Sampling of Private Wells for Pesticides, Upstate NY Presentation to the NYS Soil & Water Conservation Committee Oct. 21, 2008 Brian Richards and Steve Pacenka Soil & Water Group Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering

Research project being conducted for the DEC Bureau of Pesticides Management Luanne Whitbeck, Project Manager Sam Jackling, Section Chief - Product Registration Maureen Serafini, Bureau Head Additional Cornell personnel: Tammo Steenhuis (PD), Todd Walter (co-PI) Water Resources Institute – Susan Riha

Project impetus To answer the question: “What about upstate?” more specifically: “Are product registration reviews and subsequent application practices adequate to protect upstate groundwater?”

Project goal To assess current potential for groundwater contamination by examining well water in vulnerable sites Well water in vulnerable areas testing at safe levels is presumptive evidence that groundwater is also safe elsewhere. Well water in vulnerable areas testing at safe levels is presumptive evidence that groundwater is also safe elsewhere.

Objectives today Update on findings and status Where next?

Pesticide use in NY: Atrazine

Sum of All Active Ingredients

Process Discuss with SWCD and others in county Identify counties of interest Sample; analyze at DEC & Cornell BEE labs Interpretation Recruit land owners

County Partners through 2008 Schenectady Orange Cayuga Cortland Genesee

Well Selection Three approaches used for locating potential sampling sites Three approaches used for locating potential sampling sites 1) Local knowledge 1) Local knowledge -local experts & -local experts & experience experience (nitrate issues) (nitrate issues) -existing maps & -existing maps & databases databases -local scouting -local scouting (drive by and now “fly-over”) (drive by and now “fly-over”)

2) Modeling produces maps of relative vulnerability for pesticide transport based on soil properties... not a prediction of actual water concentrations

3) PSUR database Database used to determine relative application intensity by zip code regions

Landowner Recruitment once potential sites are identified: In cooperation with SWCD Voluntary participation Free to landowner Confidential - DEC only sees ID code - DEC only sees ID code - no specific reporting - no specific reporting of identity or location

Testing for... Long list of 93 pesticide & herbicide active ingredients; at DEC Pesticide Lab Nitrates at Cornell Soil & Water Group lab Selected individual active ingredients using higher resolution immunoassay methods, at Cornell Soil & Water Group lab

And finding... DEC lab: no detectable amount of any active ingredient in first 120 samples (Cortland, Schenectady, Orange Counties) –Detection limits are ~ 1 ug/L (1 ppb) or less Nitrates typical for rural NY, a few values above 5 mg/L

more findings... Immunoassays (Cortland, Schenectady; Orange County underway): few traces below quantitation limits, all far below drinking water or environmental standards Overall, GOOD NEWS FOR RURAL WATER CONSUMERS

As we progress... Increasing our ability to identify vulnerable locations Vulnerability = mobile and persistent chemicals, for example atrazine, used on larger fraction of land area Extra vulnerability in carbonate rock- dominated areas? (i.e. karst, limestone)

Active Ingredients Use Intensity - Weighted for Persistence and Mobility

Western NY GUS, with Carbonate Geology

Contacts & where to find reports Luanne Whitbeck (NYS DEC) Brian Richards

Thanks Keith Porter and Susan Riha NYS WRI directors, who delegated to BEE Cortland, Schenectady, Orange, Cayuga, and Genesee County Soil and Water Conservation Districts: local partners Cornell Pesticide Management Education Program for help using the PSUR database NYS Soil & Water Conservation Committee for early endorsement Cornell students Ian Toevs, Tony Salvucci, Ben Liu, Sophia Garcia, Ivy Tsoi, Zia Ahmed