Toxic chemicals and other wastes pose a serious threat to the Nation's groundwater resources. Municipal and domestic wastewater, the most common waste, is discharged to aquifers nationwide through septic systems and community treatment plants. Wastewater-contaminated groundwater typically contains a broad range of toxic organic and inorganic chemicals. The restoration and protection of groundwater quality depend on knowledge of the physical, chemical, and microbiological processes that affect the movement and fate of these chemicals in aquifers. Hydrologists at the USGS Cape Cod Toxic Substances Hydrology Research Site at the Massachusetts Military Reservation are conducting field-oriented research to understand the interaction of these processes in the subsurface and the additional complexity caused by the natural variability of aquifer materials. This understanding is needed to develop practical methods to clean up and protect groundwater resources.

October 2009 – Antibiotics and Other Organic Wastewater Contaminants in Groundwater Can Travel Far from Sources
USGS scientists report that results of sampling from a treated-wastewater plume and field experiments indicate that antibiotics and other organic wastewater contaminants in groundwater can travel far from their sources. An antibiotic compound, sulfamethoxazole, was detected several kilometers from its source at the wastewater-disposal site. Tracer experiments in which several pharmaceuticals and personal-care products were injected into the aquifer demonstrated that the persistence of these compounds was dependent of the geochemical and microbiological conditions in the aquifer (Barber and others, 2009).

Water Resources Research - July 2007
Modeling the movement of a pH perturbation and its impact on adsorbed zinc and phosphate in a wastewater-contaminated aquifer
Abstract

Advances in Water Resources - June-July 2007
Role of chemotaxis in the transport of bacteria through saturated porous media
Abstract

Federation of European Microbiological Societies - May 2007
In situ hydrogen consumption kinetics as an indicator of subsurface microbial activity
Abstract

USGS Data Series - February 2007
Groundwater-Quality Data for a Treated-Wastewater Plume Undergoing Natural Restoration, Ashumet Valley, Cape Cod, Massachusetts 1994-2004
Abstract

Journal of Contaminant Hydrology - September 2006
Tracer test with As(V) under variable redox conditions controlling arsenic transport in the presence of elevated ferrous concentrations
Abstract

Water Resources Research - June 2006
Hydrogeophysical tracking of three-dimensional tracer migration--The concept and application of apparent petrophysical relations
Abstract

February 2009 – Prevalence of Tumors Is Elevated in Brown Bullhead from Several Lakes on Western Cape Cod
Scientists from the USGS, the USEPA, and the MA Division of Fisheries and Wildlife report that the prevalence of external tumors in brown bullhead from Ashumet Pond near the Massachusetts Military Reservation is significantly elevated relative to the prevalences in nearby ponds and uncontaminated sites in the Great Lakes basin. Brown bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus) are a species of catfish that are common in eastern lakes and rivers and often are used as indicators of environmental health. Although examination of the tumors and blood DNA suggests a chemical causation, further study would be needed to fully address potential causes (Baumann and others, 2008).

January 2009 – Cape Cod Toxics Work Presented at Joint USGS/USEPA Meeting in San Diego on Point-Source Groundwater Contamination
Scientists from the USGS Toxic Substances Hydrology Program and the USEPA Technical Support forums met in San Diego, CA, in January 2009 to discuss the latest technical knowledge and methods for characterizing and remediating point-source groundwater contamination. Cape Cod scientists presented an overview of current understanding and research directions on physical transport of contaminants in unconsolidated aquifers; and findings from research at the Cape Cod site on biogeochemical processes, the transport of metals and minor elements, the occurrence and fate of trace organic chemicals, and microbial transport in the subsurface. The meeting agenda and selected presentations are available online.

December 2008 – Long-Term Multidisciplinary Studies at Cape Cod Site Described at Technical Conference
The long-term, multidisciplinary studies of the fate and transport of contaminants in groundwater were the subject of an invited presentation at the 2008 Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union. The presentation and accompanying abstract described the field site, the research approach, and examples of findings to date.

October 2008 – Project Scientist Participates in Water Forum at The Discovery Museums
Denis LeBlanc, coordinator of the USGS Cape Cod Toxic Substances Hydrology project, participated with other water-resources and education professionals, in a Water Forum at The Discovery Museums in Acton, MA. The purpose of the forum was to explore ideas for exhibits and programs at the museum. The Discovery Museums – complementary childrens and science museums on the same campus – are internationally recognized for their interactive exhibits and inquiry-based, hands-on approach to science learning.

News Archive