All 12 project field equipment blanks yielded arsenic concentrations below the MRL of 1 µg/L. These results indicate that field and laboratory methods were noncontaminating.
The coefficient of variation (CV) (standard deviation divided by mean, expressed in percent) for each of the six sets of project triplicate split samples ranged from 0.0 to 14 percent. The median CV was 6.0 percent.
Analytical accuracy of project data was quantified with data from 11 SRSs. Analytical accuracy ranged from 92 to 110 percent for nine of the SRSs, but was 82 and 120 percent for the other two SRSs. In other words, reported concentrations were in error by up to about ±20 percent.
Contamination-free sampling and analysis, and reasonable analytical precision and accuracy, indicate that project data were adequate for definition of patterns of regional arsenic occurrence. However, because analytical accuracy was observed to range up to about ±20 percent, definitive characterization of temporal variability at individual sites is compromised where temporal variability also is on the order of ±20 percent or less.
The quality of project data is well characterized, so comparison of project and historical arsenic concentrations yields a measure of the quality of the historical data. Evaluation of the analytical accuracy of historical data is particularly desirable. However, arsenic concentrations determined in original studies and determined again during this study may differ for a variety of reasons unrelated to differences in data quality. Notably, differences between historical arsenic concentrations and arsenic concentrations determined from sampling during this project may reflect changes in the source of water being sampled at different times. Changes in the source of water being sampled can arise for a number of reasons. Ground-water flowpaths in aquifers can change over seasonal or longer time scales. Also, water often flows into wells from more than one permeable zone, and the relative contributions from different zones can change as pumping stresses change. Thus, changes in type of well use (for example, change from domestic use to lawn-watering use) or differences in the history of well use prior to sampling can result in changes in the source of water being withdrawn from wells. Finally, changes in well construction or well characteristics (for example, well cave-in over time) can result in changes in source water for wells. (Note, however, that none of the 11 wells were known to have been deepened between the time of historical sampling and the time of project resampling.) In addition to changes in source water to wells, variability in arsenic concentrations can arise from differences in sample processing prior to analysis, or, especially in the case of unfiltered samples, differences in the amount of colloid- or sediment-bound arsenic. Therefore, an absence of strong correlation between historical and project arsenic concentrations is not necessarily cause for rejection of the historical data. Because differences between historical and project data can arise from a number of factors in addition to differences in data quality, the central purpose for which the resampling data were collected was to determine if the magnitudes of the historical data are adequate for definition of patterns of regional arsenic occurrence.
Data from the 11 sites with historical data that were resampled are presented in table 1. Differences between historical and project data are variable. For example, a difference of less than 10 percent was observed for well 19S/03W-31E1, whereas an order-of-magnitude difference was observed for well 22S/03W-17N. However, historical and project arsenic concentrations were in agreement when interpreted relative to exceedances of the USEPA current MCL. Sites at which historical arsenic concentrations exceeded the USEPA current MCL also yielded water exceeding the USEPA current MCL upon sampling during this project, and sites at which historical arsenic concentrations were less than the USEPA current MCL also yielded water below the USEPA current MCL upon sampling during this project. The historical data therefore indicate a similar pattern of spatial variability of arsenic concentrations as the project data.
Closer examination of these data indicates that data from the early 1960s generally correlate poorly with project data, whereas later data demonstrate reasonably good correlation. This pattern may reflect improvements in analytical techniques since the early 1960s.
Because two historical samples dating from the mid- to late-1960s (wells 12S/01W-29N1 and 18S/04W-14ACB) had both arsenic and chloride data, these sites were sampled for chloride as well as arsenic during project sampling (table 1). For well 12S/01W-29N1, both the arsenic and chloride concentrations were slightly lower upon project sampling: the arsenic concentration upon project sampling was 86 percent of the historical concentration, and the chloride concentration, 88 percent of the historical concentration. For well 18S/04W- 14ACB, both the arsenic and the chloride concentrations were considerably lower upon project sampling: the arsenic concentration upon project sampling was 60 percent of the historical concentration, and the chloride concentration, 33 percent of the historical concentration. Historical chloride concentrations would be expected to be reliable, and would have been negligibly affected by sample processing or the presence of colloids and sediment. Thus, the changes in chloride concentrations suggest that changes in the source of water being pumped by these two wells have occurred over time. If historical chloride concentrations had been similar to project chloride concentrations, then the historical arsenic analyses might be suspect. However, differences in chloride concentrations between historical and project sampling suggest that differences in arsenic concentrations between historical and project sampling were a result, at least in part, of changes in the source of water being pumped by these wells.
Comparison of historical
arsenic concentrations and arsenic concentrations determined upon project
sampling indicate that historical arsenic concentrations will not necessarily
reflect current arsenic concentrations. Use of historical data in process-oriented
geochemical studies could be problematic. However, the comparison does
suggest that the historical data are adequate for definition of patterns
of regional arsenic occurrence.
| 160 | |||||
| 500a | 300b | ||||
| 70c | 60d | ||||
a Chloride concentration 43 milligrams per liter.
b Chloride
concentration 14 milligrams per liter.
c Chloride
concentration 26 milligrams per liter.
d Chloride
concentration 23 milligrams per liter.
Hydrologists employ a variety of sample processing and analytical methods in geochemical and water-quality studies. Samples may be collected as unfiltered or as filtered samples. Filtering may be done using any of a variety of pore sizes, but 0.10-µm and 0.45-µm pore sizes are most commonly used. Analysis of arsenic usually is done using either hydride atomic absorption (commonly used by the USGS) or by graphite furnace atomic absorption (commonly used by the USEPA).
When combining data collected
by a number of investigators using a variety of sample processing and analytical
methods, questions about the comparability of data arise. Furthermore,
comparison of analyses performed using non-USEPA analytical methods against
USEPA water-quality criteria raises questions about comparability of analytical
techniques. Information on comparability of different sample processing
and analytical methods is given in this section. Data from split samples
that were (1) filtered through 0.10-µm nominal-pore-size filters
and analyzed by hydride atomic absorption, (2) filtered through 0.45-µm
nominal-pore-size filters and analyzed by hydride atomic absorption, (3)
analyzed as unfiltered samples using hydride atomic absorption, and (4)
analyzed as unfiltered samples using graphite furnace atomic absorption
are shown in table 2 and on figure 3.
|
Filtered, 0.10-micrometer filter |
Filtered, 0.45-micrometer filter |
Unfiltered (USEPA method) |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01N/03W-04CCC | 54 | 57 | ||
Figure 3. Comparison of arsenic concentrations determined by various processing and analytical methods.
Differences in reported arsenic concentrations between unfiltered and filtered samples generally were small. However, one set of samples (from well 21S/03E-08CBD2) demonstrated that concentrations of arsenic in unfiltered samples can be considerably greater (factor of three) than those in filtered samples. Differences between unfiltered and filtered samples may result from differences in the amount of colloid- or sediment-associated arsenic in the samples. Concentrations in both the unfiltered and the filtered samples from this site were greater than the USEPA current MCL, so interpretation was not affected significantly. However, interpretation of data from other sites could conceivably be affected by such differences between unfiltered and filtered samples and investigators will need to bear such potential differences in mind. Overall, however, combining filtered and unfiltered samples appears to be acceptable for definition of patterns of regional arsenic occurrence.
Differences in reported arsenic concentrations between the two analytical methods were small. Arsenic concentrations reported for samples analyzed by the USEPA method were slightly higher than those analyzed by the USGS method. These differences could be a result of differences in analytical methods. The longer digestion associated with the USEPA method could result in differences in reported arsenic concentrations. Different reagents used in sample digestion in the two methods also could result in differences in reported arsenic concentrations. However, the observed differences also could simply represent analytical variability.
U.S. Geological Survey