TY - JOUR
T1 - Estrogen occurrence and persistence in vernal pools impacted by wastewater irrigation practices
AU - Mina, Odette
AU - Gall, Heather E.
AU - Elliott, Herschel A.
AU - Watson, John E.
AU - Mashtare, Michael L.
AU - Langkilde, Tracy
AU - Harper, Jeremy P.
AU - Boyer, Elizabeth W.
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported in part by funding from the Penn State University (PSU) I nstitutes of Energy and the Environment (IEE) , the Penn State Office of Physical Plant (OPP) , and the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Federal Appropriations under Project PEN04574 and Accession number 1004448 . We thank John Gaudlip (PSU OPP), Jim Loughran (Farm Services), Joe Swanderski (PSU Wastewater Treatment Plant), as well as Nick Allison, John Davitt, Chad Johnson, Gary Robinson, and Leon Yoder (PSU OPP). The field and laboratory assistance of Dr. Bradley Carlson (now at Wabash College), Nicolas Florentino Assalim dos Santos (supported by the Brazil Scientific Mobility Grant), Mariana Gonzales (supported by Penn State’s College of Engineering Undergraduate Research Program ), Marc Gluberman, Daniel Schultz, Alexandra Everhart (supported by Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences Undergraduate Research Program ), and Dr. Malcolm Taylor are also gratefully acknowledged. We thank three anonymous reviewers whose comments greatly improved this manuscript.
PY - 2018/4/1
Y1 - 2018/4/1
N2 - Planned beneficial re-use of water has become an increasingly common conservation practice worldwide, sparking questions about the degree of water treatment needed to mitigate negative environmental impacts. Since the early 1980s, as an alternative to surface discharge, the Pennsylvania State University has spray-irrigated all of its treated wastewater effluent via land application onto an environmental setting known as the “Living Filter” site (∼245 ha). The impacts of spray irrigation on nearby ephemeral wetlands, known as vernal pools, were explored. The pools gain water from both natural rainfall and spray-irrigation of the University's treated wastewater. The occurrence and persistence of estrogens in three vernal pools were quantified by analyzing >137 water samples collected from the pools over an eight-week period coincident with the development period of native amphibian larvae. Additionally, dissolved oxygen, oxidation-reduction potential, water level, water temperature, electrical conductivity, pH, and rainfall data were measured continuously throughout the study period within each pool. Further, the treated wastewater effluent was sampled during each weekly spray-irrigation event. Estrone was detected in nearly 100% of the vernal pool samples, with concentrations up to 6.2 ng L−1. Additionally, 17α-estradiol was not detected in the wastewater effluent, but was present in 52% of the vernal pool samples. 17β-estradiol, estriol, and 17α-ethinylestradiol were detected in fewer than 10% of the vernal pool samples. The findings of this research have important implications for management practices that can help protect these critical habitats.
AB - Planned beneficial re-use of water has become an increasingly common conservation practice worldwide, sparking questions about the degree of water treatment needed to mitigate negative environmental impacts. Since the early 1980s, as an alternative to surface discharge, the Pennsylvania State University has spray-irrigated all of its treated wastewater effluent via land application onto an environmental setting known as the “Living Filter” site (∼245 ha). The impacts of spray irrigation on nearby ephemeral wetlands, known as vernal pools, were explored. The pools gain water from both natural rainfall and spray-irrigation of the University's treated wastewater. The occurrence and persistence of estrogens in three vernal pools were quantified by analyzing >137 water samples collected from the pools over an eight-week period coincident with the development period of native amphibian larvae. Additionally, dissolved oxygen, oxidation-reduction potential, water level, water temperature, electrical conductivity, pH, and rainfall data were measured continuously throughout the study period within each pool. Further, the treated wastewater effluent was sampled during each weekly spray-irrigation event. Estrone was detected in nearly 100% of the vernal pool samples, with concentrations up to 6.2 ng L−1. Additionally, 17α-estradiol was not detected in the wastewater effluent, but was present in 52% of the vernal pool samples. 17β-estradiol, estriol, and 17α-ethinylestradiol were detected in fewer than 10% of the vernal pool samples. The findings of this research have important implications for management practices that can help protect these critical habitats.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.agee.2018.01.022
DO - 10.1016/j.agee.2018.01.022
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85044374254
VL - 257
SP - 103
EP - 112
JO - Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment
JF - Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment
SN - 0167-8809
ER -