Pesticides and Water Quality Projects

Please see the Urban Pesticides Pollution Prevention Project (UP3 Project) web site for the latest and most complete information on urban pesticide use and water quality.

Pesticides in Urban Surface Water:  Urban Pesticides Use Trends

TDC Environmental annually prepares pesticides in urban surface water annual pesticide use trends analyses for the Urban Pesticide Pollution Prevention Project (UP3 Project).  These reports focus on California--and specifically on San Francisco Bay Area--use of pesticides of interest for urban surface water quality.  These reports also include recommendations for improvement of urban pesticide surface water toxicity reduction activities, which are based on all three UP3 Project annual reports.  Each year's report builds on previous year's reports.

  2006 Report (in Adobe Acrobat)

  Presentation on 2006 Report (in Adobe Acrobat) covering highlights of the report

            Presentation on 2005 Report (in Adobe Acrobat) covering the highlights of the report

Pesticides in Urban Surface Water:  Annual Research and Monitoring Update

TDC Environmental annually prepares pesticides in urban surface water annual research and monitoring updates for the Urban Pesticide Pollution Prevention Project (UP3 Project).  These reports present the results of TDC Environmental's ongoing review of pesticide and water quality literature relevant to urban surface waters.  These annual reports identify key findings relevant to California water quality agency efforts to prevent pesticide-related toxicity in urban surface waters, urban runoff, and municipal wastewater discharges.  Each year's report is unique, focusing on the research findings in the previous calendar year.

  2006 Report (in Adobe Acrobat)

  Presentation on 2006 Report (in Adobe Acrobat) covering highlights of the report

            Presentation on 2005 Report (in Adobe Acrobat) covering the highlights of the report

Pesticide Market Trends and Potential Water Quality Implications

On behalf of the San Francisco Estuary Project (and with funding from the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board), TDC Environmental investigated the water quality issues associated with the phase out of most urban uses of two common insecticides (diazinon and chlorpyrifos).   The project involved developing a list of pesticides most likely to replace diazinon and chlorpyrifos in the urban marketplace and assessing their risks to surface water quality.  Key project objectives were to identify those replacement pesticides likely to gain significant market share; to estimate the potential for these pesticides to adversely affect water quality; and to recommend future strategies to protect water quality.  The information developed from this project will help Regional Water Quality Control Boards and other government agencies focus on potential future sources of pesticide-related urban surface water toxicity.

The final report, Insecticide Market Trends and Potential Water Quality Implications, was published in April 2003.

               Report (in Adobe Acrobat)   Appendices (in Adobe Acrobat)

Project workplan and memoranda (incorporated in final report)

                   2005 San Francisco Bay Area Pesticide Retail Story Survey (in Adobe Acrobat)

          2004 San Francisco Bay Area Pesticide Retail Store Survey (in Adobe Acrobat)

Pesticide Regulatory Agency Actions

On behalf of California water quality agencies, TDC Environmental monitors all U.S. EPA Office of Pesticide Programs and California Department of Pesticide Regulations regulatory notices in order to identify agency activities that may have implications for urban surface water quality.  Dr. Moran reviewed associated technical documents, summarizes issues important for water quality, and drafts information that is used by water quality agencies in comment letters, when agencies wish to provide information for pesticide regulatory agency consideration.

U.S. EPA pesticide re-registration schedule for pesticides of urban surface water quality interest (March 2006; in Adobe Acrobat)

           2006 evaluation:   Improving Urban Pesticide Regulatory Activities to Protect Water Quality: Annual Update 2006 (in Adobe Acrobat)

           December 2005 evaluation:  Improving Urban Pesticide Regulatory Activities to Protect Water Quality: Annual Update 2005 (in Adobe Acrobat)

 December 2004 evaluation:  Improving Urban Pesticide Regulatory Activities to Protect Water Quality: Annual Update 2004 (in Adobe Acrobat)

Diazinon & Chlorpyrifos Products:  Screening for Water Quality Implications

On behalf of the San Francisco Estuary Project (and with funding from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation), TDC Environmental LLC conducted an analysis of the relative potential for release of various diazinon and chlorpyrifos products into surface water.  Diazinon and chlorpyrifos were among the most commonly used insecticides.  In California, the presence of diazinon and chlorpyrifos in surface waters has proven to be of great concern, because elevated levels of the two pesticides have been linked to findings of toxicity in wastewater treatment plant effluent, storm water runoff, urban creeks (including all San Francisco Bay area urban creeks), estuaries (including San Francisco Bay), and the Sacramento River.  Much of this toxicity occurs in urban areas, apparently reflecting urban releases—rather than agricultural releases—of diazinon and chlorpyrifos.  The intent of this study was to explore whether certain urban sites of use (by their location) or certain pesticide formulations when applied to common urban application sites are especially likely to release diazinon and chlorpyrifos to surface water, and thus likely to be linked to the identified toxicity.   The study  involved developing an analytic approach that should be useful in evaluating the potential for other urban-use pesticides to reach surface waters.

Report (in Adobe Acrobat)

Presentation on report—This presentation summarizes report and includes recommendations for water quality agency priorities.

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