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Margaret Wille tr oF,, Phone No. Hilo: (808)961-8027
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Fax No.: (808) 887-2072
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HAWAII COUNTY COUNCIL
County of Hawai`i
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25:l upuni Street 64-1067,tIarnalahoa Highway,Suite C-5 74-5044 Any KeohcTalole I .
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TO: J Yoshimoto, Chair
and Members of the Hawai`i County Cou'cil
FROM: Margaret Wille, Council Member
DATE: May 29, 2013
SUBJECT: Additional Information Regarding Widely Used Herbicide Commonly Found in
Rain and Streams in the Mississippi River Basin
Please find attached a copy of an announcement by the U.S. Geological Survey regarding the
above.
Attachment
Comm. No. �,,____71, T 9
Ref.To: P i C
Serving the Interests of the People of Our Island Ref. Date MAY 2 9 2013
Hawai`i County Is An Equal Opportunity Provider And Employer
USGS Release: Widely Used Herbicide Commonly Found in Rain and Streams in the Mis... Page 1 of 2
lirP
science for a changing world
U.S. Geological Survey
Technical Announcement:
Widely Used Herbicide Commonly Found in Rain and Streams in the Mississippi
River Basin
Released: 8/29/2011 8:19:35 AM
Contact Information: Paul Capel
U.S.Department of the Interior,U.S. Geological Survey Phone: (612)625-3082
Office of Communications and Publishing
12201 Sunrise Valley Dr,MS 119 Kara Capelli
Reston, VA 20192 Phone: (571)420-9408
840 Glyphosate,also known by its tradename Roundup, is commonly found in rain and rivers in agricultural
areas in the Mississippi River watershed,according to two new USGS studies released this month.
Like Glyphosate is used in almost all agricultural and urban areas of the United States. The greatest glyphosate
use is in the Mississippi River basin,where most applications are for weed control on genetically-
modified modified corn,soybeans and cotton. Overall,agricultural use of glyphosate has increased from less than
11,000 tons in 1992 to more than 88,000 tons in 2007.
Tr+weet "Though glyphosate is the mostly widely used herbicide in the world,we know very little about its long
term effects to the environment,"says Paul Capel,USGS chemist and an author on this study. "This study
13 is one of the first to document the consistent occurrence of this chemical in streams,rain and air
throughout the growing season. This is crucial information for understanding where management efforts
for this chemical would best be focused."
In these studies,Glyphosate was frequently detected in surface waters,rain and air in areas where it is
(#) heavily used in the basin. The consistent occurrence of glyphosate in streams and air indicates its
0 01 transport from its point of use into the broader environment.
Additionally,glyphosate persists in streams throughout the growing season in Iowa and Mississippi,but
is generally not observed during other times of the year. The degradation product of glyphosate,
aminomethylphosphonic acid(AMPA),which has a longer environmental lifetime,was also frequently
detected in streams and rain.
Detailed results of this glyphosate research are available in "Occurrence and fate of the herbicide
glyphosate and its degradate aminomethylphosphonic acid in the atmosphere,"published in volume 30 of
Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry and in"Fate and transport of glyphosate and
aminomethylphosphonic acid in surface waters of agricultural basins,"published online in Pest
Management Science. Copies of the reports are available from the journals or from Paul Capel
(capel @usgs.gov(maato:capelausgs.gov)).
Research on the transport of glyphosate was conducted as part of the USGS National Water-Quality
Assessment(NAWQA)program. The NAWQA program provides an understanding of water-quality
conditions,whether conditions are getting better or worse over time,and how natural features and human
activities affect those conditions.Additional information on the NAWQA program can be found online
(http://water.usgs.gov/nawga/1.(http://water.usgs.gov/nawga/)
http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=2909 5/27/2013
USGS Release: Widely Used Herbicide Commonly Found in Rain and Streams in the Mis... Page 2 of 2
USGS provides science for a changing world. Visit USGS.gov(http://usas.aov),and follow us on Twitter( USGS
(http://twitter.com/usgs)and our other social media channels(http://usas.aov/socialmedia).
Subscribe to our news releases via e-mail(http://usgs.aov/newsroom/Iist server.aspl,RSS(http://f eeds.feedbumer.com/UsgsNewsroom)or
Twitter(http://twitter.com/USGS).
Links and contacts within this release are valid at the time of publication.
###
U.S. Department of the Interior I U.S. Geological Survey
URL: http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=2909
Page Contact Information: Ask USGS
Page Last Modified: 8/29/2011 8:19:35 AM
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http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=2909 5/27/2013