Kepone and the James River

The James River in Virginia was contaminated by the pesticide kepone when the material entered the river as early as 1968 and continued until its discovery in 1975. The river became so contaminated that commercial fisheries were closed. In 1988, 13 years after closure, all fishing restrictions were lifted. The contaminated sediments have been diluted and covered enough by uncontaminated material that the kepone flux back into the water column has diminished. Kepone concentrations in organisms inhabitating the river are finally below the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Food and Drug Administration action levels. Biological, chemical, physical and geological aspects of the contamination indicate that remedial actions to remove kepone would be expensive and environmentally unwise.https://scholarworks.wm.edu/vimsbooks/1101/thumbnail.jp

Heavy metals in oysters from Virginia since tropical storm Agnes

Rainfall from tropical storm Agnes caused the salinity of the major estuaries entering the Chesapeake Bay to be drastically lowered. Bottom sediments normally subjected to 10 to 15 salinities were under fresh water. Heavy metals, pesticides and other pollutants adsorbed to these bottom sediments were undoubtedly mobilized. These once stored concentrations were augmented by the massive amounts of erosional products which created a high pollution potential. in shellfish in the Chesapeake Bay. For this reason the Virginia Institute of Marine Science asked for and received financial assistance from the Food and Drug Administration to assess the changes in heavy metal concentrations in the eastern oyster, (Crassostrea virginica) as a result of Agnes

Polychlorinated biphenyls in the Elizabeth River : final report

For the past eight years, the Virginia Institute of Marine Science has been a participant of the National Pesticide Monitoring Program. Within the framework of this program, oyster samples have been collected from areas throughout the Chesapeake Bay.and analyzed for chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticides. The data from the last three years show that polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB\u27s) are being concentrated by the eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica. The highest concentrations found were always from one station, Hospital Point, in the Elizabeth River. Samples from this station, collected during the spring of 1971, contained residues of the PCB, Aroclor(R) 1254 of 2.8 ppm. For this reason, a special study was undertaken to pinpoint the source of this pollution

Baltimore Harbor and channels : surface sediments in Virginia channels

Bottom surface sediment samples in the Virginia Channels portion of the Baltimore Harbor and Channels Project and the four specified disposal sites were obtained and chemically analysed in accordance with DAC W31-78-C-0038. In addition, chemical analyses were performed on 15 sediment samples delivered to us from Maryland. In total, 90 stations were occupied in Virginia Channels and the four proposed disposal sites for bottom surface sediments for bulk chemical analyses. Samples from the Maryland Channels were supplied by the Maryland Geological Survey.

Bioavailability of Organic Pollutants to Aquatic Organisms

Settlement of the Chesapeake Bay region began in earnest in the early 17th century. The native American population and early colonists were impressed by the abundance of fish and shellfish and located their population centers to take advantage of these and other natu!al resources. Introduction of wastes into the bay was coincident with this settlement. As the human population increased, so did the pressure on the ecological system. In the 20th century significant quantities of synthetic chemicals began to be introduced, many of which were toxic and nonbiodegradable [Faust and Hunter 1971]. Today the areas surrounding the bay are experiencing unprecedented development; introduction of toxic organic pollutants has correspondingly increased. Water quality and the abundance of many aquatic organisms have suffered accordingly [O\u27Connor and Huggett 1988].https://scholarworks.wm.edu/vimsbooks/1177/thumbnail.jp

James River Sediment Study: Operation Agnes Final Report

Bottom sediment samples were collected from the James River in Virginia and analyzed to evaluate the effects of tropical storm Agnes (summer, 1972) upon the sediment chemistry . The results of these analyses, frcm hereon called post Agnes data, were compared with data from a similar study carried out during the summer of 1971 ( pre-Agnes data ), reported under contract no. DACW-65-71-C-00~7 . The post Agnes samples encompass three distinct shoaling areas involving a total of 34. 75 nautical miles of the James River . The first area extending from mile 24. 75 to 33. 50 can be considered os the · Oligohaline James River estuary; the second and third areas extending from nautical mile 36.50 to 4o .75 and 57.00 to 59 . 50 respectively are considered part of the lower tidal fresh water James

Meaningful Chemical Measurements in the Marine Environment - Transition Metals

The following comments present a critical, but not negative, point of view that seeks identification of improved approaches to marine pollution effects studies. The current literature has many examples of the disquiet that the authors experience in reviewing or participating in recent studies. As pointed out by Dayton (1982), in reviewing the proceedings of a symposium: The Shore Environment, Environmental protection programs are increasingly criticized by ecologists, regulatory and management agencies, and private business as being of questionable quality and value. Because regulatory agencies and many ecologists are uncomfortable with the highly probabilistic nature of ecology, there is a tendency, often a legal necessity, for impact studies to be very detailed and specific and to collect reams of data that have no underlying logic and defy generalization or test. This prevents the growth of coastal ecology as a science. It seems interesting and paradoxicaI that the collection of a large amount of data prevents the growth of a particular science, but it seems to be true.https://scholarworks.wm.edu/vimsbooks/1099/thumbnail.jp

The Effects of Tropical Storm Agnes on the Copper and Zinc Budgets of the Rappahannock River

The metals copper and zinc were analyzed in bottom sediments (top 1 cm) from the Rappahannock River before and after Tropical Storm Agnes. By extracting the sediments with various techniques (HN03, HCl) the nature of the metal speciation can be estimated. Data show that the inorganic copper was increased by a factor of 2 to 3 in the normally saline portion of the river as a result of Agnes but returned to before-Agnes levels within one year. Metal analyses of suspended sediments collected during the Agnes flooding allows an estimate of sedimentation indicating at least 7.5 mm of new sediments at mile 40, decreasing nearly linearly to 1 mm at mile 15.https://scholarworks.wm.edu/vimsbooks/1067/thumbnail.jp

Contaminant Effects on Chesapeake Bay Shellfish

The paper reviews contaminant effects on Chesapeake Bay shellfish from two avenues (1) adverse biological effects on the organisms and (2) fisheries closures due to bacterial and chemical contamination. The use of shellfish to monitor anthropogenic inputs of chemical contaminants is also discussed. Fisheries closures due to bacterial contamination account for the greatest economic loss due to man\u27s activities. Kepone contamination in the James River, Virginia caused fisheries closures but has not appeared to cause biological damage to the resources. Organotin compounds from antifouling paints appear to pose a threat to Chesapeake Bay shellfish.https://scholarworks.wm.edu/vimsbooks/1056/thumbnail.jp

Contaminants in Chesapeake Bay: The Regional Perspective

Industrial and municipal point sources of contaminants are scattered along the shores of Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, but reach especially high density at Norfolk, Va., and Baltimore, Md. Sedimentation and various chemical processes in many cases conspire to restrict the water-borne transport of contaminant away from point source . Kepone, residual chlorine, volatile halogenated hydrocarbons, and anthropogenic trace metals are well-studied example of point-source contaminants. For the most part, their concentration in water and sediment drop to nearly immeasurable values within a distance of a few kilometers, or sometimes a few tens of kilometers, from their source . On the other hand, certain contaminants have now been shown to be truly regionally dispersed. Included are polychlorinated biphenyls, phthalate esters, anthropogenic trace metal (Cu, Zn, Pb), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, herbicides and weapon derived radionuclides. Most of these enter the Bay in significant amount from the atmosphere. Thus their dispersion throughout the Bay is not dependent on aquatic tranport processes. Although it is tempting to link the existence of this regional contamination with well publicized regional biological problem , no link has yet been proven.https://scholarworks.wm.edu/vimsbooks/1058/thumbnail.jp