Abstract
Urban and agricultural areas affect the hydraulic patterns as well as the water quality of receiving drainage systems, especially of catchments smaller than 50 km2. Urban runoff is prone to contamination due to pollutants like pesticides or pharmaceuticals. Agricultural areas are possible sources of nutrient and herbicide contamination for receiving water bodies. The pollution is derived from leaching by subsurface flow, as well as wash-off and erosion caused by surface runoff. In the Luxembourgish Mess River catchment, the pharmaceutical and pesticide concentrations are comparable with those detected by other authors in different river systems worldwide. Some investigated pesticide concentrations infringe current regulations. The maximum allowable concentration for diuron of 1.8 μg l − 1 is exceeded fourfold by measured 7.41 μg l − 1 in a flood event. The load of dissolved pesticides reaching the stream gauge is primarily determined by the amount applied to the surfaces within the catchment area. Storm water runoff from urban areas causes short-lived but high-pollutant concentrations and moderate loads, whereas moderate concentrations and high loads are representative for agricultural inputs to the drainage system. Dissolved herbicides, sulfonamides, tetracyclines, analgesics and hormones can be used as indicators to investigate runoff generation processes, including inputs from anthropogenic sources. The measurements prove that the influence of kinematic wave effects on the relationship between hydrograph and chemographs should not be neglected in smaller basins. The time lag shows that it is not possible to connect analysed substances of defined samples to the corresponding section of the hydrograph.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Explore related subjects
Discover the latest articles, news and stories from top researchers in related subjects.Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Asaf, L., Nativ, R., Shain, D., Hassan, M., & Geyer, S. (2004). Controls on the chemical and isotopic compositions of urban stormwater in a semiarid zone. Journal of Hydrology, 294, 270–293.
Barco, J., Papiri, S., & Stenstrom, M. K. (2008). First flush in a combined sewer system. Chemosphere, 71, 827–833.
Bertrand-Krajewski, J. L., Chebbo, G., & Saget, A. (1998). Distribution of pollutant mass vs. volume in stormwater discharges and the first flush phenomenon. Water Research, 32, 2341–2356.
Blanchoud, H., Farrugia, F., & Mouchel, J. M. (2004). Pesticide uses and transfers in urbanised catchments. Chemosphere, 55, 905–913.
Botta, F., Lavison, G., Couturier, G., Alliot, F., Moreau-Guigon, E., Fauchon, N., et al. (2009). Transfer of glyphosate and its degradate AMPA to surface waters through urban sewerage systems. Chemosphere, 77, 133–139.
Cerejeira, M. J., Viana, P., Batista, S., Pereira, T., Silva, E., Valério, M. J., et al. (2003). Pesticides in Portuguese surface and ground waters. Water Research, 37, 1055–1063.
Chang, H. (2007). Comparative streamflow characteristics in urbanizing basins in the Portland metropolitan area, Oregon, USA. Hydrological Processes, 21, 211–222.
Chapman, A. S., Fostera, I. D. L., Leesa, J. A., Hodgkinson, R. A., & Jackson, R. H. (2001). Particulate phosphorus transport by sub-surface drainage from agricultural land in the UK. Environmental significance at the catchment and national scale. The Science of the Total Environment, 266, 95–102.
Chapman, P. J., Wheater, H. S., & Reynolds, B. (1993). The effect of geochemical reactions along flowpath on storm water chemistry in headwater catchments. In N. E. Peters, E. Hoehn, C. Leibundgut, N. Tase, & D. E. Walling (Eds.), Tracers in hydrology (pp. 11–35). Chichester: IAHS. IAHS 215.
Choi, K. J., Kim, S. G., Kim, C. W., & Kim, S. H. (2007). Determination of antibiotic compounds in water by on-line SPE-LC/MSD. Chemosphere, 66, 977–984.
Davi, M. L., & Gnudi, F. (1999). Phenolic compounds in surface water. Water Research, 33, 3213–3219.
Deasy, C., Brazier, R. E., Heathwaite, A. L., & Hodgkinson, R. (2009). Pathways of runoff and sediment transfer in small agricultural catchments. Hydrological Processes, 23, 1349–1358.
Deletic, A. (1998). The first flush load of urban surface runoff. Water Research, 32, 2462–2470.
Diaz-Fierros, F. T., Puerta, J., Suarez, J., & Diaz-Fierros, F. V. (2002). Contaminant loads of CSOs at the wastewater treatment plant of a city in NW Spain. Urban Water, 4, 291–299.
Dorabawila, N., & Gupta, G. (2005). Endocrine disrupter – estradiol – in Chesapeake Bay tributaries. Journal of Hazardous Materials, A120, 67–71.
Elrashidi, M. A., Mays, M. D., Peaslee, S. D., & Hooper, D. G. (2005). A technique to estimate nitrate-nitrogen loss by runoff and leaching for agricultural land, Lancaster County, Nebraska. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis, 35, 2593–2615.
Freitas, L. G., Singer, H., Müller, S. R., Schwarzenbach, R. P., & Stamm, C. (2008). Source area effects on herbicide losses to surface waters—A case study in the Swiss Plateau. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 128, 177–184.
Gasperi, J., Garnaud, S., Rocher, V., & Moilleron, R. (2008). Priority pollutants in wastewater and combined sewer overflow. Science of the Total Environment, 407, 263–272.
Gilbert, J. K., & Clausen, J. C. (2006). Stormwater runoff quality and quantity from asphalt, paver, and crushed stone driveways in Connecticut. Water Research, 40, 826–832.
Gnecco, I., Berretta, C., Lanza, L. G., & La Babera, P. (2005). Storm water pollution in the urban environment of Genoa, Italy. Atmospheric Research, 77, 60–73.
Greenstein, D., Tiefenthaler, L., & Bay, S. (2004). Toxicity of parking lot runoff after application of simulated rainfall. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 47, 199–206.
Gromaire, M. C., Garnaud, S., Saad, M., & Chebbo, G. (2001). Contribution of different sources to the pollution of wet weather flows in combined sewers. Water Research, 35, 521–533.
Gros, M., Petrovic, M., & Barceló, D. (2006). Development of a multi-residue analytical methodology based on liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) for screening and trace level determination of pharmaceuticals in surface and wastewaters. Talanta, 70, 678–690.
Guignard, C., Manfroi, L., Ziebel, J., Krein, A., & Hoffmann, L. (2009). Impact of land use on the occurrence and mobilisation of pesticides in surface water. In 12th international conference on chemistry and the environment, Poster contribution, Org P82.
Hatt, B. E., Fletcher, T. D., Walch, C. J., & Taylor, S. L. (2004). The influence of urban density and drainage infrastructure on the concentrations and loads of pollutants in small streams. Environmental Management, 34, 112–124.
Heberer, T. (2002). Occurrence, fate, and removal of pharmaceutical residues in the aquatic environment: A review of recent research data. Toxicological Letters, 131, 5–17.
Hernández, F., Sancho, J. V., Ibá nez, M., & Guerrero, C. (2007). Antibiotic residue determination in environmental waters by LC-MS. Trends in Analytical Chemistry, 26, 466–485.
Hildebrandt, A., Guillamón, M., Lacorte, S., Tauler, R., & Barcelo, D. (2008). Impact of pesticides used in agriculture and vineyards to surface and groundwater quality (North Spain). Water Research, 42, 3315–3326.
Kafi-Benyahia, M., Gromaire, M. G., & Chebbo, G. (2005). Spatial variability of characteristics and origins of urban wet weather pollution in combined sewers. Water Science and Technology, 52, 53–62.
Kasprzyk-Hordern, B., Dinsdale, R. M., & Guwy, A. J. (2008). The effect of signal suppression and mobile phase composition on the simultaneous analysis of multiple classes of acidic/neutral pharmaceuticals and personal care products in surface water by solid-phase extraction and ultra performance liquid chromatography - negative electrospray tandem mass spectrometry. Talanta, 74, 1299–1312.
Kay, P., Blackwell, P. A., & Boxall, A. B. A. (2004). Fate of veterinary antibiotics in a macroporous tile drained clay soil. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 23, 1136–1144.
Kim, L.-H., Zoh, K.-D., Joeng, S.-M., Kayhananian, M., & Stenstrom, M. K. (2006). Estimating pollutant mass accumulation on highways during dry periods. Journal of Environmental Engineering, 132, 985–993.
Kim, S.-C., & Carlson, K. (2007). Quantification of human and veterinary antibiotics in water and sediment using SPE/LC/MS/MS. Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 387, 1301–1315.
Kolpin, D. W., Furlong, E. T., Meyer, M. T., Thurman, E. M., Zaugg, S. D., Barber, L. B., et al. (2002). Pharmaceuticals, hormones, and other organic wastewater contaminants in U.S. streams, 1999–2000: A national reconnaissance. Environmental Science & Technology, 36, 1202–1211.
Krein, A., & DeSutter, R. (2001). Use of artificial flood events to demonstrate the invalidity of simple mixing models. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 46, 611–622.
Krein, A., Salvia-Castellvi, M., Iffly, J. F., Pfister, L., & Hoffmann, L. (2007). The importance of precedent hydro-climatological conditions for the mass transfer of pollutants in separated sewer systems and corresponding tributaries during flood events. Water, Air and Soil Pollution, 182, 357–368.
Krein, A., & Schorer, M. (2000). Road runoff pollution and its contribution to river sediments. Water Research, 34, 4110–4115.
Krein, A., & Symader, W. (2000). Pollutant sources and transport patterns during natural and artificial flood events in the Olewiger Bach and Kartelbornsbach basins, Germany. In M. Stone (Ed.), Proceedings of the IAHS symposium on the role of erosion and sediment transport in nutrient and contaminant transfer (pp. 167–173). Wallingford: IAHS.
Kreuger, J. (1999). Pesticides in stream water within an agricultural catchment in southern Sweden, 1990–1996. The Science of the Total Environment, 216, 227–251.
Kuch, H. M., & Ballschmiter, K. (2001). Determination of endocrine-disrupting phenolic compounds and estrogens in surface and drinking water by HRGC-(NCI)-MS in the picogram per liter range. Environmental Science & Technology, 35, 3201–3206.
Kurtenbach, A., & Krein, A. (2007). Pre-event hydrological conditions as determinants for sediment and pollutant transport during artificial and natural floods. In B. Westrich & U. Förstner (Eds.), Sediment dynamics and pollutant mobility in rivers—an interdisciplinary approach (pp. 279–287). Heidelberg: Springer.
Kurtenbach, A., Möller, S., Krein, A., & Symader, W. (2006). On the relationship between hydrographs and chemographs. Hydrological Processes, 20, 2921–2934.
Laganà, A., Bacaloni, A., De Leva, I., Faberi, A., Fago, G., & Marino, A. (2004). Analytical methodologies for determining the occurrence of endocrine disrupting chemicals in sewage treatment plants and natural waters. Analytica Chimica Acta, 501, 79–88.
Lee, J. H., & Bang, K. W. (2000). Characterization of urban stormwater runoff. Water Research, 34, 1773–1780.
Lee, J. H., Bang, K. W., Ketchum, L. H., Choe, J. S., & Yu, M. J. (2002). First flush analysis of urban storm runoff. The Science of the Total Environment, 293, 163–175.
Lee, H., Lau, S.-L., Kayhanian, M., & Stenstrom, M. K. (2004). Seasonal first flush phenomenon of urban stormwater discharges. Water Research, 38, 4153–4163.
Leu, C., Singer, H., Müller, S. R., Schwarzenbach, R. P., & Stamm, C. (2005). Comparison of atrazine losses in three small headwater catchments. Journal of Environmental Quality, 34, 1873–1882.
Li, D., Yang, M., Hu, J., Ren, L., Zhang, Y., & Li, K. (2008). Determination and fate of oxytetracycline production wastewater and the receiving river. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 27, 80–86.
Marsalek, J., Barnwell, T. O., Geiger, W., Grottker, M., Huber, W. C., Saul, A. J., et al. (1993). Urban drainage systems: Design and operation. Water Science and Technology, 27, 31–70.
Ng, H. Y. F., Gaynor, J. D., Tan, C. S., & Drury, C. F. (1995). Dissipation and loss of atrazine and metolachlor in surface and subsurface drain water: A case study. Water Research, 29, 2309–2317.
Pailler, J.-Y., Guignard, C., Meyer, B., Iffly, J.-F., Pfister, L., Hoffmann, L., et al. (2009a). Behaviour and fluxes of dissolved antibiotics, analgesics and hormones during flood events in a small heterogeneous catchment in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Water, Air and Soil Pollution, 203, 79–98.
Pailler, J.-Y., Krein, A., Pfister, L., Hoffmann, L., & Guignard, C. (2009b). Solid phase extraction coupled to liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis of sulfonamides, tetracyclines, analgesics and hormones in surface water and wastewater in Luxembourg. Science of the Total Environment, 407, 4736–4743.
Poor, C. J., & McDonnell, J. J. (2007). The effects of land use on stream nitrate dynamics. Journal of Hydrology, 332, 54–68.
Renew, J. E., & Huang, C. H. (2004). Simultaneous determination of fluoroquinolone, sulfonamide, and trimethoprim antibiotics in wastewater using tandem solid phase extraction and liquid chromatography-electrospray mass spectrometry. Journal of Chromatography A, 1042, 113–121.
Roberts, P. H., & Thomas, K. V. (2006). The occurrence of selected pharmaceuticals in wastewater effluent and surface waters of the lower Tyne catchment. The Science of the Total Environment, 356, 143–153.
Robson, M., Spence, K., & Beech, L. (2006). Stream quality in small urbanised catchment. The Science of the Total Environment, 357, 194–207.
Scheurell, M., Franke, S., Shah, R. M., & Hühnerfuss, H. (2009). Occurrence of diclofenac and its metabolites in surface water and effluent samples from Karachi, Pakistan. Chemosphere, 77, 870–876.
Schriewer, A., Horn, H., & Helmreich, B. (2008). Time focused measurements of roof runoff quality. Corrosion Science, 50, 384–391.
Skark, C., Zullei-Seibert, N., Willme, U., Gatzemann, U., & Schlett, C. (2004). Contribution of non-agricultural pesticides to pesticide load in surface water. Pest Management Science, 60, 525–530.
Taebi, A., & Droste, R. L. (2004). Pollution loads in urban runoff and sanitary wastewater. The Science of the Total Environment, 327, 175–184.
Tiefenthaler, L. L., Stein, E. D., & Schiff, K. C. (2008). Watershed and land use-based sources of trace metals in urban storm water. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 27, 277–287.
Van Metre, P. C., & Mahler, B. J. (2003). The contribution of particles washed from rooftops to contaminant loading to urban streams. Chemosphere, 52, 1727–1741.
Verma, B., Headley, J. V., & Robarts, R. D. (2007). Behaviour and fate of tetracycline in river and wetland waters on the Canadian Northern Great Plains. Journal of Environmetal Science and Health Part A, 42, 109–117.
Vonbank, R., Hans Simmler, H., Boller Cargouët, M., Perdiz, D., Mouatassim-Souali, A., Tamisier-Karolak, S., et al. (2004). Assessment of river contamination by estrogenic compounds in Paris areas (France). The Science of the Total Environment, 324, 55–66.
White, M. D., & Greer, K. A. (2006). The effects of watershed urbanization on the stream hydrology and riparian vegetation of Los Pe nasquitos Creek, California. Landscape and Urban Planning, 74, 125–138.
Wittmer, I. K. , Bader, H.-P., Scheidegger, R., Singer, H., Lück, A., Hanke, I., et al. (2010). Significance of urban and agricultural land use for biocide and pesticide dynamics in surface waters. Water Research, 44, 2850–2862.
Zuccato, E., Castiglioni, S., & Fanelli, R. (2005). Identification of the pharmaceuticals for human use contaminating the Italian aquatic environment. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 122, 205–209.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Meyer, B., Pailler, JY., Guignard, C. et al. Concentrations of dissolved herbicides and pharmaceuticals in a small river in Luxembourg. Environ Monit Assess 180, 127–146 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-010-1777-9
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-010-1777-9