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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Oxford, Mississippi » National Sedimentation Laboratory » Water Quality and Ecology Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #201084
Title: The Effectiveness of Vegetated Agricultural Drainage Ditches and Constructed Wetlands in Mitigating Insecticide Loadings Following Runoff and Spraydrift Events: A Review

Author
item BENNETT, ERIN - UNIV OF WINDSOR
item Moore, Matthew
item Cooper, Charles
item SCHULZ, RALF - UNIV OF KOBLENZ-LANDAU

Submitted to: Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC)
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/13/2006
Publication Date: 11/6/2006
Citation: Bennett, E.R., Moore, M.T., Cooper, C.M., Schulz, R. 2006. The Effectiveness of Vegetated Agricultural Drainage Ditches and Constructed Wetlands in Mitigating Insecticide Loadings Following Runoff and Spraydrift Events: A Review. Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Abstracts. Abstracts of the 27th Annual Meeting, Montreal, Canada. p. 10

Interpretive Summary: Abstract only. Interpretive summary not required.

Technical Abstract: Runoff and spray-drift are important sources of nonpoint-source pesticide pollution of surface waters. Owing to this, public concern over the presence of pesticides in surface and ground water has resulted in intensive scientific efforts to find environmentally sound solutions to the problem that are still economical. Implementation of best management practices (BMPs), such as vegetated drainage ditches and constructed wetlands, have been proposed to retain/reduce nonpoint-source pollution from entering receiving aquatic habitats. Over the past six years, multiple studies have been performed to test the effectiveness of these vegetated systems in reducing insecticide loadings, following both runoff and spraydrift events. These studies were done in Mississippi, USA and the Western Cape Province of South Africa. The major insecticides studied in this research included the synthetic pyrethroids bifenthrin, lambda-cyhalothrin and esfenvalerate; and the organophosphates methyl parathion, azinphos-methyl and diazinon. Results from both simulated and actual spraydrift and runoff events will be compared to illustrate both the effectiveness and the weaknesses of these vegetated systems as potential edge-of-field BMPs. Furthermore, results from mass balance calculations and in-situ bioassays will be presented to demonstrate the efficacy and importance of aquatic macrophytes in these tests systems.