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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Tifton, Georgia » Southeast Watershed Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #269833
Title: Pesticide mitigation strategies for surface water quality

Author
item GOH, KEAN - California Department Of Pesticide Regulation
item BRET, BRIAN - Dow Agrosciences
item Potter, Thomas
item GAN, JAY - University Of California

Submitted to: Pesticide Mitigation Strategies for Surface Water Quality
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/15/2011
Publication Date: 12/21/2011
Citation: Goh, K., Bret, B., Potter, T.L., Gan, J. 2011. Pesticide mitigation strategies for surface water quality. Pesticide Mitigation Strategies for Surface Water Quality. Volume 1075. Available: http://pubs.acs.org/isbn/9780841226579.

Interpretive Summary: This book communicates the latest information on pesticide runoff, mitigation practices, and their effectiveness in both urban and agricultural settings. Chapters were developed from presentations made at symposia organized by the editors at the 239th American Chemical Society International Meeting in the spring of 2010. Selected chapters were also invited outside the symposia to more comprehensively cover the topic. Taken together chapters provide a current assessment of state-of-the-art knowledge in this highly important topic area. The text is expected to serve as a valued reference for regulators, industry, land managers and academic and government research scientists.

Technical Abstract: Pesticide residues are being increasingly detected in surface water in agricultural and urban areas. In some cases water bodies are being listed under the Clean Water Act 303(d) as impaired and Total Maximum Daily Loads are required to address the impairments in agricultural areas. Pesticides in surface waters are associated with runoff from irrigation and storm events and drift during application. Various pesticide classes have been detected including pyrethroid, organophosphophorus, and carbamate insecticides; acetanilide, triazine, urea, and phenoxy herbicides; and strobilurin fungicides. Although presence of pesticides in surface water does not mean toxicity or impairment, in many cases pesticides have been, and continue to be, detected at concentrations that do cause toxicity to aquatic invertebrates such as the daphnids, Hyalella, and copepods. Thus there are efforts by regulatory agencies, registrants, researchers, and end users to work together to minimize impacts by reducing the amount of pesticides entering surface waters. To this end, two symposia, “Pesticide Mitigation Strategies for Pesticides and Urban Water Quality: Monitoring, Modeling and Mitigation and “Pesticide Mitigation Strategies for Surface Water Quality” were held at the 239th American Chemical Society meeting in March 2010. Forty-eight presentations were made over three days that addressed problems that pesticide use in urban and agricultural settings present to surface water quality and cost-effective solutions. Chapters in this book were developed from selected presentations at these symposia. Selected chapters were also invited outside the symposia to more comprehensively cover topics. Information presented summarizes and compiles current understanding of fate and transport of pesticides leading to their runoff, modeling of various runoff and mitigation scenarios, and successes and challenges of mitigation tactics.