Subject: PANUPS: California Ground Water

From: Pesticide Action Network North America Reg Ctr <[email-masked]>
Date: 09 Apr 93 10:41 PDT

/* Written 10:24 am  Apr  9, 1993 by [email-masked] in igc:test */
/* ---------- "PANUPS: Californial Ground Water" ---------- */
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  PESTICIDE ACTION NETWORK NORTH AMERICA UPDATES SERVICE
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CALIFORNIA GROUNDWATER REPORT RELEASED

April 9, 1993

	In March, the California Department of Pesticide 
Regulation (DPR) released its seventh annual report on the 
results of groundwater testing for pesticides. The report 
summarizes testing conducted by 35 government agencies and 
three private firms from 1971 through 1992, and includes 
cumulative totals of test results reported to DPR since 
1983. 
	The results are based on 260,693 reported analyses 
taken from 17,713 different wells. Of these, 12,459 tests 
were positive; 4,615 were confirmed by subsequent analyses 
(confirmation was not always possible).
	Testing was done for 273 pesticides and related 
breakdown products and metabolites. Sixty-eight pesticides 
were reported detected, and 35 were confirmed by subsequent 
analyses.Twelve of these 35 were determined to 
be in groundwater as a result of routine agricultural use. 
They were aldicarb sulfone and aldicarb sulfoxide (breakdown 
products of aldicarb), atrazine, bentazon, bromacil, 1,2-D, 
DBCP, diuron, EDB, prometon, simazine, and TPA (a breakdown 
product of chlorthal dimethyl). Of these DBCP, 1,2-D and EDB 
are no longer registered. Simazine was detected most frequently, 
followed by diuron, atrazine, bromacil, and bentazon.
	DPR is required to investigate all reported detections 
of pesticides registered for agricultural or outdoor use. 
Use of pesticides found in groundwater as a result of 
agricultural use is either prohibited or restricted in areas 
where the contamination occurred.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Single copies of the "1992 Well 
Inventory Report" are available free of charge from the
Environmental Monitoring and Pest Management Branch, 
Department of Pesticide Regulation, 1220 N Street, 
Sacramento, CA 95814, USA.

SOURCE: Cal/EPA Report, March 1993.
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The Pesticide Action Network North America Updates 
Service (PANUPS) is a pesticide-related news service 
from the Pesticide Action Network (PAN) North American 
Regional Center.  PANUPS is posted weekly on EcoNet, the 
APC computer network, RTK NET, GeoNet/GEO2, the ECONET 
echo on FidoNet, the Sustainable Agriculture Network 
(SANET) on BitNet, and on PENpages. It is available free 
by electronic distribution.  Hard-copy compliations are 
also available. For info: PAN NA RC, 965 Mission Street 
#514, San Francisco, CA 94103. Tel: (415) 541-9140. Fax: 
(415) 541-9253. Telex: 156283472 PANNA. E-mail address 
on EcoNet: [email-masked]
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