Movement of atrazine and deethylatrazine through a midwestern reservoir

Abstract

The three-dimensional visualization of atrazine and deethylatrazine in a reservoir was determined by five "snapshots" over a one-year period using immunoassay analyses, confirmed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and visualized with a three-dimensional computer program. The surveys were conducted in Perry Lake in Kansas and showed that spring runoff laden with triazine herbicides entered the reservoir and did not mix immediately. Concentrations varied threefold between the inlet and the public water supply intakes located at the opposite end of the reservoir. The concentration range in the outflow varied much less than the concentration in the reservoir because of mixing throughout the season near the dam and outflow. A major conclusion from the study was that multiple analyses by a low-cost immunoassay technique coupled with computer visualization software gave a good three-dimensional view of the mass of herbicide present in a drinking water reservoir.