Pesticides and Groundwater Quality Issues and Problems in Four States (1986) / Chapter Skim
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2 New York
2 New York
Pages 31-57
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From page 31... ...
The institutions represented by those individuals visited include the Suffolk County Department of Health Services, which has been most directly involved in sampling and testing water from wells in areas suspected of being contaminated with toxic organic chemicals; the Suffolk County Cooperative Extension Office, which works on a daily basis with growers and makes management recommendations; and Cornell University.
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From page 32... ...
Efforts to control potato pests, especially the Colorado potato beetle and the golden nematode, have been the source of the most Vapor ten t pesticide contaminants of Suffolk County groundwater. The golden nematode, which was apparently introduced into New York State on infested seed potatoes in the late 1940s, has been the subject of quarantine and eradication programs.
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From page 33... ...
Essentially no pesticides are applied through irrigation water. WE STATUS OF EFEORTS TO MONITOR GROUNOWATE:R FOR RESIDUES OF AG=COLTURAL PESTICIDES Past Monitoring Efforts In 1976 the Cooperative Extension Service of Suffolk County had recommended sampling groundwater for carbonate pesticides after it had examined the results of a water pollution study assessing the use and impact of pesticides in Suffolk County.
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From page 34... ...
Vapor Pressure Hydrolysis Balf-life Aldicarb and A sulfoxide Aldicarb sulfone Aldicarb Aldicarb sulfoxide Aldicarb sulfone Aldicarb sulfoxide: clay with 1.48 organic Latter Silt loam with 1.4% organic matter Aldicarb Aldicarb sul£oxide Aldicarb (hydrolysis of total residues: Aldicarb + sulfoxide + sulfone)
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From page 35... ...
Rates were initially 3 lbs ai/A at planting (nationally labeled use rate) , but the rates in New York were raised at the request of state scientists to ~ lbs for positive golden nematode control, then to ~ lies at planting and 2 lbs side-dressed for seasonal Colorado potato beetle control.
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From page 36... ...
In response to the sampling program findings, an offer was made by Union Carbide to provide a granular activated
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From page 37... ...
37 s ~a ~: 3 o E~ :~ ~: o y o :' cn : ~n 3 ~n Q 1 ~3 m U)
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From page 39... ...
To date, approximately 2,000 GAC units, each typically containing 29 lies of granulated carbon, have been installed in Suffolk County at a cost to Union Carbide of approximately $450 each. Additionally, Union Carbide recharges the SAC unit with fresh activated carbon every 9 to 15 months, at a cost of approximately S60-S70 per unit.
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From page 40... ...
Factors contributing to qroundwater contamination by aldicarb in Suffolk County. me primary factors that contributed to the presence of aldicarb in Suffolk County's groundwater include the pervasive and high rates of use of aldicarb, its high water Volubility, heavy spring rainfalls following application, very permeable soils typical of glacial outwash deposits, cold soil temperature, acid soil conditions, low organic matter content, shallow water table conditions, and the presence of many shallow wells immediately downgradient of treated fields.
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From page 41... ...
The abrupt withdrawal of the pesticide from the market created problems for potato farmers who were hard-pressed to find an effective substitute to control the Colorado potato beetle. In response to this situation, an interagency steering committee, working with farm representatives and Union Carbide, agreed to the urgent need for an Experimental Use Permit (EUP)
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From page 42... ...
A 1982 report published by the SCDES entitled Report on the Occurrence and Movement cuff Agricultural . , Chemicals in Groundwater: North Fork of Suffolk County concluded that · Aldicarb contamination is currently 1 imited to the upper 30-40 feet of the Magothy aquifer except in the central recharge portion of the North Fork, where it has been detected 100 feet below the water table.
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From page 43... ...
Later, FMC also agreed to pay for the installation of GAC treatment units for domestic wells with water containing carbofuran in excess of the New York State guideline of 15 ppb. Since only about 250 wells exceeded the water quality guideline For carDofuran, the financial liability to FMC for installing the GAC units was not as severe as that experienced by Union Carbide.
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From page 47... ...
During the 1984 growing season, the USDA recommended the use of resistant varieties of potatoes if golden nematode cysts were found in fields. Some 1,000 domestic and irrigation wells have been sampled for 1,2-D with concentrations of 30-300 ppb detected in approximately 50 percent of the samples.
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From page 48... ...
(Owing to budget constraints, a precise determination of the groundwater flow direction in the proximity of the sampled wells was not possible in this study and, consequently, flow direction was estimated.) The analytic work was performed by a Union Carbide laboratory.
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From page 49... ...
Current Monitoring Efforts Virtually all current monitoring of groundwater for pesticides in New York is being conducted in Suffolk County, where 35-45 percent of approximately 20, 000 samples collected annually are analyzed for organic constituents including pesticides. The carbonate pesticide scan mentioned earlier is used to analyze approximately 5,000 samples per year.
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From page 50... ...
But because of the highly vulnerable hydrologic environment in Suffolk County and the high water Volubility of most nematocides, few nematocides can be used there without threatening groundwater. In recognition of this problem, the USDA decided in 1984 against chemical treatment for the golden nematode and recommended the use of resistant varieties of potatoes in areas where golden nematode cysts are discovered.
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From page 51... ...
Justifying the need for this research, the researchers assert that most environmental fate research is retrospective, after the chemical is released to the system. But with properly constructed and validated models it may ultimately be possible to consider pesticide usage on a prospective basis, thus managing chemical applications to prevent unacceptable groundwater contamination.
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From page 52... ...
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has not initiated significant programs to characterize the groundwater quality in agricultural areas. Reasons for the relative scarcity of samplings outside of Suffolk County include less susceptible environmental conditions; less concentrated agriculture; and a lack of historical pesticide use data.
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From page 53... ...
In Suffolk County's sensitive hydrologic environment -- that is, highly permeable soils combined with low soil organic matter content, a shallow water table, and substantial precipitation -- improved irrigation efficiency would only modestly reduce pesticide leaching.
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From page 54... ...
Based on the observed data and a knowledge of Colorado potato beetle population dynamics, the LIBRL staff estimated that approximately two to four insecticide sprays could be eliminated using a crop rotation that included planting a crop other than potatoes in 1 year.
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From page 55... ...
This form of control severely limits the rotation options available, however, because many crops of economic interest cannot flourish in highly acidic soils. Thus, agricultural practices developed to control the potato scab on Long Island have fostered the monocultural practices that contribute to the problems caused by the Colorado potato beetle and the golden and root lesion nematodes.
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From page 56... ...
Examples of models currently available to predict pesticide persistence and movement in the soil/water environment include the Pesticide Analytical Solution (PESTANS ) I, PESTANS II, and the Pesticide Root Zone Model (PROM)
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From page 57... ...
Nevertheless, researchers believe simulation models will become important regulatory and management tools in the future. Because of the extreme complexity of agroecosystems, it seems inevitable that simulation models will be required to integrate the various processes that determine a pesticide's ultimate environmental fate.
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