PHARMACEUTICALS AND PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS (PPCPs) in THE STREAMS AND AQUIFERS OF THE GREAT MIAMI RIVER BASIN

MCD conducted an occurrence survey to document presence or absence of a target group of 21 pharmaceutical and personal care product (PPCP) compounds in wastewater effluent, streams, and aquifers of the Great Miami River Basin. The survey was developed to (1.) compare concentrations of PPCPs in high flow conditions with low flow conditions; (2.) compare concentrations of PPCPs in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent, surface water, and groundwater; (3.) construct upstream to downstream profiles of occurrences and concentrations of PPCPs in order to assess cumulative effects of WWTP effluents from upstream to downstream; and (4.) compare concentrations of PPCPs in groundwater with published drinking water guidelines to determine a margin of exposure or MOE.

MCD initiated the PPCP occurrence survey in the fall of 2010, with samples collected in October-November 2010 and April-May 2011. Over the course of this survey, MCD collected water samples at three WWTP effluent sites, twenty stream or river sites, seven monitoring wells, and three municipal production wells. All samples were analyzed by Montgomery Watson Harza Laboratories (MWH) using a proprietary high pressure liquid chromatography and dual mass spectroscopy (LC/MS/MS) method referred to as Method ED2SCR.

Analysis of the surface water and groundwater samples detected low concentrations of 17 out of the 21 compounds on the target analyte list. The maximum concentration of most PPCP compounds tended to be higher during the fall 2010 sampling event when stream flows were lower compared to the spring 2011 event when stream flows were higher. Detection frequencies and mean concentrations of most PPCPs were found to be similar between the two sampling events. Overall, detection frequencies and concentrations of PPCPs were highest in the effluent samples followed by samples collected from rivers downstream of WWTP outfalls. The survey found lower detection frequencies and concentrations of PPCPs in samples collected from headwater streams and groundwater. A screening level risk assessment using the highest concentrations of PPCPs in groundwater calculated MOEs for individual PPCP compounds ranging from 31 to over 224,000,000. The MOE methodology used in this survey was published by New York City Environmental Protection in 2010.