Pesticides in canals of south Florida

Atrazine, ametryn, bromacil, simazine and norflurazon were the most frequently detected pesticides in surface water samples and DDE, DDD and ametryn were the most frequently detected pesticides in sediment samples collected over the period November 1991 to June 1995 in a monitoring network that includes 27 stations in south Florida canals. The 744 pesticide detections during this time period represent about 2% of the total number of analytical determinations. Many of the most frequently detected compounds were used in large amounts in the monitoring area based on pesticide usage estimates included in this study. Spatial trends in pesticide detections followed use patterns. The maximum atrazine detections occurred in winter to late spring and were associated with usage on turfgrass and agricultural products. Endosulfan residues above the Florida water quality criterion were occasionally observed in surface water in the Homestead area and most of the exceedences occurred in confined waters. Methods with lower MDLs have recently been developed and should increase the number of detections in future sampling. Pesticides which bind strongly to soil, pesticides that are highly persistent and those used in large amounts were some of the more frequently found pesticides in sediments.