 

previously studied in detail, may be substantial. 

Previous measurements of total mercury of suspended 

solids in the dry dock discharges revealed high concentration 

of total mercury when suspended-solids concentrations were 

low. However, this result could have been owing to bias 

from sequential sampling during changing suspended-solids 

concentrations. Sampling of two dry dock systems on the 

complex in a manner that precluded this bias confirmed 

that suspended-solids concentrations and total mercury 

concentrations of suspended solids varied considerably during 

pumping cycles. These new data result in revised estimates 

of solids loadings from the dry docks. Although most of 

the solids discharged by the dry docks seem to be recycled 

Operable Unit B Marine sediment, a total of about 3.2 metric 

tons of solids per year containing high concentrations of 

total mercury were estimated to be discharged by the two dry 

dock systems. A simple calculation, in which solids (from 

dry docks, the steam plant, and tidal flushing of the largest 

stormwater drain) are widely dispersed throughout Operable 

Unit B Marine, suggests that Bremerton naval complex solids 

would likely have little effect on Operable Unit B Marine 

sediments because of high concentrations of mercury already 

present in the sediment.
2 Improved Estimates of Mercury Loadings and Concentrations of Solids, Sinclair Inlet, Washington

Introduction

As early as the 1980s, the sediment of Sinclair Inlet 

in Puget Sound, Washington (fig. 1), was known to have 

elevated concentrations of a number of contaminants (Malins 

and others, 1982). A remedial investigation of the marine 

waters off the Bremerton naval complex (BNC), Bremerton, 

Washington, was completed under the Comprehensive 

Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act 

(CERCLA) in 1996 (U.S. Navy, 2002), and the Record of 

Decision (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2000) was 

issued as final in 2002. The remediation options included 

isolating a considerable volume of contaminated sediment 

from interactions with the benthic food web by capping and 

disposing of dredge spoils in a covered confined aquatic 

disposal pit in 2001. The primary objective of the marine 

sediment cleanup was to address the potential risk to humans, 

particularly those engaged in a subsistence lifestyle, from 

consumption of bottom-dwelling fish with tissue containing 

polychlorinated biphenyls (U.S. Navy, 2002). Three pathways 

were identified as having the capability to transport chemicals 

from the terrestrial landscape of the BNC to the marine 

environment, and thus having the potential to recontaminate 

the recently remediated marine sediment. The pathways 

included direct dry dock discharges, discharge of groundwater, 

and discharge from stormwater drain systems handling 

surface-water runoff.

As lead agency for environmental cleanup of the BNC, 

the U.S. Navy has completed the second 5-year review of the 

remedial actions of the marine sediment within the boundary 

of the BNC (U.S. Navy, 2008a), pursuant to Section 121(c) 

of CERCLA and the National Oil and Hazardous Substances 

Pollution Contingency Plan (40 Code of Federal Regulations 

Part 300). One of the issues highlighted in the second 5-year 

review was: 

There is insufficient information to determine 

whether the remedial action taken at OU [Operable 

Unit] B Marine with respect to mercury in sediment 

is protective of ingestion of rockfish by subsistence 

finfishers, (U.S. Navy, 2008a, p. 5). 

Recommendations and follow-up actions in the second 

5-year review are as follows:

• Revisit Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study 

(RI/FS) groundwater-to-surface-water transport 

evaluations in light of total mercury (THg) 

concentrations in two long-term monitoring wells. 

• Perform trend analyses and assess functionality and 

protectiveness of remedy for marine sediment.

• Collect additional information necessary to perform 

a risk evaluation and reach conclusions regarding the 

protectiveness of the remedy (U.S. Navy, 2002) with 

respect to total mercury concentrations in Sinclair Inlet 

sediment and fish tissue.

Since 2007, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the 

U.S. Navy have entered into several multi-year interagency 

agreements. The objectives of these studies are to (1) estimate 

the magnitudes of the different predominant sources of THg 

to Sinclair Inlet, including those from the BNC, (2) evaluate 

the transformation of mercury to a bioavailable form in 

Sinclair Inlet, and (3) assess the effect of the sources and 

transformation processes on the mercury burden in marine 

organisms and sediment.

Definitions.—In this report, total mercury (THg, in 

ng/L) refers to all chemical forms of mercury (including 

methylmercury, MHg, in ng/L) and not to an unfiltered water 

sample, therefore, THg = MHg + inorganic mercury. The 

medium of the sample associated with the THg is identified 

as whole water (unfiltered) total mercury (WTHg, in ng/L), 

filtered total mercury (FTHg, in ng/L), and particulate total 

mercury (PTHg, in ng/L), where WTHg = FTHg + PTHg. 

Total mercury concentrations of marine sediment (STHg, 

in mg/kg) were measured by the Long-Term Monitoring 

Program (LTMP) of U.S. Navy. The total suspended-solids 

(TSS) concentration is a measure of solids concentrations 

in a sample collected independently of the PTHg sample. 

Suspended-solids concentrations (SSC) is a measure of the 

solids concentration of a whole sample collected from a churn 

splitter in concert with collection of the PTHg sample. The 

THg concentration of suspended solids (ng/mg) is calculated 

as: PTHg (ng/L)/TSS (mg/L) or PTHg (ng/L)/SSC (mg/L). By 

conversion, the concentration units of THg of suspended solids 

(ng/mg) are equal to the concentration units of STHg (mg/kg).

Defining the hydraulic gradient between groundwater 

elevation measured on the terrestrial datum NAVD 29 and 

the marine surface of Sinclair Inlet measured on the marine 

datum mean lower low water (MLLW) requires conversion to 

a common vertical datum. In Sinclair Inlet, the zero elevation 

of the NAVD 29 datum is +1.83 m relative to MLLW. The 

terrestrial elevations (for example, water level of groundwater 

in monitoring wells or water in stormwater vaults) were 

converted to the marine MLLW datum by adding 1.83 m to the 

elevation in terrestrial NAVD 29 datum.
Introduction 3

Figure 1. Location of Sinclair Inlet in Puget Sound, Kitsap County, Washington.

tac12-0789_fig01

Seattle

Manchester

Bremerton

Port

Orchard

Location

figure 2

Eagle

Harbor

Dyes

Inlet

Port

Madison

Rich

Passage

Port

Washington

Narrows

Agate

Passage

ELLIOT

BAY

Port

Gardner

Port

Gamble

Sinclair Inlet

Lake Washington

Duwamish Waterway

Port Orchard

Passage

Holmes Harbor

Hood

Canal

Bainbridge

Island

Blake

Island

North

Central

Puget 

Sound

South

Puget 

Sound

South

Central

Puget 

Sound

Hood Canal

Whidbey

Colvos Passage

USGS National Elevation Data (NED) 2000, 30 meter resolution

UTM zone 10, datum NAD83

WASHINGTON

Map

location

122°40' 122°20'

48°

47°

40'

0 2 4 6 8 10 Miles

0 2 4 6 8 10 Kilometers
4 Improved Estimates of Mercury Loadings and Concentrations of Solids, Sinclair Inlet, Washington

Purpose and Scope

As part of the Sources and Sinks study (Paulson and 

others, 2012), USGS examined the sources of THg to 

Sinclair Inlet and collected new data to evaluate mercury 

concentrations and loadings from industrial discharges and 

groundwater flowing from the BNC into Sinclair Inlet. This 

report provides new data to improve estimates of filtered total 

mercury loadings and/or total mercury concentrations of solids 

from four potential sources to Sinclair Inlet: 

1. Measurements of FTHg and THg concentrations in creek 

samples collected during the wet season to complement 

measurements during dry season base flow in 2008.

2. Measurements of FTHg and THg concentrations in 

the steam plant discharge following changes in water 

softening process and discharge operations since the 

initial sampling in 2008.

3. Measurements of FTHg and THg concentrations in 

groundwater from two landfill areas on the BNC 

identified as Site 10C (central) and Site 10E (eastern) in 

the Preliminary Assessment (U.S. Navy, 1992).

4. Measurements of THg concentrations in dry docks solids 

that are not affected by sequential sampling during 

changing solids conditions.

These new data provide a recent and more accurate 

estimate of the sources of FTHg presented as part of the 

conceptual model of mercury behavior in Sinclair Inlet in 

Paulson and others (2012). In addition, new unbiased THg 

data of dry dock solids allow the first assessment of the 

net effect of discharges of solids from BNC sources on the 

concentrations of marine sediment within the BNC.

Site Description

Sinclair Inlet is a shallow (maximum depth of 20 m) 

embayment of Puget Sound on the west side of the Puget 

Sound lowland (fig. 1). Sinclair Inlet is defined in this study as 

the marine water body landward of the cable area that extends 

from the Bremerton ferry dock of the Washington State Ferry 

System on the north (fig. 2) to the mouth of Annapolis Creek 

on the south (fig. 2).

The BNC covers about 2 km2 on the north shore 

of Sinclair Inlet in Bremerton, Washington (fig. 2) and 

includes the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate 

Maintenance Facility, Bremerton site (PSNS&IMF), and 

Naval Base Kitsap at Bremerton (NBK Bremerton). The 

primary role of PSNS&IMF (1.5 km2) is to provide overhaul, 

maintenance, conversion, refueling, defueling, and repair 

services to the naval fleet and is a fenced, high-security area. 

The primary role of NBK Bremerton (0.4 km2) is to serve 

as a deep-draft home port for aircraft carriers and supply 

ships. For purposes of calculating fluxes of FTHg to Sinclair 

Inlet, Paulson and others (2012) divided the BNC into three 

discharge zones (fig. 3A): (1) the Zone of Direct Discharge 

in the western part of the BNC, (2) the Vicinity of Site 2 in 

the western part of the BNC, and (3) the Capture Zone of the 

Sumps of the dry docks.

Summary of Previous Results

Creeks.—From 2002–05, the ENVironmental 

inVESTment (ENVVEST) project sampled several creeks, 

including the four creeks within Sinclair Inlet Basin 

(Blackjack, Anderson, Annapolis and Gorst Creeks in fig. 2). 

Samples for wet season (March), dry season (September), 

and a range of storm conditions were collected (ENVVEST, 

2006). WTHg concentrations ranged between 1.06 and 

27.31 ng/L and generally correlated with TSS concentration 

(2–153 mg/L) which generally increased with wet weather. 

During USGS sampling of dry base flow conditions in 

2008, the median concentrations of FTHg concentrations 

(n = 8) in the Sinclair Inlet creeks was 0.55 ng/L and ranged 

between 0.39 and 0.81 ng/L (Huffman and others, 2012). 

Median THg concentrations of suspended solids were 

0.12 mg/kg (0.09–0.28 mg/kg). This report addresses wet 

weather conditions.

Steam Plant.–The steam plant is located on BNC in 

the Zone of Direct Discharge and discharges at the end of 

Mooring F into cell 26 (fig. 3A). In 2008, the effluent from 

the steam plant included backwash from the ion exchange 

columns of the demineralizing process and solutions from the 

stack blow-down process. FTHg concentrations of the steam 

plant effluent ranged between 15.3 and 143 ng/L and were 

correlated with specific conductance. TSS concentrations in 

the steam plant effluent were low (<1.5 mg/L) and the THg 

concentrations of solids ranged from 2.95 to 68.7 mg/kg, with 

the highest value corresponding to the lowest TSS value of 

0.47 mg/L. After 2008, the steam plant converted to a reverse 

osmosis (RO) water softening process and the blow-down 

solutions were no longer discharged as part of the effluent 

but instead were sent to the wastewater treatment plant. This 

report addresses the changes in THg loads from the steam 

plant to Sinclair Inlet owing to the process changes.
Summary of Previous Results 5 tac12-0789_fig02

Navy ConfinedAquaticDisposal Pit 

Bremerton

Port Orchard

Gorst

Bremerton Ferry Dock

USGS National Elevation Data (NED) 2000, 30 meter resolutionUTM zone 10, datum NAD83

Wright Creek

Ross er C ke

j kcal B ca Ck keer

nl O r Cye kee

nnA pa il o Cs er ke

Ander os n C er ke

rpS C gni

keer

Gorst Creek

S

NI

CLAIR

NI

LET

S

NI

CLAIR

NI

LET

Cable Area Seaward Boundary PUGET SOUND

0 0.5

0.5

1 Mile

0 1 Kilometer

122°36' 122°38' 122°40' 122°42'

47°34'47°32'

Bremerton naval complex boundary

OU AOU B MarineOU B TerrestrialOU COU DOther

EXPLANATION

Operable units (OU)

OU Naval Supply Center

USGS creek sample

Figure 2. Locations of the Sinclair Inlet seaward boundary, U.S. Geological Survey creek sampling sites, and the Bremerton naval complex Operable Units and boundary, 

Sinclair Inlet, Kitsap County, Washington.
6 Improved Estimates of Mercury Loadings and Concentrations of Solids, Sinclair Inlet, Washington

tac12-0789_fig03a

SINCLAIR 

 

INLET

4

3 8

2

6

7

5 1

9

11

67

14

43

58

68

31

57

16

10

36

32

55

28 35

21

30

26

64

53

61

52

47

25

34

19

60

46

56

50

27

42

69

37

20

51

54

29

48

65

15

23

71

41

22

18

62

44

63

66

17

70

49

40

33

12

38

59

24

45 39

13

Dry dock 6

Dry dock 4

Dry dock 5

Dry dock 2

Dry dock 1

Dry dock 3

122°40' 122°39' 122°38'

47°33'

500 1,000 METERS

00

1,000 2,000 3,000 FEET

A.

PSNS015

H/61-1

OUBT-724

I/58-14

OUBT-709

O/43-9

3231 Approximate

steam plant

sampling

location

Mooring FPuget Sound Naval Shipyard (PSNS) stormwater drain with vault—Hatched lines represent outfall 

ShorelineOperable Unit B Marine boundary500-foot grid cell boundary and cell numberBremerton naval complex boundary

Zone of direct dischargeCapture zone of sumps

EXPLANATION

Discharge zonesSite 10C (fig. 3B)Site 10E (fig. 3C)

Fines less than 50 percent; no sedimentationFines greater than 85 percent; 

sedimentation = 0.14

Assumed sedimentation rate, in grams per 

cubic centimeter per year

Fines greater than 50 percent and less 

than 85 percent; sedimentation = 0.09

Vicinity of Site 2 

15

Operable Unit B Terrestrial (OUBT)

groundwater well monitored by USGS

OUBT-709

Right-side color indicates areas over OU B Marine.

Adaptation of a CAD file of Fig. 5.1 of U.S. Navy 2007b

Figure 3. Location of (A) the U.S. Navy Long-Term Monitoring Program grid cells in Operable Unit (OU) B Marine and locations of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) sampling 

sites within the Bremerton naval complex boundary, including detailed views of (B) Site 10C and (C) Site 10E, Sinclair Inlet, Kitsap County, Washington.
Summary of Previous Results 

7

Figure 3.–Continued

tac12-0789_fig03bc

Dry dock 4

Dry dock 5

Dry dock 3

122°38’ 122°37’30” 122°38’30”

47°33’40”35”30”

200 METERS

00

500 FEET

200 METERS

00

500 FEET

122°37’45”

47°33’25”

47°33’40”47°33’35”

B. C.

Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (PSNS) stormwater drain with 

vault—Hatched lines represent outfall. 

Shoreline

Capture zone of sumps

EXPLANATION

Discharge zonesSite 10CSite 10E

Operable Unit B Terrestrial (OUBT) groundwater well 

monitored by USGS

I/58-14

OUBT-724

PSNS126.1

H/61-1

PSNS126.4

PSNS82.5

PSNS82.4

OUBT-709

O/43-9

3231

OUBT-709

Adaptation of a CAD file of figure 5.1 of U.S. Navy 2007b

Adaptation of a CAD file of figure 5.1 of U.S. Navy 2007b
8 Improved Estimates of Mercury Loadings and Concentrations of Solids, Sinclair Inlet, Washington

Landfill Areas.—Previous work (Paulson and others, 

2012) suggests that contaminated soils in landfill areas can 

release THg to BNC groundwater that may eventually result in 

FTHg releases to Sinclair Inlet. Two fill areas in the Capture 

Zone of the Sumps (fig. 3A) are not contained by a seawall 

and could potentially release THg to Sinclair Inlet, especially 

during some low tide conditions when the Sinclair Inlet water 

level is below the water level of the zone of depression of 

the sumps. Well Operable Unit B Terrestrial (OUBT)-709 is 

in a fill area (Site 10C (central), U.S. Navy, 1992; fig 3A–B), 

and was not sampled by the LTMP. The FTHg concentration 

of 31 ng/L in January 2008, from well OUBT-709, was the 

highest measured by USGS, other than those measured from 

the well adjacent to Site 2 where high THg concentrations 

have been documented (Paulson and others, 2012). The THg 

concentration of solids sampled from well OUBT-709 also 

was high (46.8 mg/kg), but may have been be affected by bias 

from sequential sampling described for the 2008 dry dock 

samples (see “Dry Docks” in this section). 

The area upland of well OUBT-724 was identified as a 

fill area (Site 10E (eastern), U.S. Navy, 1992; fig. 3A and 3C) 

and is near the eastern boundary PSNS&IMF and the Capture 

Zone of the Sumps (Prych, 1997). Four unfiltered samples 

analyzed by the LTMP from well OUBT-724 (named LTMP-5 

by the U.S. Navy) contained WTHg concentrations between 

230 and 5,240 ng/L. The sample with a WTHg concentration 

of 5,240 ng/L was collected on October 18, 2005 at a tidal 

stage higher than other LTMP-5 samples. Groundwater 

from LTMP-5 collected in 2008 and 2009 contained the 

third highest WTHg concentrations (41.6 and 27.5 ng/L, 

respectively) of the LTMP for the respective year. FTHg 

concentrations less than 10 ng/L and PTHg concentrations less 

than 2 ng/L were measured from this well by USGS in 2008.

Dry Docks.—Water levels in the six dry docks on the 

BNC (fig. 3A) are kept below Sinclair Inlet water levels by 

sump pumps. Water from the sump wells is discharged by two 

systems: (1) sump well and process water from a combined 

collection system of Dry Docks 1–5 (fig. 3A) which are 

discharged alternately by pumps 4 and 5, and (2) the sump 

well and process water of the largest Dry Dock 6 (fig. 3A) 

discharged by pump 6. Cells 63 and 59 in Sinclair Inlet are the 

nearest cells to the discharge areas of sump well and process 

water from pumps 4 and 5, while cell 43 receives discharge 

from pump 6 (fig. 3A). The regular pumping of the sumps 

results in a groundwater zone of depression (Prych, 1997) 

defined as the Capture Zone of the Sumps (fig. 3A). Most of 

the THg released to the groundwater in the Capture Zone of 

the Sumps is expected to be accounted for as THg in the dry 

dock discharge. 

Median FTHg concentrations of the combined Dry Dock 

1–5 system and Dry Dock 6 in 2008 were 1.36 and 1.8 ng/L, 

respectively, and are not the subject of this report. 

In 2008, THg concentrations of solids discharged from 

the dry docks relief discharge systems ranged from 1.27 

to 5.17 mg/kg when TSS concentrations were greater than 

0.5 mg/L. In contrast, THg concentrations of solids ranged 

from 8.74 to 17.7 mg/kg when TSS concentrations were less 

than 0.5 mg/L. In 2008, samples for PTHg were collected 

shortly after the dry dock pumps turned on, which likely 

caused solids near the pump inlet to be resuspended by 

turbulence and resulted in high TSS and PTHg concentrations 

at the beginning of the pumping cycle. Because the TSS 

sample was always collected at the end of each sampling 

event in 2008, the TSS concentrations in this last sample were 

likely different than samples collected at the beginning of the 

pumping cycle. If the population of solids in the PTHg sample 

collected at the beginning of the pumping cycle is different 

than the population of solids in the TSS sample collected at 

the end of the pumping, the THg concentration of dry dock 

solids (THg = PTHg / TSS) will be biased by sequential 

sampling during changing TSS conditions. THg concentrations 

of dry dock solids in this report were collected in a manner 

that precluded bias from sequential sampling of PTHg and 

TSS measurements.

Methods

Sampling

All sampling equipment and bottles were cleaned at 

the Wisconsin Mercury Research Laboratory (WMRL) as 

described by Lewis and Brigham (2004), except for the churn 

splitters that were cleaned in room-temperature 10 percent 

Trace-Metal Grade hydrochloric acid (HCl, volume to volume 

with deionized water) after removing metal-containing spigot 

parts. Details of the routine sampling methods by USGS are 

described in Huffman and others (2012), and only significant 

sampling deviations for the specific purposes of this study 

are described in detail. All samples were stored on ice and 

transported to the laboratory for processing.

Creeks.—Four creeks in Sinclair Inlet Basin (fig. 2) 

were sampled twice during the wet season of 2012 (February 

and March). Environmental parameters including pH, water 

temperature, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity were measured in 

each creek using a multiparameter sonde (YSITM Incorporated, 

Yellow Springs, Ohio) and flow was measured using a 

FlowTracker (SonTekTM, San Diego, California). Water was 

pumped from the centroid of the creeks into polyethylene 

terephthalate copolyester (PETG) bottles using a peristaltic 

pump for the determination of FTHg, PTHg, and TSS.

Steam Plant.—After conversion of the steam plant to 

RO processes, the steam plant effluent was sampled twice 

in 2011 (November and December). A 1.3-cm diameter 

perfluoroalkoxy (PFA) tube was passed through the grate 

at the top of the wet well and effluent was collected by 

peristaltic pump into a 2-L PETG bottle for FTHg and PTHg 

(Huffman and others, 2012). Water also was pumped into a 

polypropylene (PP) churn splitter and split into bottles for 

PTHg and TSS measurements.
Methods 9

Landfill Areas.—To understand THg dynamics in 

groundwater in the two landfill areas of concern (fig. 3, Site 

10C and Site 10E), a 19-hour tidal study was conducted at 

well OUBT-709 and well OUBT-724 in 2011. The sampling 

dates for these tidal studies were chosen specifically to 

represent worst-case scenarios for possible release of THg 

to Sinclair Inlet. During the maximum higher high tide of 

the year (king tide), seawater from Sinclair Inlet extends the 

farthest inland as in the previous year, and may contact soils 

that have not been in contact with seawater during that time. 

During the ebbing cycle to lower low tide, the groundwater 

flows to Sinclair Inlet, potentially carrying extracted THg. The 

tidal studies included hourly sampling for about 19 hours at an 

elevation just below the water level of the well and sampling 

at the bottom of the well during higher high tide, higher low 

tide and lower low tide. 

In addition to the hydrologic connection between the 

Sinclair Inlet and BNC groundwater, previous work (Paulson 

and others, 2012) also suggests a possible connection between 

groundwater and the stormwater drain systems on the BNC. In 

order to examine a possible connection between groundwater 

and stormwater drains in these two fill areas, two stormwater 

vaults upland of each well were also sampled a single time 

during the tidal study.

(a) Well OUBT-709 (Site 10C). On November 27, 2011, 

one sampling assembly was lowered to the bottom of the 

screened interval of well OUBT-709 and a second assembly 

was lowered to just below the elevation of the water level. 

A sampling assembly consisted of PFA tubing connected to 

a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) sampling port on one end 

and a short piece of flexible C-FLEX® tubing on the other end 

inserted into a peristaltic pump. 

Groundwater from the bottom of the well was sampled 

at three discrete times on November 27–28: near higher high 

tide (07:57 Pacific Standard Time (PST)), higher low tide 

(13:37) and lower low tide (01:20, November 28). Water was 

first pumped through a peristaltic pump at 300 mL/min into a 

flow-through chamber equipped with a multi-parameter YSITM 

sonde to measure salinity (as specific conductance) and water 

temperature. Whole water was then pumped into a 2-L PETG 

bottle for analysis of FTHg, PTHg, and TSS. The bottom port 

had fallen to the bottom of the well for the final sample (01:20, 

November 28) and data from this sample did not satisfy 

quality assurance criteria. During bottom well sampling, the 

pump for the upper sampling assembly was off, and other than 

the three sampling times, the pump for the bottom sampling 

assembly was off.

Sampling and monitoring of the groundwater just below 

the water level was continuous, except when the pump was 

off during bottom sampling or when the sampling assembly 

was removed from the well for water level measurements. 

Water levels in the well were measured periodically and the 

upper sampling assembly was lowered or raised in response 

to the fluctuating groundwater level in the well (fig. A1). At 

about hourly intervals from 07:15, November 27, to 00:35, 

November 28, groundwater just below the fluctuating water 

level was pumped through a Meissner cartridge filter into 

500-mL PFA bottles to be analyzed for FTHg concentrations. 

The filter was rinsed with blank water provided by the 

WMRL between each sample and was used until replaced 

with a new filter after it clogged at mid-experiment. Blank 

water was then pumped through the sampling assembly and 

the clogged, rinsed Meissner cartridge filter to assess crosscontamination between sequential samples. During higher 

high tide (07:28), higher low tide (12:48), and lower low 

tide (01:15, November 28), whole water from just below 

the water surface in the well was pumped into PETG bottles 

for analyses for PTHg and TSS concentrations. When water 

level measurements or sample collection was not occurring, 

groundwater just below the water level was pumped (in a 

manner that kept the C-FLEX® tubing clean for the next 

sample) into a YSITM sonde flow-through chamber to 

continuously record environmental parameters. 

During the ebbing tide of the well tidal sampling 

of November 27–28, 2011, water from O/43-9 (system 

PSNS82.5) and catch basin 3231 (system PSNS82.4), the 

nearest stormwater vaults to well OUBT-709 (fig. 3B), was 

pumped through a sampling assembly into a 2-L PETG bottle 

for analysis of FTHg, PTHg, and TSS.

(b) Well OUBT-724 (Site 10E). On December 26–27, 

2011, the sampling procedure used at well OUBT-709 was 

repeated at well OUBT-724. Water from the bottom of the 

screened interval was monitored for environmental parameters 

and samples were collected for analysis of FTHg, PTHg, and 

TSS during higher high tide (07:15), higher low tide (12:38) 

and lower low tide (00:05, December 27). Water levels were 

monitored (fig. A2) and hourly samples from just below 

the fluctuating water level were filtered through a Meissner 

cartridge filter for FTHg analyses from 07:06, December 26, 

to 00:05, December 27, 2011. Field parameters from the 

water-level port were measured in the flow-through chamber 

equipped with a YSITM sonde when other measurements were 

not being made. 

All vaults in the stormwater system (PSNS126.4) 

upland of OUBT-724 contained freshwater on December 

26. Freshwater from the most seaward vault of PSNS126.4 

(fig. 3C, H/61-1) was pumped into a 2-L PETG bottle for 

analysis of FTHg, PTHg, and TSS. The salinity values of 

water in catch basins to the west of the well near the shoreline 

were measured, and the vault nearest the well that contained 

seawater (fig. 3C, I/58-14 of PSNS126.1) was sampled for 

FTHg, PTHg, and TSS analysis.

Dry Docks.—Because the goal of the dry dock sump 

sampling was to obtain the most accurate measurement of 

THg concentration of solids, every effort was made to ensure 

that the population of solids collected on the quartz fiber 

filter (QFF) for measurement of PTHg was the same as the 

population of particles collected on the polycarbonate filter 

used for measurement of SSC. The water samples of dry dock 

discharges were taken directly from a sampling port on the 

discharge pipe downstream of the pump into a PTFE churn 

splitter using PFA tubing with a C-FLEX® tubing connector. 
10 Improved Estimates of Mercury Loadings and Concentrations of Solids, Sinclair Inlet, Washington

The pumps of the dry dock sumps are controlled by water 

elevation sensors, and thus, the timing of the pumping cycle 

will depend on hydrologic conditions. The Dry Dock 6 pump 

cycles on for approximately 12 minutes per hour, and this 

cycle continues 24 hours per day, seven days per week. While 

the pump was on, water was collected from a sampling port 

on the discharge pipe at the top of the vertical riser (near the 

discharge pump on the lower level of the dry dock). Discharge 

water was collected sequentially into three churn splitters 

(for 14 minutes in November 2011) and four churn splitters 

(for 12 minutes in December 2011). Two acid-cleaned PTFE 

churn splitters were used for each dry dock pumping cycle and 

rinsed with Purelab® water between each use. While the water 

was churned, aliquots from each churn splitter were collected 

in a 1-L PETG bottle for PTHg and a 500-mL high-density 

polyethylene (HDPE) bottle for SSC analysis.

The Dry Dock 4 pump, which discharges sump water 

from the Dry Dock 1–5 system, cycles on for approximately 

1 hour every 3 hours. This cycle continues throughout the 

day, seven days per week. While the pump was on, water was 

collected from a sampling port at the bottom of the vertical 

riser. In November 2011, three samples of discharge water 

were collected: immediately after the pump turned on, in the 

middle of the cycle, and near the end of the cycle (42 minutes 

of total pumping time). In December 2011, pump 4 turned on 

prematurely as the sampling team arrived at the pump station, 

then manually turned off. After about 8 minutes, the pump was 

manually turned on again and three sequential samples were 

taken over 12 minutes, before the pump cycle was completed. 

Because the pumping cycle was not complete, the suspended 

solids load for the cycle was not calculated. In addition, 

both SSC and THg of solids may have been affected by a 

short quiescent period of 12 minutes compared to the normal 

quiescent period of 3 hours or more.

Laboratory Processing.—Water samples filtered in the 

field (that is, groundwater samples collected just below the 

well water level) were acidified at the Washington Water 

Science Center (WAWSC) laboratory within 6 hours of 

collection with 20 ml of 6 moles HCl per liter of water in 

a laminar flow hood. Whole water samples of creek water, 

steam plant effluent, groundwater, and dry dock discharges for 

analysis of FTHg and/or PTHg were processed at the WAWSC 

using PFA filtering towers attached to a vacuum desiccator 

placed in a laminar flow hood as described by Lewis 

and Brigham (2004). TSS was measured gravimetrically 

using 0.45 μm pore-size, 47-mm diameter Nuclepore®

polycarbonate filters (Huffman and others, 2012). Field 

collection, laboratory processing, and analyses are described 

in detail in Huffman and others, 2012.

Quality Assurance

Churn Splitters.—Churn splitters were used to collect 

representative samples of PTHg and solids. Churn splitters 

previously had not been used to collect mercury in any USGS 

program, and each PTFE and polypropylene churn splitter 

was pre-tested for THg contamination. Water used to dilute 

acid, rinse, and test the churn splitters was from an Elga 

Purelab® point-of-service unit supplied with RO water from 

an Elga CentraTM unit (Woodridge, Illinois). During the time 

of pre-testing of the churn splitters, WTHg concentrations of 

Purelab® water ranged from <0.04 to 0.08 ng/L (table A1). 

Water from the churn splitter was collected through the 

spigot into a PFA bottle (WTHg) or filtered through a QFF 

in a PFA filtering tower for FTHg and PTHg analysis. FTHg 

concentrations in water mixed in a PTFE churn splitter ranged 

from 0.04 to 0.22 ng/L, which were deemed unacceptable for 

collection of low-level FTHg samples. Therefore, all samples 

for FTHg analyses for the steam plant effluent were collected 

in PETG bottles. WTHg concentrations of samples mixed in 

PP churns splitters also were examined and withdrawn from 

the top of the PP churn splitter in order to determine if the 

PP churn splitters could be lowered into stormwater vaults to 

collect samples. WTHg concentrations from PP churn splitters 

were highly variable (0.2–1.2 ng/L), indicating that churn 

splitters should only be used to collect FTHg samples only in 

highly contaminated sites.

PTHg concentrations of the Purelab® water, mixed 

in PTFE churn splitters and transferred through the PTFE 

spigot, were less than the detection limit (0.019–0.040 ng/L), 

which depended on the amount of water filtered. PTHg 

concentrations of Purelab® water, mixed in PP churn splitters 

and transferred through spring-loaded plastic spigots also were 

below the detection limit (0.025–0.030 ng/L). 

Replicates and Blanks.—Quality assurance of sampling 

methods included collection of field blanks, field replicates, 

and samples for comparison of different filtering methods 

(table A1). Field filtering of blank water through tubing at a 

creek site resulted in a FTHg concentration of 0.08 ng/L. The 

field filtering of blank water through sampling port, tubing, 

and new Meissner cartridge filters at the two groundwater sites 

resulted in FTHg concentrations of 0.09 and 0.11 ng/L. 

FTHg concentrations were measured in three sets of field 

groundwater replicates and one set of creek replicates. The 

relative percent difference (RPD) was less than 5 percent for 

the three groundwater replicates and was 10.7 percent for the 

one creek sample. For one set of sequential FTHg groundwater 

samples, water from the first sample was filtered through a 

Meissner filter and collected in PFA bottles in the field. For the 

second sample, raw water was stored in a PETG bottle, taken 

to the laboratory, and filtered through a QFF. The RPD of 

FTHg concentration in the field-filtered sample relative to the 

sample filtered through a QFF was 24 percent. 
Filtered Total Mercury Concentrations and Loadings from Potential Sources 11

Replicate samples of PTHg from the steam plant effluent 

and from Anderson Creek were collected. The RPD of 

low‐PTHg concentrations in the steam plant effluent, collected 

by different methods (churn splitter and PETG bottle), was 

43 percent. For comparison, the RPD of the creek samples was 

6.6 percent. 

The reporting level for mass on the filter was 0.03 mg. 

The TSS reporting level depended on the volume of water 

filtered. For low-TSS concentration samples, a nominal 

volume of 1 L was used. The increase of mass of filters 

after processing blank water, pumped through cleaned field 

equipment, ranged from 0.07 to 0.13 mg. Replicate PTHg 

or solids samples could not be collected during the rapid 

processing of sequential sampling during the pump cycle 

of the dry docks. The increase of mass on a filter after 

processing blank water that had rinsed a used PTFE churn 

splitter was 0.13 mg, which represented 7 percent of the 2 mg 

(0.47 L of 4.169 mg/L water) in the last sample from Dry 

Dock 6. The RPD of five creek field duplicates ranged from 

0.4 to 8.6 percent. Two of the three TSS replicates for the 

groundwater study were within this range, but the RPD of 

duplicate TSS concentrations from the catch basin 3231 (in 

Site 10C was 39 percent. 

To examine the possible crossover contamination 

from the sequential use of the same sampling assembly and 

cartridge filter at the well sites, the sampling port, tubing, 

and cartridge filter used previously for the same well were 

rinsed with blank water before filtering blank water into 

a PETG for FTHg analysis. The FTHg concentration in 

filtered blank water and filtered through a cartridge filter 

used to collect groundwater from OUBT-709 was 5.33 ng/L. 

This concentration represented between 1 percent (highest 

concentration) and 23 percent (lowest concentration) of the 

measured FTHg concentrations at OUBT-709. The FTHg 

concentration in blank water filtered through a cartridge filter 

used to collect groundwater from OUBT-724 was 0.73 ng/L. 

This concentration represented between 7 percent (highest 

concentration) and 18 percent (lowest concentration) of the 

measured FTHg concentration measured at OUBT-724. 

The quality assurance data for this project is acceptable 

and no blank corrections were made. The FTHg concentrations 

(0.08–0.11 ng/L) and PTHg concentrations (<0.072 and 

0.03 ng/L) in blank water passing through clean equipment 

for individual samples were low. Some crossover of THg 

between samples occurred from the use of a single cartridge 

filter for multiple well samples, but only represented 1 percent 

of the highest concentration of 496 ng/L collected from 

well OUBT-709 and 7 percent of the highest concentration 

of 10.9 ng/L collected from well OUBT-724. The RPD of 

field duplicates of FTHg in stream and well water ranged 

from 1.5 to 10.7 percent, while the RPD of PTHg in one 

stream field duplicate was 6.6 percent. Higher RPDs (24 and 

43 percent) were only observed when different sampling 

methods were used to collect duplicate field concentrations 

during changing conditions. The filters used to measure TSS 

gained little mass (0.13 mg) after processing water pumped 

through clean equipment, and the crossover contamination 

from reusing rinsed churn splitters in the field was about 

5 percent. The RPD of 9 of the 10 field replicates was less than 

10 percent.

Filtered Total Mercury Concentrations 

and Loadings from Potential Sources

Creeks

FTHg concentrations in four creeks draining into Sinclair 

Inlet (fig. 2) during the wet season of 2012 (1.05–4.0 ng/L, 

table 1) were considerably higher (Kendall tau <0.001) than 

those sampled during the 2008 dry season (0.39–0.81 ng/L, 

Paulson and others, 2012), but lower than the median 

WTHg concentration of 4.75 ng/L reported for rainwater 

(Brandenberger and others, 2010). Unlike the fairly uniform 

FTHg concentrations in these four basins during the dry 

season, FTHg concentrations varied among creeks during the 

wet season (fig. 4). 

The differences of FTHg concentrations in creeks, 

between dry and wet season, suggest that FTHg loadings to 

Sinclair Inlet from local drainage basins be calculated from 

flows for the two seasons as outlined by the ENVVEST 

Program (Skahill and LaHatte, 2007). Average wet-season 

flows of 0.93, 0.32, 0.72, and 0.018 m3/s for Gorst, Anderson, 

Blackjack, and Annapolis Creeks, respectively, contribute 

94 percent of the total wet-season flow to Sinclair Inlet 

(2.104 m3/s, table A2). Applying the average of the two 

measured wet-season FTHg concentrations (table 1) of 1.11, 

2.05, 2.67 and 3.33 ng/L to the respective individual stream 

flows yield FTHg loadings of 19.0, 12.1, 35.2 and 1.0 g/yr 

for the 7-month wet season, for Gorst, Anderson, Blackjack, 

and Annapolis Creeks, respectively (table A2). Although 

Annapolis Creek contained the highest FTHg concentration, 

its wet-season flow was low (0.018 m3/s), yielding a 

FTHg loading of only 1.0 g/yr. The highest FTHg loading 

(35.2 g/yr) was contributed by Blackjack Creek because it had 

the combination of the second-highest flow and second‐highest 

FTHg concentration of the four creeks. When the median 

wet-season FTHg concentration of the four measured creeks 

(2.28 ng/L) was applied to the wet-season flow of the ungaged 

area, the total wet-season FTHg loading from creeks draining 

to Sinclair Inlet was estimated as 72.5 g/yr (table A2). This 

calculation assumed the sampling events were representative 

of the entire wet season; however, additional storm-event 

based sampling may be needed to more accurately quantify 

annual loading from wet-weather creeks. 

The 7-month wet season contributes 80 percent of the 

total annual creek surface water volume delivered to Sinclair 

Inlet. The median dry-season FTHg concentration of 0.57 ng/L 

for all four creeks was applied to the 20 percent of the volume 

of water delivered to Sinclair Inlet (0.75 m3/s over 5 months) 

to yield a dry-season FTHg loading from creeks draining to 

Sinclair Inlet of 5.6 g/yr. 
12 Improved Estimates of Mercury Loadings and Concentrations of Solids, Sinclair Inlet, Washington

Table 1. Total mercury concentration in filtered water and of particles in four creeks draining into Sinclair Inlet, Kitsap County, 

Washington, February and March 2012.

[Abbreviations: m3/s, cubic meters per second; mg/L, milligrams per liter; μS/cm, microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius; °C, degrees Celsius; 

ng/L, nanograms per liter; mg/kg, milligrams per kilogram]

 Station name Date Sample 

time

Instantaneous 

discharge 

(m3

/s)

Dissolved 

oxygen 

(mg/L)

 pH

 Specific 

conductance

(μS/cm)

Temperature

(°C)

Filtered total

mercury 

(ng/L)

Particulate 

total mercury 

(ng/L)

Total 

suspended 

solids

(mg/L)

Total mercury 

of solids 

(mg/kg)

Gorst Creek 02-29-12 1200 0.82 12.4 7.5 100 5.2 1.17 0.97 9.75 0.10

03-14-12 1015 1.10 12.5 7.4 90 5.3 1.05 0.71 5.26 0.13

Anderson Creek 02-29-12 1345 0.33 12.5 7.6 69 5.6 2.08 1.61 23.71 0.07

03-14-12 1115 0.20 12.6 7.5 64 5.5 2.02 1.77 17.50 0.10

Blackjack Creek 02-29-12 1645 0.88 12.6 7.5 130 5.0 2.48 1.60 29.25 0.05

03-14-12 1515 2.01 12.7 7.4 139 5.0 2.86 2.14 44.40 0.05

Annapolis Creek 02-29-12 1500 0.07 12.3 7.4 100 5.5 4.00 2.64 13.83 0.19

03-14-12 1300 0.14 12.6 7.3 71 5.0 2.66 2.77 53.60 0.05

0

1

2

3

4

5

Dry season

Wet season

Maximum

Average of two points

Minimum

Filtered total mercury, in nanograms per liter

Gorst Anderson Blackjack Annapolis

Creeks discharging into Sinclair Inlet

EXPLANATION

Figure 4. Filtered total mercury concentrations 

in four creeks (Gorst, Anderson, Blackjack, and 

Annapolis Creeks) draining into Sinclair Inlet, 

during the 2008 dry season and the 2012 wet 

season, Kitsap County, Washington.
Filtered Total Mercury Concentrations and Loadings from Potential Sources 13

Steam Plant

Effluent from the steam 

plant, equipped with the 

new RO system, sampled in 

November and December 2011, 

had FTHg concentrations of 

3.33 and 1.53 ng/L, respectively 

(table 2), which was much 

lower than concentrations 

before the process conversion 

(15.3–143 ng/L). The change in 

operation in the steam plant to 

a RO system and the diversion 

of the stack blow-down wash 

Table 2. Total mercury concentration in filtered water and of particles in the steam plant effluent 

on the Bremerton naval complex, Kitsap County, Washington, November and December 2011.

[Abbreviations: ng/L, nanograms per liter; mg/L, milligrams per liter; mg/kg, milligrams per kilogram; –, not 

measured; PETG, polyethylene terephthalate copolyester; PP, polypropylene]

Date Time

Filtered total 

mercury 

(ng/L)

Particulate 

total mercury 

(ng/L)

Suspended-solids 

concentration

(mg/L)

Total mercury 

of solids 

(mg/kg)

Collection device

11-16-11 1250 3.33 0.92 – – PETG bottle

11-16-11 1251 – 0.44 0.35 1.26 PP churn splitter

12-13-11 1001 1.53 0.10 – – PETG bottle

12-13-11 1011 – 0.07 0.19 0.36 PP churn splitter

to the municipal wastewater treatment plant resulted in an 

average flow of water from the steam plant of 0.0019 m3/s 

in the autumn of 2011 (Mark Wicklein, U.S. Navy, written 

commun., February 2, 2012), which is a 20 percent reduction 

in flow from 2008 flows. The 20 percent reduction in flow 

and the 95 percent reduction in median FTHg concentrations 

from 2008 to 2011 resulted in a 97 percent reduction in the 

calculated FTHg loading to Sinclair Inlet from the steam plant 

(5.9 g/yr in 2009 to 0.15 g/yr in 2011).

Landfill Areas

Well OUBT-709 (Site 10C).—Well OUBT-709 is 

in the central fill area (10C, figs. 3A and 3B) and in the 

zone of depression of both dry dock systems. The two 

stormwater vaults nearest well OUBT-709 contained 

water with low conductivity (42 and 131 μS/cm) and low 

FTHg concentrations (2.85 and 1.63 ng/L) (table 3). These 

observations suggest that stormwater drains play no role in 

transporting saline water inland and all transport of saline 

water is through the intertidal region in the absence of 

a seawall.

On November 27, 2011, between 06:00 and 18:00 PST, 

the elevation of the water level at well OUBT-709 was 

between 2 and 3 m below the water elevation of the surface 

of Sinclair Inlet (fig. 5). Drawdown by the sumps of nearby 

Dry Docks 5 and 6 was probably responsible for lowering 

the water level in the well. During this time, groundwater 

was saline (salinity >26, see fig. A1) and was continuously 

flowing the short distance (30 m) from the Sinclair Inlet 

shoreline to the well and further upland. During the morning 

ebbing tide, FTHg concentrations just below the water level 

ranged from 32.1 to 50.2 ng/L (table 3). Near higher low tide 

at 12:36, FTHg concentrations began to increase, reaching a 

maximum of 126 ng/L at 14:10, FTHg concentrations then 

decreased to 22.9 ng/L and remained at relatively low levels 

until 19:00. Only after 20:50, when the elevation of Sinclair 

Inlet declined below the well water level (+1.44 m MLLW), 

was groundwater flowing from the upland area to Sinclair 

Inlet. The FTHg concentration in this draining water was 

228 ng/L at 21:00 and reached a maximum concentration of 

496 ng/L at 22:12. By lower low tide at 00:27 (November 28), 

FTHg concentrations had decreased to 81.7 ng/L. FTHg 

concentrations in groundwater from the bottom of the well 

(table 3) were less than concentrations in groundwater from 

just below the water level sampled near the same time. 

High FTHg concentrations in groundwater only were 

measured when groundwater was flowing from the upland area 

to Sinclair Inlet and indicates a source of FTHg upland of the 

well. The short duration of the release of FTHg suggests that 

chloride ions in the intruding seawater extracted THg from 

soils that would not have been in contact with seawater during 

normal tides. The release during the extremely high tides 

suggests that the upland soil releasing FTHg may have been 

near ground surface.

Well OUBT-724 (Site 10E).—Unlike well OUBT-709, 

the water elevation in well OUBT-724 responded quickly to 

the changes in water elevation of Sinclair Inlet during most of 

the tidal study (fig. 6). To some degree, this is likely because 

OUBT-724 is closer to the shoreline (10 m) and farther away 

from the nearest dry dock, and hence near the boundary of 

the dry dock drawn-down zone (Prych, 1997). During both 

ebbing tidal cycles, salinity decreased with the declining 

water elevations, indicating some amount of fresher water 

from upland areas was flowing past the well to Sinclair Inlet 

(fig. A2). FTHg concentrations in groundwater just below the 

water table in OUBT-724 were less than 5.5 ng/L in two-thirds 

of the samples. On December 26, during the ebbing tidal cycle 

to lower low tide (after about 19:00), the Sinclair Inlet water 

elevation declined below the well water level and water from 

the upland fill area was draining past well OUBT-724. During 

that time, FTHg concentration increased to a maximum of 

10.8 ng/L (table 4). 
14 Improved Estimates of Mercury Loadings and Concentrations of Solids, Sinclair Inlet, Washington

Table 3. Field measurements and total mercury concentrations in filtered water and of particles in groundwater from well OUBT-709 

and in stormwater in nearby drains on the Bremerton naval complex, Kitsap County, Washington, November 2011.

[Abbreviations: FTHg, filtered total mercury; PTHg, particulate total mercury; TSS, total suspended solids; THg, total mercury; mg/L, milligrams per liter; 

μS/cm, microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius; °C, degrees Celsius; m, meters; bgs, below ground surface; ng/L, nanograms per liter; mg/kg, 

milligrams per kilogram; –, not measured]

Time

Dissolved 

oxygen 

(mg/L)

pH

Specific 

conductance 

(μS/cm)

Temperature 

(°C)

Sampling depth 

(m bgs)

FTHg

(ng/L)

PTHg 

(ng/L)

TSS 

(mg/L)

THg of solids 

(mg/kg)

Stormwater vault O/43-9 (system PSNS82.5), sampled November 27, 2011

1105 – – 42 – 1.0 2.85 3.65 8.42 0.43

1107 – – 40 – 2.8 – – – –

Stormwater catch basin 3231 (system PSNS82.4), sampled November 27, 2011

1148 – – 131 – 0.8 1.63 3.21 8.33 0.39

1150 – – 131 – 1.0 – – – –

Well OUBT-709 groundwater samples collected just below the water level, November 27–28, 2011

0727 – – – – 4.3 50.2 – – –

0728 – – – – 4.3 – 29.6 0.72 41.1

0830 1.6 6.9 41,700 12.6 4.3 40.6 – – –

0906 0.3 7.2 41,900 12.5 4.3 38.8 – – –

1007 0.9 7.3 41,100 12.3 3.7 35.4 – – –

1117 0.2 7.3 42,200 12.5 3.7 32.1 – – –

1201 0.3 7.3 41,800 12.7 3.5 42.4 – – –

1244 1.5 7.3 41,600 13.0 3.5 84.0 – – –

1248 2.4 7.3 41,800 12.9 3.5 – 39.5 1.37 28.9

1410 2.8 7.2 41,600 13.0 3.5 126 – – –

1515 0.4 7.4 42,500 11.6 3.5 33.9 – – –

1610 0.2 7.4 42,500 12.7 3.5 28.3 – – –

1726 0.1 7.4 42,500 12.3 3.5 26.6 – – –

1806 <0.1 7.5 42,700 12.6 3.5 25.1 – – –

1923 0.1 7.5 42,700 12.4 3.5 22.9 – – –

0035 0.4 7.4 42,600 12.9 3.7 73.2 – – –

2100 1.7 7.2 42,200 12.5 4.0 228 – – –

2212 4.3 7.1 41,500 13.7 4.0 496 – – –

2306 3.7 7.2 41,700 13.3 4.3 288 – – –

0027 3.4 7.2 41,900 13.6 4.4 81.7 – – –

0115 – – – – 4.4 – 5.54 0.18 31.5

Well OUBT-709 groundwater samples collected near bottom of the well, November 27–28, 2011

0757 1.6 6.9 41,700 12.6 6.7 40.4 26.6 0.78 34.1

1337 1.9 7.4 42,600 11.0 6.7 37.5 22.3 0.67 33.2

0119 4.0 7.3 41,800 11.7 9.1 65.7 1 1 34.3

1

 Before the 0119 sample, the sampling port dropped to the bottom of the well. The THg of solids is valid for the solids near the bottom, but the PTHg and 

TSS concentration of solids on which the THg concentrations is based are not representative.
Filtered Total Mercury Concentrations and Loadings from Potential Sources 15

Figure 5. Water elevations in well OUBT-709 as compared to Sinclair Inlet and filtered total mercury 

concentrations in well water from OUBT-709, Kitsap County, Washington.

watac12-0789_fig05

Minimum

Maximum

Elevation of Sinclair Inlet surface

Elevation of well water level

FTHg just below water level

FTHg at bottom of well

EXPLANATION

-3

-2

-1

0

1

2

3

4

5

0

100

200

300

400

500

Elevation, in meters relative to mean lower low water

Filtered total mercury, in nanograms per liter

November 27 November 28

6:00 12:00 18:00 00:00 3:00
16 Improved Estimates of Mercury Loadings and Concentrations of Solids, Sinclair Inlet, Washington

watac12-0789_fig06

Minimum

Maximum

-3

-2

-1

0

1

2

3

4

0

10

20

Elevation, in meters relative to mean lower low water

Filtered total mercury, in nanograms per liter

Elevation of Sinclair Inlet surface

Elevation of well water level

FTHg just below water level

FTHg at well bottom

EXPLANATION

6:00 12:00 18:00 00:00 3:00

December 26 December 27

Figure 6. Water elevations in well OUBT-724 as compared to Sinclair Inlet and filtered total mercury 

concentrations in well water from OUBT-724, Kitsap County, Washington, December 2011.
Filtered Total Mercury Concentrations and Loadings from Potential Sources 17

Table 4. Field measurements and total mercury concentrations in filtered water and of particles in groundwater from well OUBT-724 

and in stormwater in nearby drains on the Bremerton naval complex, Kitsap County, Washington, December 2011.

[Abbreviations: FTHg, filtered total mercury; PTHg, particulate total mercury; TSS, total suspended solids; THg, total mercury; mg/L, milligrams per liter; 

μS/cm, microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius; °C, degrees Celsius; m, meters; bgs, below ground surface; ng/L, nanograms per liter; mg/kg, 

milligrams per kilogram; –, not measured]

Time

Dissolved 

oxygen 

(mg/L)

pH

Specific 

conductance 

(μS/cm)

Temperature 

(°C)

Sampling depth 

(m bgs)

FTHg

(ng/L)

PTHg 

(ng/L)

TSS 

(mg/L)

THg of solids 

(mg/kg)

Stormwater vault H/61-1 near PSNS126.4, December 26, 2011

1135 8.5 8.1 83 7.9 1.2 1.56 1.15 6.34 0.18

1136 8.4 8.0 78 7.9 2.0 – – – –

Stormwater vault I/58-14 (B-26) near PSNS126.1, December 26, 2011

1110 6.3 7.5 41,200 10.1 1.8 1.58 3.44 4.22 0.82

1718 – – 42,500 – 2.1 – – – –

Well OUBT-724 groundwater samples collected just below the water level, December 26–27, 2011

0706 8.3 7.7 44,100 – 2.1 5.21 – – –

0715 – – – – 2.1 – 1.02 0.34 2.96

0814 8.3 7.6 44,100 10.0 2.1 4.67 – – –

0900 7.9 7.7 44,300 10.3 2.1 4.45 – – –

1000 7.8 7.3 44,500 10.9 3.0 8.96 – – –

1107 7.8 7.2 40,000 10.5 3.4 10.8 – – –

1203 7.6 7.2 39,600 10.8 4.0 6.53 – – –

1238 – – – – 4.0 – 0.93 0.56 1.67

1259 – – – – 3.7 9.84 – – –

1415 7.0 7.6 43,400 10.6 3.7 4.52 – – –

1503 6.8 7.7 44,400 10.2 3.7 4.54 – – –

1610 7.2 7.7 44,500 10.3 3.0 3.78 – – –

1703 7.1 7.7 44,600 10.1 2.6 4.38 – – –

1805 7.1 7.7 44,700 9.4 2.9 4.00 – – –

1903 7.6 7.5 43,500 10.4 2.7 8.96 – – –

2002 7.3 7.5 43,800 10.4 3.4 7.67 – – –

2102 6.8 7.4 43,300 10.5 3.8 4.49 – – –

2103 – – – – 3.8 4.56 – – –

2200 5.6 7.2 40,100 10.3 4.6 4.11 – – –

2258 5.6 7.3 39,900 10.0 5.2 4.04 – – –

2259 – – – – 5.2 4.22 – – –

0001 6.8 7.2 35,500 9.5 5.3 4.43 – – –

0005 – – – – 5.3 – 24.7 11.12 2.22

Well OUBT-724 groundwater samples collected near bottom of well, December 26–27, 2011

0747 7.2 7.5 44,800 10.1 5.5 6.39 6.70 4.12 1.62

1351 6.9 7.6 44,800 9.7 5.5 5.57 15.1 10.15 1.49

0038 – – – – 5.5 5.58 1.71 1.67 1.02
18 Improved Estimates of Mercury Loadings and Concentrations of Solids, Sinclair Inlet, Washington

FTHg concentrations in water from the two stormwater 

drains near OUBT-724 were 1.56 and 1.58 ng/L (table 4). 

These data suggest that FTHg concentrations in the well are 

not affected by the sampled stormwater drain systems. 

In the previous estimate of FTHg loading to Sinclair 

Inlet (Paulson and others, 2012), release of FTHg by direct 

groundwater discharge from the Capture Zone of Sumps was 

thought to be minimal, however, release from fill areas Site 

10C and Site 10E was identified as a data gap. In this study, 

we measured a maximum FTHg concentration of 10.8 ng/L 

in groundwater from well OUBT-724 in Site 10E (fig. 3), 

which suggests that the release of FTHg from this fill area 

is not as probable as earlier data had suggested. In contrast, 

FTHg concentrations in groundwater from a well located in a 

Site 10C (fig. 3) approached 500 ng/L suggesting the possible 

release of FTHg from this area. Additional intertidal studies 

will be required to determine the magnitude of FTHg loading 

from this fill area. The assumption of minimal groundwater 

release of FTHg from the Capture Zone of the Sumps to 

Sinclair Inlet needs to be re-evaluated.

The collection of stormwater samples near the monitoring 

wells in 2011 increased the total number of samples collected 

for measuring FTHg in PSNS&IMF fresh stormwater from 

two to five. The median FTHg concentration for the five 

samples was 1.63 ng/L, compared to the median value of 

1.83 ng/L for the 2008 data alone. However, the maximum 

FTHg increased from 2.16 ng/L for the 2008 data set to 

2.85 ng/L for the combined 2008 and 2011 data set. Based 

on these five values, the median loading of FTHg from 

PSNS&IMF stormwater to Sinclair Inlet is 0.43 g/yr with a 

range from 0.39 to 0.75 g/yr.

Dry Docks

The discharge of FTHg from the dry docks was estimated 

in Paulson and others (2012) at 18.3 grams per year and was 

not addressed in this document.

Revised Ranking of Potential Sources to 

Sinclair Inlet 

Paulson and others (2012) ranked the sources of FTHg 

to Sinclair Inlet into four broad categories based on their 

estimated loading (table 5): I (less than 1 gram per year), II 

(single digit grams per year), III (tens of grams per year), 

and IV (hundreds of grams per year). The two Category IV 

sources (stormwater drain PSNS015 and diffusion from 

Sinclair Inlet marine sediments) were not addressed in this 

report. This report provides a more accurate ranking of sources 

of FTHg to Sinclair Inlet (fig. 7 and table 5) and allows 

environmental managers to better prioritize future studies and 

clean-up actions.

The revised value for the total annual loading from creeks 

of 78.1 g/yr (72.5 g/yr during the wet season +5.6 g/yr 

during the dry season) is considerably larger than original the 

estimate of 27.1 g/yr (Paulson and others, 2012). Though this 

estimate is based on only two dry-season and two wet-season 

samples, the estimate is sufficiently robust to place creek 

discharges at the top of Category III sources higher than 

direct atmospheric discharge, greater Sinclair Inlet stormwater 

basins, and FTHg discharges from the BNC dry docks. 

The conversion of the steam plant system from an 

ion-exchange system to a RO system reduced estimates of 

FTHg loading from a Category II source in 2008 (5.9 g/yr) to 

a Category I source in 2011 (0.15 g/yr). All known releases of 

FTHg from the Zone of Direct Discharge, since the conversion 

of the steam plant, were estimated to be less than 1 g/yr. 

The 2011 groundwater studies from fill areas within the 

Capture Zone of the Sumps under worst-case tidal conditions 

suggest that the possibility of significant releases of FTHg 

from a fill area of interest on the eastern boundary of BNC 

(Site 10E) is not as likely as previously thought. In contrast, 

the FTHg release from a fill area in central PSNS&IMF 

(Site 10C), previously not studied in detail, may be substantial 

and may be contributing to the FTHg loadings from the dry 

docks. Groundwater flow data were not available to estimate 

the associated FTHg loading to Sinclair Inlet from the Capture 

Zone of the Sumps. Additional data from stormwater within 

the Capture Zone of the Sumps indicated an annual loading 

of 0.43 g/yr.

Based on the revised loading estimates of individual 

sources, the revised total loading of FTHg to Sinclair Inlet 

is 275 + 100s g/yr (table 5). This value is the sum of four 

main sources: (1) atmospheric wet deposition, unchanged 

at 34.6 g/yr; (2) greater Sinclair Inlet sources, increased to 

99.9 g/yr owing to the wet season creek sampling; (3) BNC 

sources, decreased to 140 g/yr because of steam plant changes 

and an unknown amount from groundwater in the Capture 

Zone of the Sumps; and (4) diffusion from marine sediments, 

still estimated in the 100s g/yr. 
Filtered Total Mercury Concentrations and Loadings from Potential Sources 19

Table 5. Revised concentrations and loadings of filtered total mercury (FTHg) for Sinclair Inlet, Kitsap County, Washington.

[Category: I (less than 1 gram per year), II (single digit grams per year), III (tens of grams per year), and IV (hundreds of grams per year). Abbreviations: km2, 

square kilometers; m3/s, cubic meters per second; ng/L, nanograms per liter; g/yr, grams per year; –, not determined; NA, not applicable; PSNS, Puget Sound 

Naval Shipyard; IMF, Intermediate Maintenance Facility. Sources in italics were revised from Paulson and others, 2012.]

Source Area

(km2

)

Flow

(m3/s)

Number of 

samples

FTHg concentration (ng/L) FTHg loading (g/yr) Category

Median Range Median Range

Exchange from Puget Sound, by 

difference

420 200–800 NA

Advection from Puget Sound NA 98 40 0.20 <0.1–0.6 620 – NA

Advection to Puget Sound NA 100 – 0.33 – 1,040 – NA

Direct atmospheric deposition 8.37 0.31 – 4.75 2.16 – 11.3 34.6 – III

Greater Sinclair Inlet 86.3 3.17 – – – 99.9 – NA

Creeks 74.0 – – – – 78.1 – III

Dry Weather (5 months) – 0.75 10 0.57 0.39–0.81 5.6 3.8–8.0 –

Wet Weather (7 months) – 2.10 8 2.28 1.05–4.0 72.5 1.1–35.2 –

Stormwater 12.3 0.093 3 4.25 4.02–4.62 12.3 11.6–13.4 III

Municipal effluent NA 0.22 3 1.38 1.06–1.55 9.5 7.3–10.7 II 

Bremerton naval complex 1.52 0.43 NA NA NA 140+Capture 

Zone GW

– NA

Zone of direct discharge 0.10 0.009 NA NA NA 0.99 – NA

Groundwater NA 0.006 10 14.06 21.4–6 10.81 20.3–1.2 I

Stormwater NA 0.001 0 31.83 1.5–2.16 0.03 0.03–0.04 I

Steam plant NA 0.002 2 42.43 1.53–3.33 0.15 – I

Vicinity of site 2 0.43 0.049 NA NA NA 120.2 – NA

Groundwater NA <0.001 5 194 72–702 1.2 0.6–2.5 II

PSNS015 stormwater drain NA 0.049 NA NA NA 119 – IV

Freshwater NA 0.010 1 144 NA 46 – NA

Tidal flushing NA 0.039 1 458.8 NA 73 – NA

Capture zone of sumps 0.99 0.368 NA NA NA 18.7+GW – NA

PSNS&IMF stormwater NA 0.008 5 1.63 1.5–2.85 0.43 0.39–0.75 I

Dry docks NA 0.36 NA NA NA 18.3 – III

Dry Docks 1–5 NA 0.16 7 21.36 20.63–4.16 6.9 23.2–26 NA

Dry Dock 6 NA 0.20 4 21.81 20.97–2.38 11.4 28.2–13.9 NA

Groundwater NA unknown 10 2.62 1.07–31 Significant release possible from site 10C 

and unlikely from 10E 

Diffusion from marine sediments 8.37 NA 24 9.30 5.07 – 25.2 100s 100s IV

TOTAL SINCLAIR INLET SOURCES 275 + 100s

1

 Using concentrations of filtered total mercury from Wisconsin Mercury Research Laboratory.

2

 Range calculated from median by setting non–detectable values from the National Water Quality Laboratory to 0 and to 6 ng/L.

3

 Using FTHg concentrations from PSNS&IMF stormwater.

4

 Flux–weighted average during the March 31, 2010 ebb cycle.
20 Improved Estimates of Mercury Loadings and Concentrations of Solids, Sinclair Inlet, Washington

tac12-0789_fig07

Zone of direct discharge

Vicinity of site 2

Capture zone of sumps

EXPLANATION

Zones

Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and 

stormwater drain number

IMF Intermediate Maintenance Facility

12.3

PSNS

Atmospheric, terrestrial, and sedimentary 

sources of filtered total mercury, in 

grams per year (*value revised based 

on new data presented in this report)

To dry

dock Contaminated

groundwater unknown

Atmospheric 

wet deposition

34.6

Creeks

78.1*

Dry docks

18.3

Seawater

2.6

Stormwater

drains

12.3

Flux from sediment

hundreds

Wastewater

9.5

Groundwater

0.81

Stormwater

0.03

Steam plant 

effluent

0.15*

Groundwater

1.2

PSNS&IMF

Stormwater

0.43*

Ambient groundwater

2.9

Process water unknown

PSNS015

Fresh stormwater

46

PSNS015

Tidal flushing

73

Figure 7. Revision of loadings of filtered total mercury from freshwater sources, from seawater recycled in and out of 

Bremerton naval complex, and from net advective transfers between Sinclair Inlet and Puget Sound (Paulson and others, 2012), 

Kitsap County, Washington.

Total Mercury Concentrations of 

Solids and Solids Loadings from 

Potential Sources

Creeks

TSS concentrations in the four creeks during the wet 

season ranged from 5.26 to 44.4 mg/L, excluding an outlier of 

53.6 mg/L (table 1). The median TSS concentration in creeks 

sampled during wet season flow (17.5 mg/L) was higher 

(Kendall tau <0.001) than the median TSS concentration 

measured during dry weather base flow conditions in 2008 

(2.4 mg/L). THg concentrations of creek solids collected 

during the wet season ranged from 0.05 to 0.19 mg/kg 

(table 1), and were not significantly different (Kendall 

tau = 0.11) than dry season THg concentration of solids. 

THg concentrations of solids suspended in creeks collected 

during wet season were lower than concentrations on solids 

suspended in the water column of Sinclair Inlet (median of 

0.23 mg/kg, Paulson and others, 2012). Since estimating 

annual loads of solids from watersheds requires an extensive 

data set and calibrated model, the small amount of data 

collected in this study does not warrant such an estimate. 

Steam Plant

THg concentrations of steam plant effluent solids were 

1.26 and 0.36 mg/kg in November and December 2011, 

respectively (table 2). The average THg concentrations 

of solids in 2011 (0.81 mg/kg) is a 95 percent reduction 

compared to the average concentration in 2008 (17.1 mg/kg, 

range: 2.95–68.7 mg/kg), when the steam plant utilized an 

ion-exchange demineralizing process.
Total Mercury Concentrations of Solids and Solids Loadings from Potential Sources 21

filtering the entire contents of each PETG and HDPE bottle, 

precluded temporal bias and assured that the populations in 

the corresponding PETG and HDPE bottles were similar. 

Thus, this method allowed an unbiased calculation of THg 

concentration of solids. There were considerable variations 

of THg concentrations of solids during each of the pumping 

cycles (table 6, fig. 8), with THg concentrations of solids 

generally higher in samples with lower SSC concentrations. 

For example, the sample with the second highest THg 

concentration of solids (13.4 mg/kg) contained the lowest SSC 

concentration (0.39 mg/L). In contrast, the sample with the 

lowest THg concentration of solids (1.27 mg/kg) contained the 

second- highest SSC concentration (4.17 mg/L).

Table 6. Total mercury concentration of particles in dry dock 

discharges on the Bremerton naval complex, Kitsap County, 

Washington, November and December 2011.

[All samples were collected from a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) churn 

splitter. Abbreviations: PTHg, particulate total mercury; SSC, suspendedsolids concentration; THg, total mercury; ng/L, nanograms per liter; mg/L, 

milligrams per liter; mg/kg, milligrams per kilogram]

Date Time PTHg 

(ng/L)

SSC

(mg/L)

THg of solids 

(mg/kg)

Dry Docks 1–5 through pump 4 (41.5 mins, total discharge = 1,254 m3

, 

solids loading = 8.57 kilograms)

11-16-11 1350 13.5 0.74 18.3

11-16-11 1354 5.48 0.60 9.09

11-16-11 1357 6.36 0.72 8.86

11-16-11 1411 7.59 1.18 6.41

11-16-11 1425 6.58 0.77 8.60

Dry Docks 1–5 through pump 4 (incomplete pumping cycle)

12-13-11 1238 17.6 1.73 10.2

12-13-11 1241 5.56 0.54 10.2

12-13-11 1246 5.20 0.39 13.4

Dry Dock 6 (14 mins, total discharge = 728 m3

, 

solids loading = 2.95 kilograms)

11-16-11 1102 5.63 2.68 2.10

11-16-11 1105 3.43 0.54 6.31

11-16-11 1110 3.40 0.26 13.0

Dry Dock 6 (11 mins, total discharge = 624 m3

, 

solids loading = 2.18 kilograms)

12-13-11 1137 11.5 4.78 2.40

12-13-11 1139 5.69 0.45 12.8

12-13-11 1143 2.43 0.39 6.16

12-13-11 1146 5.28 4.17 1.27

The average SSC of two samples from the steam plant in 

2011 was 0.26 mg/L, which was about a 75 percent reduction 

from median TSS concentrations measured in 2008. With the 

20 percent reduction in flow, the estimated loading of solids 

from the steam plant in 2011 was 0.017 metric tons per year, 

which is about an 80 percent reduction in solids loading from 

2008 estimates (0.09 metric tons per year).

Landfill Areas

THg concentrations of suspended solids in three 

samples collected from just below the water level and 

from three samples collected near the bottom of the well 

in Well OUBT-709 (fig. 3B, Site 10C) ranged from 28.9 

to 41.1 mg/kg and from 33.2 to 34.3 mg/kg, respectively 

(table 3). In contrast, the solids collected from the nearby 

stormwater drains contained lower THg concentrations of 

solids (0.39 and 0.43 mg/kg).

At Well OUBT-724 (fig. 3B, Site 10E), THg 

concentrations of solids ranged from 1.67 to 2.96 mg/kg near 

the water table and ranged from 1.02 to 1.62 mg/kg near 

the bottom of the well (table 4).The THg concentration of 

solids from a nearby stormwater drain containing freshwater 

(fig. 3C, H/61-1) was 0.18 mg/kg (table 4). THg concentration 

of solids of the stormwater drain containing saline water 

(fig. 3C, I/58-14) was higher (0.82 mg/kg) and similar to the 

median concentrations of OU B Marine sediment (Paulson and 

others, 2012).

The selected groundwater samples analyzed for TSS 

and PTHg during the fill area tidal studies suggest that there 

are elevated levels of THg of solids in the groundwater in the 

central fill area. Additional intertidal studies will be required 

to determine the magnitude of THg of solids loading from the 

central fill area. 

Dry Docks

During three of the four dry dock pumping cycles 

that were sampled in November and December 2011, SSC 

decreased with time (table 6, fig. 8). At the end of the 

pumping cycle from Dry Dock 6 (pump 6) in December, 

the SSC increased owing to the presence of large, buoyant, 

dark-colored clusters. These data suggest that SSC can 

change dramatically during the pumping cycle and the THg 

concentrations of suspended solids in dry dock discharge 

water calculated in 2008 could have been biased because of 

sequential sampling during changing TSS conditions.

The method of collecting dry dock discharge water 

into PTFE churns, splitting samples to PETG bottles for 

PTHg and HDPE bottles for SSC while churning, and then 
22 Improved Estimates of Mercury Loadings and Concentrations of Solids, Sinclair Inlet, Washington

watac12-0789_fig08

0 10 20 30 40

0

1

2

3

4

5

0 5 10 15

0

1

2

3

4

5

0

1

2

3

4

5

0

5

10

15

20

0

5

10

15

20

0

5

10

15

20

0

5

10

15

20

0

1

2

3

4

5

Time after beginning of pumping cycle, in minutes

Suspended-solids concentraton, in milligrams per liter

Total mercury concentration of solids, in milligram per kilogram

Suspended-solids concentraton, in milligrams per liter

Total mercury concentration of solids, in milligrams per kilogram

Pump on,

no sample

Numerous, large, buoyant, 

dark-color clusters

Dry Docks 1–5

November 16, 2011

Dry Dock 6

November 16, 2011

Dry Dock 6

December 13, 2011

Dry Docks 1–5

December 13, 2011

SSC

THg of solids

EXPLANATION

Figure 8. Suspended-solids concentrations (SSC) and total mercury (THg) concentration 

of solids during pump cycles of Dry Docks 1–5 and 6 (pumps 4 and 6, respectively) at 

the Bremerton naval complex, Sinclair Inlet, Kitsap County, Washington, November and 

December 2011.
Total Mercury Concentrations of Solids and Solids Loadings from Potential Sources 23

The SSC in the dry dock discharges were integrated over 

the three complete pumping cycles to estimate solids discharge 

per pumping cycle. The loading of suspended solids for the 

November and December cycles for pump 6 were 2.95 and 

2.18 kg of solids per pumping cycle (table 6), respectively. 

These per-cycle solids loadings were scaled up to annual 

solids loadings using pumping cycles that were consistent with 

annual average flows of Paulson and others (2012). Using a 

nominal pumping rate of 12 minutes every hour for pump 6 

(Bruce Beckwith, U.S. Navy, written commun., May 6, 2008), 

the average load of 2.56 kg per pumping cycle yields an 

annual solids loading from Dry Dock 6 of 16 metric tons of 

solids. The solids loading from the November 2011 pumping 

cycle of Dry Docks 1–5 (pump 4) was 8.57 kg per pumping 

cycle. Using a nominal pumping cycle of one hour every three 

hours for the Dry Docks 1–5 system, yields an annual loading 

of 30 metric tons of solids. Even though the median solids 

concentration in 2008 (0.85 mg/L) was higher than the median 

solids concentration in 2011 (0.66 mg/L), the sampling in 

2008 missed the beginning of the pumping cycle and higher 

solids concentrations were observed in 2011. The integration 

of the solids concentration over the entire pumping cycle 

provides a more accurate estimate of the actual solids loading 

for each pumping cycle. If more accurate estimates of solids 

loadings from the dry docks are needed in the future, more 

measurements of per-cycle solids loadings over a variety of 

operating conditions are needed.

When all the data for THg concentrations of solids 

suspended in the dry dock discharge water are plotted against 

SSC, THg concentrations of suspended solids in dry dock 

discharge water decrease asymptotically with increasing SSC 

(fig. 9), except for the initial sample from Dry Docks 1–5 

during both sampling events. This may be partially explained 

by settling of the coarser fraction of the suspended solids 

in the water column of the sump well during the quiescent 

period between pumping cycles. With time, the SSC will 

decrease and the remaining solids in the water column 

will be smaller sized. Concentrations of metals of solids 

increase with decreasing particle size because of increasing 

surface-to-volume ratios. When relatively undisturbed sump 

water is pumped, SSC will be low and THg of the finegrained suspended solids will likely be high. Occasionally, 

coarse solids containing lower THg concentrations may 

be resuspended resulting in higher SSC and lower THg 

concentrations of solids. The resuspension of coarser solids 

from the bottom of the sump well can occur at the beginning 

of the pumping cycle when the water column is disturbed 

shortly after the pumps are turned on, or at the end of the cycle 

when the water level is low and the pumped water includes 

sediment at the bottom of the sump well. Higher SSC and 

lower THg of solids were measured at the beginning and 

end of the December 2011 sampling of the Dry Dock 6. THg 

concentrations of these two suspended solids samples were 

low, and similar to those found in Sinclair Inlet sediment 

(0.9 mg/kg, Paulson and others, 2012). 

The dry dock data (n = 13), excluding the two samples 

from the beginning of the Dry Dock 1–5 pumping cycle, was 

modeled using the mixture of two populations of suspended 

solids with fixed THg concentrations of solids. The THg 

concentration of smaller-sized suspended solids at low SSC 

was set to 13.4 mg/kg, the highest observed concentration 

of the data set that was modeled. The THg concentration of 

the coarser suspended solids with variable SSC was set at 

0.9 mg/kg. This value is the depositional weighted average 

STHg concentration for OU B Marine between 2003 and 

2007. This STHg average is higher than the arithmetic average 

because the deposition of fine-grained sediment in depositional 

areas (appendix B, Paulson and others, 2012) containing 

higher STHg concentrations (Paulson and others, 2010) are 

more highly weighted than coarser sediment in erosional 

areas containing lower STHg concentration. The data set was 

modeled using this mixture of these two types of suspended 

solids, with the SSC of the higher THg-concentration solids 

being the only unknown. A least-square non-linear regression 

model was used to solve for this SSC as 0.32 mg/L and 

this model is shown in figure 9. The constant discharge of 

0.32 mg/L of 13.4 mg/kg suspended solids translates into an 

annual discharge of 1.4 metric tons per year from Dry Docks 

1–5 and 1.8 metric tons per year from Dry Dock 6. The 

average THg concentrations for the two dry dock systems, 

weighted by the loadings of the two different populations of 

solids were 1.48 and 2.31 mg/kg, respectively. The average 

of 1.48 mg/kg for Dry Dock 1–5 should be considered a 

minimum because it does not account for the elevated THg 

concentrations of solids at the beginning of the pumping cycle.
24 Improved Estimates of Mercury Loadings and Concentrations of Solids, Sinclair Inlet, Washington

Figure 9. Total mercury concentrations of solids versus suspended-solids concentration in dry dock discharges 

during four pumping cycles, Sinclair Inlet, Kitsap County, Washington, November and December 2011.

watac12-0789_fig09

0 1 2 3 4 5

0

4

8

12

16

20

Total mercury concentration of solids, in milligrams per kilogram

Suspended-solids concentration, in milligrams per liter

November- Dry Docks 1-5

November- Dry Dock 6

December- Dry Dock 1-5

December- Dry Dock 6

Model of mixture of 13.4 and 

0.9 milligram per kilogram solids

Beginning of November cycle, Dry Dock 1-5

Beginning of December cycle, Dry Dock 1-5

EXPLANATION
Potential Effects on Natural Attenuation of Sinclair Inlet Sediment 25

Paulson and others (2012) identified four possible sources 

of solids discharged by the pumps: (1) ambient groundwater 

containing suspended solids with a THg concentration of 

about 1.1 mg/kg, (2) suspended solids in marine water 

containing predominately resuspended sediment from OU B 

Marine (about 0.9 mg/kg), (3) solids from naval operations 

suspended in process water discharged in the sump well, and 

(4) solids suspended in fresh or saline groundwater transported 

through contaminated soils of the BNC. Paulson and others 

(2012) also calculated that about 70 percent of the water 

discharged by the pumps was seawater seeping into the dry 

docks. Therefore, the suspended solids containing 0.9 mg/

kg THg likely originate from OU B Marine sediment that 

entered the dry dock systems with the seawater. Since solids 

suspended in ambient groundwater had relatively low THg 

concentrations, the source of solids containing 13.4 mg/

kg THg (table 6) must have some combination of the latter 

two sources. Recent data of THg concentrations of solids 

suspended in well water from well OUBT-709, which is 

located between Dry Docks 5 and 6, indicated that solids 

transported to the dry docks through contaminated soils 

with groundwater is the most plausible source of the highTHg concentration solids observed suspended in dry dock 

discharge water. No data on THg concentrations of suspended 

solids in the dry dock process water are available to assess if 

the naval operations are a source of the observed high-THg 

concentration of solids. However, process water with high 

turbidity is typically diverted to the sewer system rather than 

to the dry dock sump wells (U.S. Navy, 2012). In November 

2011, solids suspended in well water from well OUBT-709 

contained THg concentrations that ranged from 28.9 to 

41.1 mg/kg (n = 6), suggesting that this is the likely source of 

high THg solids in the dry dock system. 

Potential Effects on Natural 

Attenuation of Sinclair Inlet Sediment 

Previous investigations indicate that settling of suspended 

solids in the Sinclair Inlet water column is contributing to 

the recovery of OU B Marine sediments, though the decrease 

in THg of marine sediment in greater Sinclair Inlet between 

2003 and 2010 is not yet statistically significant (Paulson 

and others, 2012). Data collected in 2011 and 2012 provided 

new data on THg concentrations of solids suspended in water 

discharged to Sinclair Inlet that contribute to the pool of 

solids suspended in Sinclair Inlet. Median THg concentrations 

of creek solids suspended in creek water during the wet 

season (0.05–0.19 mg/kg) were similar to those collected 

during dry weather and were lower than solids suspended 

in the water column of Sinclair Inlet (median concentration 

of 0.23 mg/kg). Conversion of the steam plant to RO 

system reduced THg concentrations of solids in effluent by 

95 percent between 2008 and 2011 to a median concentration 

less than 1 mg/kg. It is unknown to what extent suspended 

solids in groundwater are transported to Sinclair Inlet. THg 

concentration of solids in groundwater collected at a fill 

area on the eastern boundary of BNC ranged between 1 and 

3 mg/kg. The THg concentration of solids in groundwater 

collected from fill area in the center of BNC ranged from 29 to 

41 mg/kg. 

Discharges from four BNC sources contain suspended 

solids with THg concentrations higher than average STHg 

concentrations of OU B Marine, which may inhibit the 

decrease of STHg concentrations. Three of these four BNC 

sources were addressed in this report: steam plant effluent and 

the discharges from the two dry dock systems. Tidal flushing 

of stormwater drain PSNS015 (fig. 3A) is the fourth source of 

high-THg concentration solids and data on this source were 

not biased by sequential sampling (Paulson and others, 2012). 

In addition to having acquired unbiased THg concentrations of 

suspended solids from all four sources through the sampling 

methods presented in this report, recent sampling over the 

pumping cycles of the two dry dock systems provides more 

accurate estimates of the loadings of solids to OU B Marine. 

Given these more accurate estimates of THg 

concentrations of solids and loading estimates of solids 

from these four sources, a broad assessment of the effect 

of these higher THg concentration solids on the recovery 

of STHg concentrations in OU B Marine can be attempted. 

Because the origins of the solids depositing to the surface 

sediment layer of OU B Marine are not known and the 

sediment concentration represents deposition, resuspension, 

and transformation activities over the last 20–40 years rather 

than recent deposition; only the incremental change in STHg 

concentration, owing to the solids discharged from BNC, 

is estimated. The net effect of high THg solids discharging 

from BNC on OU B Marine surface-sediment concentrations 

(mg/kg) is represented as:
26 Improved Estimates of Mercury Loadings and Concentrations of Solids, Sinclair Inlet, Washington

 

Net Effect Concentration of settling solids Sediment concentration = − (1a)

Substituting the formula for the weighted average of the concentration of settling solids:

( )( ) Net Effect sources sources wc wc

sediment

sediment

C L CL

C

L

× +×

=− + (1b)

where 

Csediment is THg concentrations of OU B Marine surface sediment (mg/kg);

Csources is THg concentrations of suspended solids from BNC sources (mg/kg);

Cwc is the average THg concentrations of suspended solids in the upper layer of OU B Marine water column (mg/kg);

Lsources is the annual loading of suspended solids from BNC sources (metric tons/yr);

Lwc is the annual loading of suspended solids from the water column (metric tons/yr); and 

Lsediment is the annual sedimentation of solids over the area which the discharged solids are dispersed (metric tons/yr).

Given that Lsediment = Lsources + Lwc, we can multiply Csediment by (Lsources + Lwc)/Lsediment, so that equation 1b becomes:

 

( ) Net Effect sources wc sources wc sediment sources wc

sediment sediment sediment

L L L L

C CC

L LL

+

=− × + × + × (1c)

Rearranging to give:

Net Effect ( ) ( ) sources wc sediment sources sediment wc

sediment sediment

L L

C C CC

L L

  =− − − −    

(1d)

Given that Lwc = Lsediment – Lsources,

Net Effect ( ) ( ) sources sediment sources

sources sediment wc sediment

sediment sediment

L L L

C C C C

L L

   − = −    + −

  

(1e)

The second term on the right side of the equation represents the effect of deposition of suspended solids (mg/kg), or natural 

attenuation:

( ) ( )

( )

mg Effect of Deposition of Suspended Solids kg

wc sediment sediment sources

sediment

CC L L

L

  −×−   =

 

(2)

The first term on the right side of the equation is the incremental change of STHg (mg/kg), or the inhibition to natural 

attenuation, in OU B Marine because of the high-THg concentration solids discharged from BNC sources: 

mg ( ) Incremental Change of STHg kg

sources sediment sources

sediment

CC L

L

  − ×   =

  (3)

Therefore, equation 1 also can be stated as:

mg mg mg Net Effect Incremental Change of STHg Effect of Deposition kg kg kg

        =   +        

(1f)
Potential Effects on Natural Attenuation of Sinclair Inlet Sediment 27

It may take years to decades for the settling of 

present‐day suspended solids to be reflected in STHg 

concentrations in the surface layer of sediment. An accurate 

estimate of the timing of decreases of STHg concentrations 

requires a sediment model that defines the mixing of sediment 

with depth. With that caveat in mind, we can apply these 

equations by assuming an area in OU B Marine over which 

the solids from each source are deposited. Two scenarios 

that represent the range between minimal dispersion and 

maximum dispersion of these solids within OU B Marine were 

investigated. Identifying the actual degree of dispersion of 

these BNC solids between the minimal and maximum degree 

of dispersion requires complex modeling of the sediment 

transport and is beyond the scope of this study. In addition, 

the solids discharged by the BNC sources could be dispersed 

beyond OU B Marine.

Minimal Dispersion Scenario

In the worst-case scenario of minimal dispersion of these 

solids, we assume solids from the four sources deposit near 

their discharge points. Because of resolution of available 

data, deposition of these high THg-concentration solids 

was limited to a single 500-ft cell (23,225 m2 each). For the 

minimal dispersion scenario, Csediment and Lsediment are specific 

to the cell in which the solids are discharged (table 7). In 

the sedimentation model (appendix B, Paulson and others, 

2012), the sedimentation rate in each cell is dependent on the 

percentage of fines in the sediment. Similar to seven other 

cells in OU B Marine, no sedimentation is expected in cell 

39 (fig. 3A), the receiving cell for the tidal flushing from 

PSNS015, because the percentage of fines in this cell is less 

than 50 percent. The other grid cells receiving solids from 

BNC sources (fig. 3A, cell 26 for the steam plant, cell 63 or 59 

for pumps 4 and 5, and cell 43 for pump 6) contain sediment 

between 50 percent and 85 percent fines and were assigned 

a sedimentation rate of 0.09 gm cm-2 yr-1, which translates 

to a Lsediment of 20.9 metric tons per year for the 23,225 m2

cells (table 7). Hypothetically concentrating the solids from 

BNC sources in these four cells under the minimal dispersion 

scenarios also means that the other 59 of 64 cells of OU B 

Marine, where solids are modeled to settle (percentage of 

fines greater than 50 percent, appendix B, Paulson and others, 

2012), would not be affected by these sources and would 

more fully respond to the effects of the settling of present-day 

lower THg-concentration solids suspended in water column of 

OU B Marine.

Table 7. Estimated net effect of high mercury solids discharged from Bremerton naval complex sources on Operable Unit (OU) B 

Marine sediment under two hypothetical dispersion scenarios.

[Csources: concentration of total mercury of solids originating from four sources on the Bremerton Naval Complex (BNC). Lsources: loading of solids originating 

from four sources on the BNC. Cell: 23,225 m2 area in OU B Marine to which BNC sediments are hypothesized to deposit (see appendix B in Paulson 

and others 2012). Csediment: concentration of OU B Marine surface sediments, average of 2003, 2005, and 2007 from U.S. Navy 2006a, 2006b, 2008b, 

respectively. Lsediment: sedimentation rate, based on percentage of fines, Paulson and others, 2012. Measured Change 2005–10: from 2010 in U.S. Navy, 2011. 

Abbreviations: mg/kg, milligram per kilogram; MT/yr, metric tons per year; PSNS015, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard stormdrain outfall 015. See text for 

equations (eq.) 1f, 2, and 3]

Sources Csources

(mg/kg)

Lsources

(MT/yr) Cell Csediment(mg/kg)

Lsediment

(MT/yr)

Incremental 

change 

(eq. 3)1

(mg/kg)

Effect of 

deposition 

(eq. 2)

(mg/kg)

Net effect 

(eq. 1f)

(mg/kg)

Measured 

change

(2005–10)

(mg/kg)

Minimal dispersion scenario

PSNS015 17.7 2.7 39 1.533 0 no deposition no deposition 0 +2.9

Steam plant 0.81 0.017 26 0.757 20.9 <0.001 -0.53 -0.53 -0.03

Pump 4 1.48 15 63 3.9 20.9 -1.74 -1.04 -2.77 -2.20

Pump 5 1.48 15 59 1.433 20.9 0.034 -0.34 -0.31 -1.21

Pump 6 2.31 16 43 0.89 20.9 1.09 -0.15 +0.93 -0.79

Maximum dispersion scenario

PSNS015 17.7 2.7

OUB 

Marine 0.9 1,620

0.028

-0.67 -0.62 NA

Steam plant 0.81 0.017 <0.001

Pump 4 1.48 15 0.005

Pump 5 1.48 15 0.005

Pump 6 2.31 16 0.014

1 Cwc, concentration of total mercury of solids in OU B Marine water column = 0.23 mg/kg
28 Improved Estimates of Mercury Loadings and Concentrations of Solids, Sinclair Inlet, Washington

The incremental change of STHg of each BNC 

discharge will generally be a positive value (indicating an 

increase in STHg concentration). However, the incremental 

change of STHg will be offset by the effect of deposition 

of suspended-solids expected from the sedimentation of 

present-day (2008–2009) solids suspended in the upper water 

column of OU B Marine (Cwc). Cwc was 0.23 mg/kg, or about 

0.67 mg/kg lower than the average STHg concentration 

in OU B Marine before the USGS study (Paulson and 

others, 2012).

The calculated incremental change of STHg for 

each BNC source is shown in table 7, and ranges from a 

decrease in concentration in the cell receiving pump 4 solids 

(-1.74 mg/kg) to essentially zero change (PSNS015, steam 

plant, and pump 5) to an increase in concentration in the 

cell receiving pump 6 solids (+1.09 mg/kg). The negative 

estimated incremental change from pump 4 solids is because 

of the high STHg concentration (Csediment = 3.9 mg/kg) in 

cell 63. 

Summing the incremental change with the effect of 

deposition resulted in a range of net effects. Net effects were 

estimated to be zero in the cell receiving PSNS015 solids 

because no deposition was assumed. However, the measured 

change from 2005–10 was +2.9 mg/kg, and the total organic 

carbon content also increased two-fold, suggesting that 

deposition of high THg solids may be occurring. Net effects 

were estimated to be negative (-0.53 mg/kg, indicating 

a decrease in STHg concentrations over time) in the cell 

receiving steam plant solids, while the measured change from 

2005–10 was minimal (-0.03 mg/kg). In the cell receiving 

Dry Dock 1-5 solids discharged by pump 4, net effects 

were negative (-2.77 mg/kg), which compared well with the 

measured change from 2005–10 of -2.20 mg/kg. When solids 

from Dry Docks 1–5 were discharged to cell 59 from pump 

5 rather than cell 63 from pump 4 (cell 63), net effects were 

slightly negative (-0.31 mg/kg), which was less negative than 

the measured change (-1.21 mg/kg). In the cell receiving 

Dry Dock 6 solids discharged by pump 6, net effects were 

estimated to be positive (+0.93 mg/kg), while the measured 

change was negative (-0.79 mg/kg).

Overall, the estimated changes in STHg concentrations 

were inconsistent with the sedimentation model under 

minimal dispersion scenario. There appears to be no 

correlation (Kendall tau = 0.33) between the net effects of 

high-THg solids and actual changes 2005–10 (table 7) for 

the minimal dispersion scenario. There are several physical 

and biogeochemical explanations why the application of 

the minimal dispersion scenario did not accurately predict 

the temporal changes in the sediment. The discharge pipes 

from the four sources are oriented horizontally, thus any 

momentum the discharge water conveys will tend to disperse 

the water and suspended solids over some distance from the 

discharge pumps. While the sump pumps provide the dry dock 

discharge water with considerable horizontal momentum at the 

submarine discharge location, the hydraulic head in PSNS015 

can also impart horizontal momentum at its discharge point. 

The contrasting temporal scale of the discharge measurements 

and the monitoring of the sediment also provide difficulties 

in interpreting the results. The limited sampling of the dry 

dock discharges is expected to represent the present average 

annual conditions. However, the sediment for the monitoring 

program is collected to a depth of 10 cm, which may represent 

average sedimentation over the last 20–40 years (Paulson 

and others, 2010). In addition, the radiological data suggest 

that the sediment of Sinclair Inlet and the OU B Marine is 

completely mixed to a depth of 4 cm. If THg concentrations 

of suspended solids of discharge water have been decreasing 

because of pollution abatement programs initiated at the naval 

base, the full effect to decreasing solids in the discharge water 

may not be fully manifested for 10 years in the top 4 cm of 

sediment and up to 40 years in the top 10 cm used by the 

monitoring program. Sinclair Inlet is a physically dynamic 

system and sediment also may be resuspended and dispersed 

horizontally once it is initially deposited (Paulson and others, 

2010). A number of physical factors may be affecting the fate 

of the solids discharged by these four sources. In particular, 

the relation between tidal flushing of stormwater drain 

PSNS015 and the dramatic increase of STHg in cell 39 needs 

further investigation.

Maximum Dispersion Scenario

Since the minimal dispersion scenario does not seem 

applicable to evaluating the effects of the four high-THg 

concentration-solids discharged from the BNC, the overall 

incremental change of STHg on OU B Marine sediment 

was evaluated by the maximum dispersion scenario. In the 

maximum dispersion scenario, each of the four high-THg 

concentrations are dispersed over the entire OU B Marine 

and mixed with 1,620 metric tons/yr of solids settling out of 

the water column. The 2.7 metric tons of solids containing 

17.7 mg/kg THg flushed from PSNS015 would lead to 

the largest incremental change of +0.028 mg/kg in STHg 

concentrations in OU B Marine, while the incremental 

increase of the steam plant solids is estimated to be smallest 

(<0.001 mg/kg). The incremental changes of STHg for 

the dry dock discharges were estimated to be 0.005 and 

0.014 mg/kg for Dry Docks 1–5 and 6, respectively. The sum 

of these incremental changes of STHg of these four sources 

was estimated to be +0.053 mg/kg of STHg throughout the 

entire area of OU B Marine. Thus, the discharge of the four 

high-THg concentrations solids would inhibit the recovery of 

STHg in OU B Marine sediments by settling of present day 

suspended solids (-0.67 mg/kg) by less than 10 percent.
References Cited 29

Summary

The results of studies presented here and in Paulson and 

others (2012) indicate the most significant releases of both 

filtered total mercury (FTHg) and particulate total mercury 

are from soils in fill areas of Site 2 around the Puget Sound 

Naval Shipyard (PSNS)015 stormwater drain and Site 10C 

around well Operable Unit B Terrestrial (OUBT)-709. Another 

release of total mercury (THg) of solids from the Bremerton 

naval complex (BNC) of potential significance appears to 

be the relatively small loading of solids with high-THg 

concentrations discharged by the dry docks.

The tidal study at well OUBT-709 was conducted 

under the worst-case scenario of a king tide with maximum 

high higher tides for the year followed by minus lower low 

tides. The results indicate that the hydrologic connection 

of seawater with the contaminated soils of Site 10C occurs 

through the intertidal zone. Solids suspended in well 

OUBT‐709, located about 30 meters inland, had some of the 

highest THg concentrations seen on the BNC. High FTHg 

concentrations in groundwater collected from this well were 

only observed for a short time after the elevation of Sinclair 

Inlet declined below the elevation of the water table at the 

well. If continued sampling of FTHg and THg of suspended 

solids in well OUBT-709 focused on the ebbing tidal cycle 

to lower low tide under a variety of tidal conditions, it may 

determine the prevalence of high FTHg concentrations at well 

OUBT-709. Intertidal studies, based on the temporal THg 

concentrations as a function of hydrologic gradient between 

the well and Sinclair Inlet, would provide data to quantify 

the annual aqueous- and particulate-phase THg released into 

Sinclair Inlet. 

The source of the high-THg concentration solids 

discharged from the sumps of the dry docks is unknown. Of 

the four identified sources, suspended solids from ambient 

groundwater and suspended solids in Sinclair Inlet seawater 

seeping directly into the sumps have been eliminated as 

a possible source of these high-THg concentration solids. 

The solids suspended in groundwater flowing through 

contaminated soils, as measured at OUBT-709, is likely the 

most plausible source of these high-THg concentration solids. 

Measurement of THg concentrations of solids suspended 

in the process water discharged into the dry docks sump 

could eliminate process water as a possible source and allow 

environmental managers to focus on the groundwater transport 

to the sumps. 

Acknowledgments

Current U.S. Geological Survey Washington Water 

Science Center (WAWSC) staff, James Foreman, and former 

staff, Cg Laird and Sarah Henneford, assisted in the sampling 

of the steam plant, dry docks and streams. Current U.S. 

Geological Survey WAWSC staff, Raegan Huffman, Steve 

Cox, Karen Payne, Patrick Moran, and Greg Justin, and 

former staff, Sarah Henneford and Rick Wagner, assisted 

in sampling groundwater. Wisconsin Mercury Research 

Laboratory (Middleton, Wisconsin) staff, David Krabbenhoft, 

Jake Ogorek, and Thomas Sabin analyzed the water and solids 

samples for THg. Former U.S. Geological Survey WAWSC 

staff, Terri Hurlbut, oversaw the processing of samples 

for TSS and SSC analyses, weighed filters, and calculated 

final concentrations.

Mark Wicklein of Naval Facilities Northwest and 

Jacquelyn Young of PSNS&IMF provided flow data for the 

industrial discharges. Duy Pham and Charles Parkins of 

PSNS&IMF and John Pittz of Naval Facilities Northwest 

provided logistical support for sampling within the BNC. 

Previous drafts of this report were reviewed by WAWSC 

staff Richard Dinicola, Mark Kozar, and Matt Bachmann, 

California Water Science Center staff, Jacob Fleck, and 

Dr. Robert Johnston of the U.S. Space and Naval Warfare 

Systems Command.

References Cited

Brandenberger, J.M., Louchouarn, P., Kuo, L-J., Crecelius, 

E.A., V. Cullinan, Gill, G.A., Garland, C., Williamson, J., 

and Dhammapala. R., 2010, Control of toxic chemicals in 

Puget Sound, phase 3–study of atmospheric deposition of 

air toxics to the surface of Puget Sound: Washington State 

Department of Ecology Report 10-02-012, Olympia, Wash, 

90 p. and appendices. 

ENVironmental inVESTment, 2006, Puget Sound Naval 

Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility project 

ENVVEST community update June 2006 (Brochure and 

CD): Marine Environmental Support Office-NW, Space 

and Naval Warfare Systems Center, Bremerton, Wash., 

August 2006, Ecology Publication Number 06-10-54, 

accessed on January 7, 2013 at http://environ.spawar.navy.

mil/Projects/ENVVEST/ENVVEST2006/index.html.
30 Improved Estimates of Mercury Loadings and Concentrations of Solids, Sinclair Inlet, Washington

Huffman, R.L., Wagner, R.J., Toft, J., Cordell, J., DeWild, 

J.F., Dinicola, R.S., Aiken, G.R., Krabbenhoft, D.P., 

Marvin-DiPasquale, M., Steward, A.R., Moran, P.W., and 

Paulson, A.J., 2012, Mercury species and other selected 

constituent concentrations in water, sediment, and biota of 

Sinclair Inlet, Kitsap County, Washington, 2007–10: U.S. 

Geological Survey Data Series 658, 64 p.

Lewis, M.E., and Brigham, M.E., 2004, Low-Level mercury, 

National Field Manual for the collection of water-quality 

data: U.S. Geological Survey Techniques of WaterResources Investigations, book 9, sec. 6.4B, chap. A5, 26 p.

Malins, D.C., McCain, B.B., Brown, D.W., Sparks, 

A.K, Hodgins, H.,1982, Chemical contaminants and 

abnormalities in fish and invertebrates from Puget Sound: 

National Oceanic and Atmosperic Administration Technical 

Memorandum OMPA-19. Boulder, Colo., 168 p.

Paulson, A.J., Keys, M.E., and Scholting, K.L., 2010, Mercury 

in sediment, water, and biota of Sinclair Inlet, Puget Sound, 

Washington, 1989–2007: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File 

Report 2009-1285, 220 p.

Paulson, A.J., Dinicola, R.S., Noble, M.A., Wagner, 

R.J., Huffman, R.L., Moran, P.W., and DeWild, J.F., 

2012, Sources and sinks of filtered total mercury and 

concentrations of total mercury of solids and of filtered 

methylmercury, Sinclair Inlet, Kitsap County, Washington, 

2007–10: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations 

Report 2012-5223, 94 p.

Prych, E.A., 1997, Numerical smulation of ground-water flow 

paths and discharge locations at the Puget Sound Naval 

Shipyard, Bremerton, Washington. U.S. Geological Survey, 

Water-Resource Investigations Report 96-4147, 43 p.

Skahill, B.E., and LaHatte, C., 2007, Hydrological simulation 

program–FORTRAN modeling of the Sinclair–Dyes 

Inlet watershed for the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard 

& Intermediate Maintenance Facility Environmental 

Investment Project - FY 2007 Report: U.S. Army Engineer 

Research and Development Center, Waterways Experiment 

Station, Vicksburg, Miss., Report to the U.S. Navy Puget 

Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance 

Facility Environmental Division, 59 p. (Also available at: 

http://environ.spawar.navy.mil/Projects/ENVVEST/FC_

Model_Report/HSPF_reports.htm.)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2000, EPA superfund 

record of decision–Puget Sound Naval Shipyard Complex: 

Seattle, Wash., Environmental Protection Agency ID: 

WA2170023418 OU 02 Bremerton, Wash., EPA/ROD/R10-

00/516, Region X.

U.S. Navy, 1992, Site Inspection Report: Final report prepared 

by the URS team under contract #N62474-89-0-9295, v. 1, 

2,063 p.

U.S. Navy, 2002, Final remedial investigation report operable 

unit B, Bremerton naval complex, Bremerton, Washington: 

Final report prepared by the URS Grier under contract 

#N62474-89-0-9295, v. 1, 1,402 p.

U.S. Navy, 2006a, 2003 marine monitoring report OU B 

marine, Bremerton naval complex Bremerton, Washington: 

Final report prepared by the URS Group, Inc. under contract 

No. N44255-02-D-2008, 295 p.

U.S. Navy, 2006b, 2005 marine monitoring report OU B 

marine, Bremerton naval complex Bremerton, Washington: 

Final Report prepared by the URS Group., Inc. under 

contract No. N44255-02-D-2008, 272 p.

U.S. Navy, 2007b, Sediment transport study and natural 

recovery model report, Bremerton naval complex, 

Bremerton, Washington: Seattle, Wash., URS Group., Inc., 

224 p.

U.S. Navy, 2008a, Second five-year review, Bremerton naval 

complex, Bremerton, Washington: Silverdale, Wash., U.S. 

Navy Naval Facilities Engineering Command Northwest, 

258 p.

U.S. Navy, 2008b, 2007 marine monitoring report OU B 

marine, Bremerton naval complex, Bremerton, Washington: 

Final report prepared by the URS Group, Inc. under contract 

No. N44255-05-D-5100. 

U.S. Navy, 2011, 2010 Preliminary trend analyses, Bremerton 

naval complex: Bremerton, Washington, Draft 2010 Marine 

Monitoring Report, appendix B.

U.S. Navy, 2012, All known, available, and reasonable 

methods of treatment study—Puget Sound Naval 

Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility Bremerton, 

Washington: Naval Facilities Engineering Command 

Northwest, Silverdale, Washington, and Puget Sound Naval 

Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility, Bremerton, 

Washington, 278 p.
Appendix A 31

Appendix A. Sampling Details and Quality Assurance Results

Table A1. Quality assurance data for filtered, particulate, and unfiltered total mercury, Sinclair Inlet, Kitsap County, Washington.

[Abbreviations: Conc., concentration; mg/L, milligrams per liter; RPD, relative percent difference; ng/L, nanograms per liter; WAWSC, Washington Water 

Science Center; OUBT, Operable Unit B-Terrestrial, GFF, glass fiber filter; %, percent; –, not analyzed]

Sample 

date

Sample 

time

Device 

or 

site

Total suspended 

solids

Particulate total 

mercury

Filtered total 

mercury

Total 

mercury in 

unfiltered 

water

Comments 

on 

procedure Conc. 

(mg/L)

RPD 

(%)

Conc. 

(ng/L)

RPD 

(%)

Conc. 

(ng/L)

RPD 

(%)

Conc. 

(ng/L)

Source water

10-17-11 1518 WAWSC Purelab®

water

– – – – – – 0.08 –

05-10-12 1235 WAWSC Purelab®

water

– – – – – – <0.04 After changing 

cartridges and filters

Pre-testing Teflon churn splitter water

10-17-11 1408 “Spokane” churn – – <.019 – 0.22 – – –

10-17-11 1418 “Tacoma A” churn – – <.024 – 0.20 – – –

10-17-11 1428 “Tacoma B” churn – – <.040 – 0.04 – – –

10-25-11 1008 “Tacoma C” churn – – <.035 – – – – –

Pre-testing polypropylene churn splitter water

11-15-11 1508 “Spokane 3” churn – – <.034 – – – – –

11-29-11 1108 “Spokane 5” churn – – <.023 – – – – –

11-29-11 1208 “Tacoma 11” churn – – <.025 – – – – –

11-29-11 1308 “Tacoma 2” churn – – <.030 – – – – –

11-29-11 1418 “1” churn – – <.025 – 0.06 – 0.85 Through spigot

11-29-11 1408 “1” churn – – <.025 – – – 1.2 Not through spigot

11-29-11 1508 “Spokane 2” churn – – – – – – 0.2 Not through spigot

05-10-12 1240 “Spokane 4” churn – – – – – – 0.38 Through all-plastic 

spigot

Field blanks

11-27-11 0715 OUBT-709 – – – – 0.09 – – Through sampling 

port, tubing, 

Meissner fieldfiltered

12-26-11 1547 OUBT-724 – – – – 0.11 – – Through sampling 

port, tubing, 

Meissner fieldfiltered

02-29-11 1201 Annapolis Creek 10.12 8.1 <.072 – 0.08 – – Through tubing, field 

bottle, GFF labfiltered

02-29-11 1202 Annapolis Creek 10.13 – – – – – Through tubing, field 

bottle, GFF labfiltered

05-07-12 0910 BNC stormwater 

blank

10.07 – – – – – – Through port, tubing, field 

bottle, GFF lab-filtered
32 Improved Estimates of Mercury Loadings and Concentrations of Solids, Sinclair Inlet, Washington

Sample 

date

Sample 

time

Device 

or 

site

Total suspended 

solids

Particulate total 

mercury

Filtered total 

mercury

Total 

mercury in 

unfiltered 

water

Comments 

on 

procedure Conc. 

(mg/L)

RPD 

(%)

Conc. 

(ng/L)

RPD 

(%)

Conc. 

(ng/L)

RPD 

(%)

Conc. 

(ng/L)

Cross-over blanks

11-27-11 1520 OUBT-709, water 

level 

– – – – 5.33 – – Through sampling port, 

tubing, Meissner fieldfiltered

12-13-11 1711 Field-rinsed used 

Teflon churn

10.13 – 0.03 – – – – –

12-26-11 1547 OUBT-724, water 

level 

– – – – 0.73 – – Through sampling port, 

tubing, Meissner fieldfiltered

Laboratory replicates

11-27-11 1105 Vault (O/43-9) of 

PSNS82.5

8.42 8.0 – – – – – –

1106 9.12 – – – – – –

11-27-11 1148 Catch basin 3231 

of PSNS82.4

8.33 39 – – – – – –

1149 12.41 – – – – – –

11-27-11 0119 OUBT-709 water 

level 

22.70 6.2 – – – – – –

0120 24.16 – – – – – –

Field replicates

11-28-11 0035 OUBT-709, water 

level 

– – – – 70.0 4.5 – –

0035 – – – – 73.2 – –

12-26-011 2102 OUBT-724, water 

level 

– – – – 4.49 1.5 – –

2103 – – – – 4.56 – –

12-26-11 2258 OUBT-724, water 

level 

– – – – 4.04 4.4 – –

2259 – – – – 4.22 – –

02-29-12 1200 Gorst Creek 9.53 1.7 – – – – – –

1201 9.38 – – – – – –

02-29-12 1345 Anderson Creek 23.18 8.6 – – – – – –

1346 21.26 – – – – – –

02-29-12 1500 Anderson Creek 13.52 0.4 – – – – – –

1501 13.47 – – – – – –

02-29-12 1645 Blackjack Creek 28.59 2.0 – – – – – –

1646 29.17 – – – – – –

03-14-12 1115 Anderson Creek 17.10 4.7 2.02 6.6 1.77 10.7 – –

1116 16.33 1.89 1.97 – –

Sampling method comparisons

11-27-11 0754 OUBT-709, bottom 

sampling port

– – – – 31.7 24 – Meissner field-filtered

0757 – – – – 40.4 – Collected in bottle and 

GFF lab-filtered

12-13-11 1001 Steam plant 

effluent

– – 0.104 43 – – – Collected in bottle and 

GFF lab-filtered

1011 – – 0.067 – – – Collected in bottle from 

churn splitter, GFF labfiltered

1

 Based on a nominal filtered volume of 1 liter for low total suspended solids concentration samples.

Table A1. Quality assurance data for filtered, particulate, and unfiltered total mercury, Sinclair Inlet, Kitsap County, Washington.—

Continued

[Abbreviations: Conc., concentration; mg/L, milligrams per liter; RPD, relative percent difference; ng/L, nanograms per liter; WAWSC, Washington Water 

Science Center; OUBT, Operable Unit B-Terrestrial, GFF, glass fiber filter; %, percent; –, not analyzed]
Appendix A 33

Table A2. Loading calculation of filtered total mercury using wet 

and dry season data, Sinclair Inlet, Kitsap County, Washington.

[Abbreviations: ng/L, nanograms per liter; m3/s, cubic meters per second; 

m3, cubic meters; g/yr, grams per year; –, not available]

Season 

and 

area

Average 

filtered total 

mercury 

concentration 

(ng/L)

Average 

discharge 

(m3

/s)

Total 

annual 

volume 

(million m3

)

Filterered 

total 

mercury 

loading 

(g/yr)

Wet season – 2.104 38.8 72.5

Total gaged area – 1.988 36.5 67.3

Gorst Creek 1.11 0.93 17.1 19.0

Anderson Creek 2.05 0.32 5.9 12.1

Blackjack Creek 2.67 0.72 13.2 35.2

Annapolis Creek 3.33 0.018 0.3 1.0

Ungaged areas 2.28 0.116 2.3 5.2

Dry season 0.57 0.75 9.9 5.6

Annual – – 48.7 78.1
34 Improved Estimates of Mercury Loadings and Concentrations of Solids, Sinclair Inlet, Washington

watac12-0789_fig_a1

-3

-2

-1

0

1

2

3

4

5

20

22

24

26

28

Elevation, in meters relative to mean lower low water

Salinity

November 27 November 28

6:00 12:00 18:00 00:00 3:00

Elevation of well water level

Elevations of sampling ports

Salinity

EXPLANATION

Figure A1. Elevations of well OUBT-709 water levels and sampling ports at the Bremerton naval complex, Sinclair 

Inlet, Kitsap County, Washington, November 27–28, 2011. Also shown are salinity data from the sampling port just 

below the water table.
Appendix A 35

watac12-0789_fig_a2

-3

-2

-1

0

1

2

3

4

22

24

26

28

30

Elevation, in meters relative to mean lower low water

December 26 December 27

6:00 12:00 18:00 00:00 3:00

Salinity

Elevation of well water level

Elevations of sampling ports

Salinity

EXPLANATION

Figure A2. Elevations of well OUBT-724 water levels and sampling ports at the Bremerton naval complex, Sinclair 

Inlet, Kitsap County, Washington, December 26–27, 2011. Also shown are salinity data the sampling port just below 

the water table.
This page intentionally left blank.
Publishing support provided by the U.S. Geological Survey

Publishing Network, Tacoma Publishing Service Center

For more information concerning the research in this report, contact the

 Director, Washington Water Science Center

U.S. Geological Survey

934 Broadway, Suite 300

Tacoma, Washington 98402

http://wa.water.usgs.gov
Paulson and others— Improved Estimates of Mercury Loadings and Concentrations of Solids, Sinclair Inlet, Washington—Scientific Investigations Report 2013–5081