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Title

Atmospheric Deposition of PCBs in the Spokane River Watershed

 
Publication number Date Published
19-03-003March 2019
VIEW NOW Atmospheric Deposition of PCBs in the Spokane River Watershed (Number of pages: 84) (Publication Size: 5116KB)


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Note: Appendix B, Table B-1

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Author(s) Era-Miller, Brandee; Wong, Siana; Ghidey, Tesfamichael
Description In 2016 and 2017 Ecology’s Environmental Assessment Program investigated atmospheric deposition of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the Spokane area. Quarterly seasonal bulk (wet + dry) deposition samples were obtained via passive samplers at three existing air quality monitoring sites. Each location represented a different land use type: (1) regional background, (2) urban-residential, and (3) urban-commercial.

Total PCB flux results (ng/m2 – day) were comparable to monitoring results from areas with similar land uses near Seattle, Washington. Congener patterns were unique to each monitoring site, with the urban sites containing more of the higher-chlorinated congeners compared to the regional background.

Several air samples were collected with a polyurethane foam (PUF) and filter method during a week-long period of regional wildfires. All results showed similar congener patterns, suggesting that they came predominately from the same source.

PCB flux to the Spokane area from the Spokane Waste to Energy facility was modeled using the AERMOD modeling system and on-site PCB emission data, meteorology, land surface, and building information. The model simulation estimated that the facility accounted for about 2% of the measured PCB bulk deposition at the study sites.
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Keywords atmospheric deposition, Spokane River, PCBs
WATERSHED Water Resource Inventory Areas
(WRIA 56,WRIA 57)
DATA Environmental Information Management (EIM) #BERA0013

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