Acidic herbicides in surface waters of Lower Fraser Valley, British Columbia, Canada

In the period 2003–2005 a study was conducted to determine the occurrence, spatial and temporal distribution of five acidic herbicides in the Lower Fraser Valley (LFV) region of British Columbia, Canada. A high-resolution gas chromatography/high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC/HRMS) method capable of detecting analytes at the sub ng/L level was developed for this study. Samples were collected and analyzed from two references, five agricultural, two urban and five agricultural and urban mixed sites. Only (4-chloro-2-methylphenoxy)acetic acid and triclopyr were detected at the reference sites. The highest concentration of herbicide detected at the reference sites was 0.109 ng/L for (4-chloro-2-methylphenoxy)acetic acid. Varying levels of all of the herbicides monitored were detected at the urban, agricultural and the mixed sites. For the urban sites the highest concentration of herbicide detected was 66.6 ng/L for 2-(4-chloro-2-methylphenoxy)propanoic acid. For the agricultural sites the highest concentration of herbicide detected was 345 ng/L for (2,4-dichlorophenoxy)acetic acid (2,4-D). For the mixed sites the highest concentration of herbicide detected was 1230 ng/L for 2,4-D. Overall the mixed sites showed highest concentrations and detection frequencies followed by the agricultural and urban sites. With few exceptions higher concentrations of herbicides were observed for samples collected during spring than for samples collected during fall. The detected concentrations of herbicides were evaluated against established water quality criteria. Herbicide data presented in this study provide reference levels for future pesticide monitoring programs in the region.