Animal Feedlots and Domestic Wastewater Discharges are Likely Sources of N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) Precursors in Midwestern Watersheds

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Abstract

N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) precursor concentrations along four major rivers in Minnesota, USA were quantified and correlated with watershed land cover types, anthropogenic activity, and organic matter characteristics. River water samples (36 in total) were chloraminated under uniform formation conditions (UFC) before and after lime-softening treatment, and the resulting NDMA concentrations were quantified (NDMAUFC). Regarding land cover, NDMAUFC in raw river water exhibited weak positive correlations with urban land (ρ = 0.33, p = 0.05) and cropland coverage (ρ = 0.35, p = 0.04). For anthropogenic activity, NDMAUFC in raw river water positively correlated with the number of feedlots (ρ = 0.57), total weight of animals (ρ = 0.68), and total number of domestic wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs; ρ = 0.63) with p < 0.01. NDMAUFC positively correlated with region IV fluorescence intensity from fluorescence excitation-emission spectra (ρ = 0.70, p < 0.01). Lime softening of river water typically increased NDMAUFC and preferentially removed organic matter that fluoresces in region V, suggesting that the organic matter in this region decreases NDMAUFC by competing for available chloramines. Overall, animal feedlots, along with domestic WWTPs, are predominant sources of NDMA precursors in the studied watersheds, while croplands and urban runoff are of lesser importance.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)2973-2983
Number of pages11
JournalEnvironmental Science and Technology
Volume58
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 13 2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 American Chemical Society.

Keywords

  • chloramination
  • disinfection byproducts
  • fluorescence excitation/emission matrices
  • land use
  • lime softening
  • natural organic matter (NOM)

PubMed: MeSH publication types

  • Journal Article

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