Chemicals of Emerging Concern in Water and Bottom Sediment in the Great Lakes Basin, 2014 - Field and Laboratory Quality Assurance

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and St. Cloud State University (SCSU), identified the occurrence of chemicals of emerging concern (CECs) in water and bottom sediment collected in 2014 at 65 sites throughout the Great Lakes Basin. The 2014 effort is part of a long-term study that began in 2010. Included in this directory are collection methods, references to or descriptions of analytical methods used, data for samples collected in 2014, and associated quality-assurance data. Samples were collected during the periods of April to May and August to September by USGS, USFWS, and (or) SCSU personnel. Study sites include tributaries to the Great Lakes located near Green Bay, Wisconsin; Chicago, Illinois; Detroit, Michigan; Grand Rapids, Michigan; Cleveland, Ohio; and Wanakena, New York. During this study, 204 environmental samples and 6 field replicate sample pairs of surface water, 6 field blank-water samples, and 4 laboratory-matrix spike water samples were collected or prepared. Additionally, 21 environmental samples, 3 field replicate sample pairs, and 2 laboratory-matrix spike samples of bottom sediments were collected or prepared. At 22 select water-quality sites, polar organic chemical integrative samplers (POCIS) were deployed in water and analyzed for a similar suite of CECs as were measured in water and bottom-sediment samples. A total of 22 environmental samples, 4 field-blank samples (exposed to ambient air), and 4 field replicate sample pairs were collected or prepared. Water and bottom-sediment samples were prepared and analyzed at the USGS National Water Quality Laboratory (NWQL) in Denver, Colorado. All POCIS samples were extracted at the Environmental Sampling Technologies Laboratory in St. Joseph, Missouri. Extracts were sent to NWQL where final preparation steps and analyses were completed. The Field and Laboratory Quality Assurance provides eight tables that support the analytical results for wastewater compounds, steroid hormones, sterols, and bisphenol A, and pharmaceuticals in water, sediment, and POCIS samples collected during 2014.