| Abstract: | ABSTRACT: Studies were conducted to analyze the presence of 11 selected pesticides in 12 surface water supply intakes in the Piedmont and coastal plain regions of North Carolina. Samples were assayed using enzyme linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). Samples with pesticide detection of 1 μg/L or greater were extracted and confirmed using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Detection limits of the immunosorbent assays for pesticide residues were generally an order of magnitude higher than GC/MS. Atrazine was detected in approximately 45 percent of the samples, and on two occasions was at or above the lifetime Maximum Contaminant Level of 3.0 μg/L set by the Environmental Protection Agency for an annual average in finished drinking water. Metolachlor was detected in 58 percent of the samples. Of the remaining nine pesticides, including carbaryl, aldicarb, 2,4‐D, chiorpyrifos, acetochlor, methomyl, carbofuran, alachlor, and chlorothalonil, only aldicarb, 2,4‐D, and chlorpyrifos were detected in less than 9 percent of the samples for each pesticide. |
