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Michael J. Moran

Publications and source records attributed to Michael J. Moran.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Recognition of typical antibiotic residues in environmental media related to groundwater in China (2009−2019)

The potential adverse environmental and health-related impacts of antibiotics are becoming more and more concerning. China is globally the largest antibiotic producer and consumer, possibly resulting in the ubiquity and high detection levels of antibiotics in environmental compartments. Clear status on the concentration levels and spatial distribution of antibiotic contamination in China's environment is necessary to gain insight into the establishment of legal and regulatory frameworks. This study collects information from over 170 papers reporting the occurrence and distribution of antibiotics in China's environment. A total of 110 antibiotics were detected, and 28 priority antibiotics were ubiquitous in China in almost all compartments of the environment, excluding the atmosphere. Seven dominant antibiotics in all environment compartments were identified by cluster analysis, including tetracycline, oxytetracycline, chlortetracycline, ofloxacin, enrofloxacin, norfloxacin, and ciprofloxacin. Meanwhile, sulfamethoxazole, sulfadiazine, and sulfamethazine were also frequently found in aqueous phases. Among the main basins where antibiotics were detected, the Haihe River Basin had higher median antibiotic concentrations in surface water compared to other basins, while the Huaihe River Basin had higher median concentrations in sediment. The median values of antibiotic concentrations in the sources were as follows: animal manure, 39 μg/kg (microgram per kilogram); WWTP (wastewater treatment plant) sludge, 39 μg/kg; animal wastewater, 156 ng/L (nanogram per liter); WWTP effluent: 15 ng/L. These concentrations are 1 − 2 orders of magnitude higher than that of the receptors (soil, 2.1 μg/kg; sediment, 4.7 μg/kg; surface water, 8.1 ng/L; groundwater, 2.9 ng/L), whether in solid or aqueous phases. Based on the number of detected antibiotics in various environmental compartments, animal farms and WWTPs are the main sources of antibiotics, and surface water and sediment are the main receptors of antibiotics. Hierarchical clustering identified the two main pathways of antibiotic transfer in various environmental compartments, which are from animal wastewater/WWTP effluent to surface water/sediment and from animal manure/WWTP sludge to soil/groundwater.

Journal of Hazardous Materials

Hydrogeology and sources of water to select springs in Black Canyon, south of Hoover Dam, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Nevada and Arizona

Springs in Black Canyon of the Colorado River, directly south of Hoover Dam in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Nevada and Arizona, are important hydrologic features that support a unique riparian ecosystem including habitat for endangered species. Rapid population growth in areas near and surrounding Black Canyon has caused concern among resource managers that such growth could affect the discharge from these springs. The U.S. Geological Survey studied the springs in Black Canyon between January 2008, and May 2014. The purposes of this study were to provide a baseline of discharge and hydrochemical data from selected springs in Black Canyon and to better understand the sources of water to the springs. Various hydrologic, hydrochemical, geochemical, and geologic data were collected and analyzed during this study. More than 100 hydrologic sites consisting of springs, seeps, pools, rivers, reservoirs, and wells were investigated, and measurements were taken at 75 of these sites. Water levels were measured or compiled for 42 wells and samples of water were collected from 36 unique sites and submitted for laboratory analyses of hydrochemical constituents. Measurements of discrete discharge were made from nine unique spring areas and four sites in Black Canyon were selected for continuous monitoring of discharge. Additionally, samples of rock near Hoover Dam were collected and analyzed to determine the age of spring deposits. Results of hydrochemical analyses indicate that discharge from springs in Black Canyon is from two sources: (1) Lake Mead, and (2) a local and (or) regional source. Discharge from springs closest to Hoover Dam contains a substantial percentage (>50 percent) of water from Lake Mead. This includes springs that are between Hoover Dam and Palm Tree Spring. Discharge from springs south of Palm Tree Spring contains a substantial percentage (>50 percent) of the water that is believed to come from a combination of other local and regional sources, although the exact location and nature of these sources is not clear. The unique hydrochemistry of some springs, such as Bighorn Sheep Spring and Latos Pool, suggests that little if any water discharging from these springs comes from Lake Mead. Geochronological results of spring deposits at several sites near Hoover Dam indicate that most deposits are young and likely formed after the construction of Hoover Dam. Several major faults, including the Salt Cedar Fault and the Palm Tree Fault, play an important role in the movement of groundwater. Groundwater may move along these faults and discharge where faults intersect volcanic breccias or fractured rock. Vertical movement of groundwater along faults is suggested as a mechanism for the introduction of heat energy present in groundwater from many of the springs. Groundwater altitudes in the study area indicate a potential for flow from Eldorado Valley to Black Canyon although current interpretations of the geology of this area do not favor such flow. If groundwater from Eldorado Valley discharges at springs in Black Canyon then the development of groundwater resources in Eldorado Valley could result in a decrease in discharge from the springs. Geology and structure indicate that it is not likely that groundwater can move between Detrital Valley and Black Canyon. Thus, the development of groundwater resources in Detrital Valley may not result in a decrease in discharge from springs in Black Canyon.

Arizona, Nevada

Factors associated with sources, transport, and fate of chloroform and three other trihalomethanes in untreated groundwater used for drinking water

Multiple lines of evidence for indicating factors associated with the sources, transport, and fate of chloroform and three other trihalomethanes (THMs) in untreated groundwater were revealed by evaluating low-level analytical results and logistic regression results for THMs. Samples of untreated groundwater from wells used for drinking water were collected from 1996-2007 from 2492 wells across the United States and analyzed for chloroform, bromodichloromethane, dibromochloromethane, and bromoform by a low-level analytical method implemented in April 1996. Using an assessment level of 0.02 μg/L, chloroform was detected in 36.5% of public-well samples and 17.6% of domestic-well samples, with most concentrations less than 1 μg/L. Brominated THMs occurred less frequently than chloroform but more frequently in public-well samples than domestic-well samples. For both public and domestic wells, THMs occurred most frequently in urban areas. Logistic regression analyses showed that the occurrence of THMs was related to nonpoint sources such as urban land use and to point sources like septic systems. The frequent occurrence and concentration distribution pattern of THMs, as well as their frequent co-occurrence with other organic compounds and nitrate, all known to have anthropogenic sources, and the positive associations between THM occurrence and dissolved oxygen and recharge indicate the recycling of water that contains THMs and other anthropogenic contaminants.

Environmental Science & Technology

Lake water quality: Chapter 4 in A synthesis of aquatic science for management of Lakes Mead and Mohave

Given the importance of the availability and quality of water in Lake Mead, it has become one of the most intensely sampled and studied bodies of water in the United States. As a result, data are available from sampling stations across the lake (fig. 4-1 and see U.S. Geological Survey Automated Water-Quality Platforms) to provide information on past and current (2012) water-quality conditions and on invasive species that influence—and are affected by—water quality. Water quality in Lakes Mead and Mohave generally exceeds standards set by the State of Nevada to protect water supplies for public uses: drinking water, aquatic ecosystem health, recreation, or agricultural irrigation. In comparison to other reservoirs studied by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) for a national lake assessment (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2010), Lake Mead is well within the highest or ‘good’ category for recreation and aquatic health (see U.S. Environmental Protection Agency National Lakes Assessment and Lake Mead for more details). While a small part of the lake, particularly Las Vegas Bay, is locally influenced by runoff from urbanized tributaries such as Las Vegas Wash, contaminant loading in the lake as a whole is low compared to other reservoirs in the nation, which are influenced by runoff from more heavily urbanized watersheds (Rosen and Van Metre, 2010).

Circular

Evaluating lake stratification and temporal trends by using near-continuous water-quality data from automated profiling systems for water years 2005-09, Lake Mead, Arizona and Nevada

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the National Park Service and Southern Nevada Water Authority, collected near-continuous depth-dependent water-quality data at Lake Mead, Arizona and Nevada, as part of a multi-agency monitoring network maintained to provide resource managers with basic data and to gain a better understanding of the hydrodynamics of the lake. Water-quality data-collection stations on Lake Mead were located in shallow water (less than 20 meters) at Las Vegas Bay (Site 3) and Overton Arm, and in deep water (greater than 20 meters) near Sentinel Island and at Virgin and Temple Basins. At each station, near-continual depth-dependent water-quality data were collected from October 2004 through September 2009. The data were collected by using automatic profiling systems equipped with multiparameter water-quality sondes. The sondes had sensors for temperature, specific conductance, dissolved oxygen, pH, turbidity, and depth. Data were collected every 6 hours at 2-meter depth intervals (for shallow-water stations) or 5-meter depth intervals (for deep-water stations) beginning at 1 meter below water surface. Data were analyzed to determine water-quality conditions related to stratification of the lake and temporal trends in water-quality parameters. Three water-quality parameters were the main focus of these analyses: temperature, specific conductance, and dissolved oxygen. Statistical temporal-trend analyses were performed for a single depth at shallow-water stations [Las Vegas Bay (Site 3) and Overton Arm] and for thermally-stratified lake layers at deep-water stations (Sentinel Island and Virgin Basin). The limited period of data collection at the Temple Basin station prevented the application of statistical trend analysis. During the summer months, thermal stratification was not observed at shallow-water stations, nor were major maxima or minima observed for specific-conductance or dissolved-oxygen profiles. A clearly-defined thermocline and well-defined maxima and minima in specific-conductance and dissolved-oxygen profiles were observed at deep-water stations during the summer months. Specific-conductance maxima were likely the result of inflow of water from either the Las Vegas Wash or Muddy/Virgin Rivers or both, while the minima were likely the result of inflow of water from the Colorado River. Maxima and minima for dissolved oxygen were likely the result of primary productivity blooms and their subsequent decay. Temporal-trend analyses indicated that specific conductance decreased at all stations over the period of record, except for Las Vegas Bay (Site 3), where specific conductance increased. Temperature also decreased over the period of record at deep-water stations for certain lake layers. Decreasing temperature and specific conductance at deep-water stations is the result of decreasing values in these parameters in water coming from the Colorado River. Quagga mussels (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis), however, could play a role in trends of decreasing specific conductance through incorporation of calcite in their shells. Trends of decreasing turbidity and pH at deep-water stations support the hypothesis that quagga mussels could be having an effect on the physical properties and water chemistry of Lake Mead. Unlike other stations, Las Vegas Bay (Site 3) had increasing specific conductance and is interpreted as the result of lowering lake levels decreasing the volume of lake water available for mixing and dilution of the high-conductance water coming from Las Vegas Wash. Dissolved oxygen increased over the period of record in some lake layers at the deep-water stations. Increasing dissolved oxygen at deep-water stations is believed to result, in part, from a reduction of phosphorus entering Lake Mead and the concomitant reduction of biological oxygen demand.

Arizona;California;Nevada;Utah

Methyl tert-butyl ether in ground and surface water of the United States: National-scale relations between MTBE occurrence in surface and ground water and MTBE use in gasoline

The detection frequency of methyl tert -butyl ether (MTBE) in ground and surface water of the United States is positively related to the content of MTBE in gasoline in various metropolitan areas of the U.S. The frequency of detection of MTBE is generally higher in areas that use larger amounts of MTBE in gasoline. Sampling of surface and ground water by the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program between 1993 and 1998 revealed a frequent detection of low concentrations of MTBE. In this analysis, data from several national-scale gasoline surveys are examined and data from one survey that is most extensive in geographic and temporal coverage is used to relate the detection of MTBE in ground and surface water to the volumetric content of MTBE in gasoline.

ACS Symposium Series

Methods and sources of data used to develop selected water-quality indicators for streams and ground water for EPA's 2007 Report on the Environment: Science report

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) was one of numerous governmental agencies, private organizations, and the academic community that provided data and interpretations for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (USEPA) 2007 Report on the Environment: Science Report . This report documents the sources of data and methods used to develop selected water–quality indicators for the 2007 edition of the report compiled by USEPA. Stream and ground–water–quality data collected nationally in a consistent manner as part of the USGS’s National Water–Quality Assessment Program (NAWQA) were provided for several water–quality indicators, including Nitrogen and Phosphorus in Streams in Agricultural Watersheds; Pesticides in Streams in Agricultural Watersheds; and Nitrate and Pesticides in Shallow Ground Water in Agricultural Watersheds . In addition, the USGS provided nitrate (nitrate plus nitrite) and phosphorus riverine load estimates calculated from water–quality and streamflow data collected as part of its National Stream Water Quality Accounting Network (NASQAN) and its Federal–State Cooperative Program for the Nitrogen and Phosphorus Discharge from Large Rivers indicator.

Open-File Report

Methods and Sources of Data Used to Develop Selected Water-Quality Indicators for Streams and Ground Water for the 2007 Edition of The State of the Nation's Ecosystems Report with Comparisons to the 2002 Edition

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) was one of numerous governmental, private, and academic entities that provided input to the report The State of the Nation?s Ecosystems published periodically by the Heinz Center. This report describes the sources of data and methods used by the USGS to develop selected water?quality indicators for the 2007 edition of the Heinz Center report and documents modifications in the data sources and interpretations between the 2002 and 2007 editions of the Heinz Center report. Stream and ground?water quality data collected nationally as part of the USGS National Water-Quality Assessment Program were used to develop the ecosystem indicators for the Heinz Center report, including Core National indicators for the Movement of Nitrogen and Chemical Contamination and for selected ecosystems classified as Farmlands, Forest, Grasslands and Shrublands, Freshwater, and Urban and Suburban. In addition, the USGS provided water?quality and streamflow data collected as part of the National Stream Water Quality Accounting Network and the Federal?State Cooperative Program. The documentation provided herein serves not only as a reference for current and future editions of The State of the Nation?s Ecosystems but also provides critical information for future assessments of changes in contaminant occurrence in streams and ground water of the United States.

Open-File Report

Occurrence and potential human-health relevance of volatile organic compounds in drinking water from domestic wells in the United States

Background As the population and demand for safe drinking water from domestic wells increase, it is important to examine water quality and contaminant occurrence. A national assessment in 2006 by the U.S. Geological Survey reported findings for 55 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) based on 2,401 domestic wells sampled during 1985–2002. Objectives We examined the occurrence of individual and multiple VOCs and assessed the potential human-health relevance of VOC concentrations. We also identified hydrogeologic and anthropogenic variables that influence the probability of VOC occurrence. Methods The domestic well samples were collected at the wellhead before treatment of water and analyzed for 55 VOCs. Results were used to examine VOC occurrence and identify associations of multiple explanatory variables using logistic regression analyses. We used a screening-level assessment to compare VOC concentrations to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) and health-based screening levels. Results We detected VOCs in 65% of the samples; about one-half of these samples contained VOC mixtures. Frequently detected VOCs included chloroform, toluene, 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, and perchloroethene. VOC concentrations generally were < 1 μg/L. One or more VOC concentrations were greater than MCLs in 1.2% of samples, including dibromochloropropane, 1,2-dichloropropane, and ethylene dibromide (fumigants); perchloroethene and trichloroethene (solvents); and 1,1-dichloroethene (organic synthesis compound). Conclusions Drinking water supplied by domestic wells is vulnerable to low-level VOC contamination. About 1% of samples had concentrations of potential human-health concern. Identifying factors associated with VOC occurrence may aid in understanding the sources, transport, and fate of VOCs in groundwater.

Environmental Health Perspectives

Volatile organic compounds in the nation's ground water and drinking-water supply wells

This national assessment of 55 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in ground water gives emphasis to the occurrence of VOCs in aquifers that are used as an important supply of drinking water. In contrast to the monitoring of VOC contamination of ground water at point-source release sites, such as landfills and leaking underground storage tanks (LUSTs), our investigations of aquifers are designed as large-scale resource assessments that provide a general characterization of water-quality conditions. Nearly all of the aquifers included in this assessment have been identified as regionally extensive aquifers or aquifer systems. The assessment of ground water (Chapter 3) included analyses of about 3,500 water samples collected during 1985-2001 from various types of wells, representing almost 100 different aquifer studies. This is the first national assessment of the occurrence of a large number of VOCs with different uses, and the assessment addresses key questions about VOCs in aquifers. The assessment also provides a foundation for subsequent decadal assessments of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program to ascertain long-term trends of VOC occurrence in these aquifers.

Circular

Approach to an assessment of volatile organic compounds in the nation's ground water and drinking-water supply wells

The National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) developed an approach for a national assessment of the occurrence, status, and distribution of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in samples of ground water from aquifer studies and in samples from drinking-water supply wells, specifically domestic and public wells. Data on VOCs in samples from aquifers and from domestic and public wells had three sources: (1) NAWQA sampling of ground water in aquifer studies and of shallow ground water in areas of agricultural or urban land use from 1993-2002, (2) retrospective data from other Federal, State, and local agencies that sampled ground water in aquifer studies from 1985-1997, and (3) sampling of ground water from public wells used as a source of drinking water from 1999-2000 (source-water survey). Data for assessing VOCs in ground water came from the NAWQA sampling of aquifers and from retrospective data (1 and 2). Domestic wells were the most commonly sampled well type in these aquifer studies. Data for assessing VOCs in domestic well samples came from the NAWQA sampling of aquifers and shallow ground water and from retrospective data (1 and 2). Data for assessing VOCs in public well samples came from NAWQA sampling of aquifers and shallow ground water and from the source-water survey (1, 2, and 3). Fifty-five VOCs were included in the national assessment. All ground-water samples were collected using consistent, prescribed field protocols and were analyzed using approved analytical methods. All ground-water collection activities and laboratory procedures included the collection of various quality-control samples in order to ensure the quality of the data. Comparisons of detection frequencies and detected concentrations among individual VOCs, groups of VOCs, aquifer studies, and data sets were performed using two assessment levels: (1) an assessment level of 0.2 microgram per liter (?g/L), and (2) an assessment level of 0.02 ?g/L. Selection of the 0.2-?g/L assessment level was based on historical laboratory reporting levels of VOCs used by the USGS National Water-Quality Laboratory (NWQL) prior to April 1996, and selection of the 0.02-?g/L assessment level was based on a new, low-level analytical method developed by the NWQL and used since April 1996. Relational analyses using multivariate logistic regression were performed on VOC data from aquifers, domestic wells, and public wells to better understand the natural and anthropogenic factors that control or influence the occurrence of VOCs. Ancillary data used in the relational analyses represent a variety of anthropogenic and hydrogeologic controls on the occurrence of VOCs. For aquifers, relational analyses were performed only on NAWQA data analyzed using the new low-level analytical method for 10 frequently detected VOCs. For domestic wells, relational analyses were performed at assessment levels of 0.2 ?g/L and 0.02 ?g/L for 6 and 10 frequently detected VOCs at these levels. For public wells, relational analyses were performed at an assessment level of 0.2 ?g/L for nine frequently detected VOCs.

Open-File Report

Occurrence and implications of methyl tert-butyl ether and gasoline hydrocarbons in ground water and source water in the United States and in drinking water in 12 Northeast and Mid-Atlantic States, 1993-2002

The occurrence and implications of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) and gasoline hydrocarbons were examined in three surveys of water quality conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey?one national-scale survey of ground water, one national-scale survey of source water from ground water, and one regional-scale survey of drinking water from ground water. The overall detection frequency of MTBE in all three surveys was similar to the detection frequencies of some other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that have much longer production and use histories in the United States. The detection frequency of MTBE was higher in drinking water and lower in source water and ground water. However, when the data for ground water and source water were limited to the same geographic extent as drinking-water data, the detection frequencies of MTBE were comparable to the detection frequency of MTBE in drinking water. In all three surveys, the detection frequency of any gasoline hydrocarbon was less than the detection frequency of MTBE. No concentration of MTBE in source water exceeded the lower limit of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Drinking-Water Advisory of 20 ?g/L (micrograms per liter). One concentration of MTBE in ground water exceeded 20 ?g/L, and 0.9 percent of drinking-water samples exceeded 20 ?g/L. The overall detection frequency of MTBE relative to other widely used VOCs indicates that MTBE is an important concern with respect to ground-water management. The probability of detecting MTBE was strongly associated with population density, use of MTBE in gasoline, and recharge, and weakly associated with density of leaking underground storage tanks, soil permeability, and aquifer consolidation. Only concentrations of MTBE above 0.5 ?g/L were associated with dissolved oxygen. Ground water underlying areas with high population density, ground water underlying areas where MTBE is used as a gasoline oxygenate, and ground water underlying areas with high recharge has a greater probability of MTBE contamination. Ground water from public-supply wells and shallow ground water underlying urban land-use areas has a greater probability of MTBE contamination compared to ground water from domestic wells and ground water underlying rural land-use areas.

Water-Resources Investigations Report

Occurrence and status of volatile organic compounds in ground water from rural, untreated, self-supplied domestic wells in the United States, 1986-99

Samples of untreated ground water from 1,926 rural, self-supplied domestic wells were analyzed for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) during 1986-99. This information was used to characterize the occurrence and status of VOCs in domestic well water. The samples were either collected as part of the U.S. Geological Survey?s National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program occurrence-assessment studies or were compiled by NAWQA from existing ambient ground-water or source-water-quality monitoring programs conducted by local, State, and other Federal agencies. Water samples were collected at the wellhead prior to treatment or storage. In most samples, 55 target VOCs were analyzed, and occurrence and status information generally was computed at an assessment level of 0.2 mg/L (microgram per liter). At least one VOC was detected in 12 percent of samples (232 samples) at an assessment level of 0.2 mg/L. This detection frequency is relatively low compared to the 26 percent detection frequency of at least one VOC in public sup-ply wells sampled by NAWQA, and the difference may be due, in part, to the higher pumping rates, pumping stress factors, and larger contributing areas of public supply wells. Samples with detections of at least one VOC were collected from wells located in 31 of 39 States. Solvents were the most frequently detected VOC group with detections in 4.6 percent of samples (89 samples) at an assessment level of 0.2 mg/L. The geographic distribution of detections of some VOC groups, such as fumigants and oxygenates, relates to the use pattern of com-pounds in that group. With the exception of com-pounds used in organic synthesis, detection frequencies of VOCs by group are proportional to the average half-life of compounds in the group. When the organic synthesis group is excluded from the analysis, a good correlation exists between the detection frequency of VOCs by group and average half-life of compounds in the group. Individually, VOCs were not commonly detected at an assessment level of 0.2 mg/L, with the seven most frequently detected VOCs found in only 1 to 5 percent of samples. Mixtures (two or more compounds) were a common mode of occurrence for VOCs when no assessment level was applied, and mixtures occurred in one-half of all samples that contained at least one VOC. Only 1.4 percent of samples (27 samples) had one or more VOC concentrations that exceeded a federally established drinking-water standard or health criterion. Only 0.1 percent of samples (2 samples) had one or more VOC concentrations that exceeded a taste/odor threshold. Potential point sources of VOCs near domestic wells are numerous. Leaks from under-ground storage tanks and aboveground storage tanks that hold gasoline, diesel fuel, or heating oil have the potential to be major point sources of contaminants to domestic wells. Shock chlorination may be a source of trichloromethane and other trihalomethanes in some domestic wells. Septic systems are believed to be an important source of contaminants to domestic wells, but extensive research on this subject does not exist. VOCs frequently are ingredients in household products such as cleansers and insecticides, and some VOCs have been found in septic systems.

Water-Resources Investigations Report

MTBE in groundwater of the U.S.: Occurrence, potential sources, and long-range transport

Groundwater is an important and valuable resource in the U.S. To some extent, groundwater is used in all 50 states to provide drinking water. In 1995, more than 50% of the population, more than 130 million people, relied on groundwater for drinking water supplies (Solley et al., 1998). About 30%, or 42 million, of these people obtained their water from privately owned wells (U.S. Geological Survey [USGS], 1999). The remaining 90 million people relied on groundwater from public water suppliers for their drinking water.

Book chapter