The purpose of the research was to determine if
pesticides were being transported from the place of
application by the shallow groundwater and discharged into the
Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean, and quantify the pesticides
if they were transported. One reference (undeveloped) and
four agricultural sites were tested over a 11 month period
from April 1992 to February 1993. Over 500 groundwater
samples were analyzed from both shallow wells and seepage
meters placed in the Chesapeake Bay and Magothy Bay. The
samples were analyzed in accordance to EPA Method 525.1 by
solid phase extraction with octadecyl bonded disks followed by
gas chromatography. The samples were examined for 5 of the
most commonly used pesticides: atrazine, alachlor, carbofuran,
cyanazine, and metolachlor. Pesticides were detected in only
16 samples. All the detections were at low concentrations,
with only one being over 1 μg/L. The study concluded that if
pesticides were being transported by the groundwater, they
were below a μg/L (ppb).
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