The Consortium for Research and Education on Emerging Contaminants (CREEC)
What are Emerging Contaminants?
Why Study Emerging Contaminants in the Rocky Mountain Region?
How Can You Participate in CREEC?
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What are Emerging Contaminants?
New analytical capabilities have allowed scientists
to identify chemicals in the environment in extremely small concentrations.
Emerging contaminants (ECs) are those chemicals that recently have been
shown to occur widely in water resources and identified
as being a potential environmental or public health risk, and yet adequate
data do not exist to determine their risk (Younos, 2005). ECs are used
every day in our homes, on our farms, or by businesses and industry and
include detergents, fragrances,
prescription and nonprescription drugs, disinfectants, and pesticides.
Some ECs have been shown to be common
in water resources around the world, across the Nation,
and in Colorado (Ternes, 1998; Kolpin et al., 2002; Sprague and Battaglin,
2005). The
occurrence of some emerging contaminants correlates with ecological effects
and sexual abnormalities in fish, although a cause-and-effect relation
has not been established.
Why Study Emerging Contaminants in the Rocky Mountain Region?
The increasing need to conserve and reuse water can
lead to increases in the number and concentration of many ECs and underscores
the need for more scientific assessment to better understand the sources
of ECs, the effectiveness of removal by wastewater- and drinking-water-treatment
processes, the transport and environmental
fate of these compounds, and their potential for physiological
effects on humans and wildlife. The Rocky Mountain region is an ideal
laboratory for studies of the source, fate, and effects of ECs. All of
the components for a risk assessment are here—an identified problem
(aquatic biological abnormalities), potential causes for the problem,
a gradient of exposure, and an established network of scientists, decision
makers, and key stakeholders willing
to address the problem.
Many streams originate high in the Rocky Mountains
and, in a relatively short distance, flow through pristine forests, high-use
recreational
areas, rapidly growing urban areas, and intensively farmed agricultural
lands. As these streams leave the mountains, the water is used by agriculture
and growing urban populations, and streamflow becomes dependent on
treated wastewater, non-point discharges, and return flows from agricultural
land. Due to the semiarid climate of the region, most streamflows are
relatively limited so that dilution of ECs is minimal. Pressure on
this
relatively
limited resource results in frequent reuse of water for urban, agricultural,
and drinking water.
Each reuse of water can result in additions of
manmade compounds, including ECs, to the resource. As a result, Rocky
Mountain
region streams provide a unique gradient of water-quality, land-use,
and demographic conditions where the source, fate, transport, and effects
of ECs can be easily observed.
In addition, a world-class network of scientists and stakeholders are in the Rocky Mountain region, including scientists at the local, State, and Federal level, with expertise in hydrology, biology, environmental geochemistry, analytical chemistry, wastewater- and drinking-water-treatment technology, and wildlife toxicology. Other regional stakeholders include regulators, policy makers, municipalities, and wastewater-treatment-plant owners and operators. These groups and individuals have indicated their willingness to learn more about EC-related issues. In fact, many of these scientists and stakeholders are at the forefront of EC research and education in the United States.
Why Form a Consortium?
The complexity of EC research will require a coordinated,
multi-disciplinary approach 
to provide the level of understanding needed
to make informed management decisions. Scientists and stakeholders
in the Rocky Mountain region have decided to be proactive in regard to
the issue of ECs in the region’s streams and groundwater. The consortium
provides a forum to share ideas, resources, and expertise and creates
a focal point for financial support and data interpretation that results
in more efficient and effective EC studies. The consortium also provides
a place to talk about study results and work together to communicate
those results to policy makers and the general public in a way that will
produce understanding without unwarranted alarm.
Consortium Mission Statement
To take advantage of the unique resources of the Rocky Mountain region to achieve the following objectives: facilitate scientifically sound studies regarding the occurrence, fate, transport, and effects of ECs; interpret and communicate the results of local and national studies on ECs for stakeholders and the general public; identify critical EC-related research needs; and provide solutions that are transferable worldwide.
Consortium Key Goals
- Advance the current state of knowledge of occurrence, fate, transport, and ecological relevance of ECs by facilitating cooperative, multi-institution, interdisciplinary research and monitoring projects.
- Foster interdisciplinary research and collaboration and effectively integrate the application of limited resources.
- Link consortium researchers with field sites, pilot facilities,
and laboratory
resources available at Federal, State, and academic
institutions and water, wastewater, and agricultural agencies. - Share information on current and proposed research among scientists, regulators, and regulated parties in an open and unbiased way.
- Coordinate and sponsor the acquisition of funding and infrastructure to conduct EC research at laboratory and field scales in watersheds that are representative of the region and the entire United States.
- Investigate options for removal of ECs from the environment by treatment or source control.
- Advance knowledge concerning the ability to reuse waters that contain ECs.
- Synthesize and communicate the results of current and future EC research to regulators, policy makers, treatment-plant operators, other scientists, and the public.
- Provide practical solutions to EC-related problems.
How Can You Participate in CREEC?
If you are interested in participating in CREEC meetings or activities, or if you just want to be informed of CREEC products, please contact us by email at creec@usgs.gov
References Cited
Kolpin, D.W., Furlong, E.T., Meyer, M.T., Thurman, E.M., Zaugg, S.D., Barber, L.B., and Buxton, H.T., 2002. Pharmaceuticals, hormones, and other organic wastewater contaminants in U.S. streams, 1999–2000—A national reconnaissance. Environmental Science & Technology 36(6): 1202–1211.
Sprague, L.A., and Battaglin, W.A., 2005. Wastewater chemicals in Colorado’s streams and ground water. U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2004–3127, 4 p.
Ternes, T.A., 1998. Occurrence of drugs in German sewage treatment plants and rivers. Water Resources Research 32(11): 1245–1260.
Younos, Tamim, 2005. Emerging threats to drinking water quality. Renewable Resources Journal 23(2): 6–12.