Environmental and Spatial Variables Influencing Contaminants of Emerging Concern in Watersheds Across Central NY

ABSTRACT

Monitoring studies have identified the occurrence of hundreds of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) throughout water, sediments, and biota. Despite their ubiquitous presence, relatively few studies explore how environment and land use affect CEC occurrence. In this work, we performed temporal sampling across proximal watersheds, which provided a unique opportunity to study influences on regional CEC presence and to identify overarching patterns in CEC behaviour. We collected grab samples in twenty mixed‐use watersheds around central New York throughout 2018 and 2019 across diverse hydrologic and environmental conditions. Samples were analysed using liquid chromatography‐high resolution mass spectrometry and quantified with reference standards producing CEC concentrations. A total of 79 CECs were identified; their concentrations were analysed using correlation analysis and Ordinary Least Square (OLS) modelling to assess relationships between their concentrations, land use, and environmental factors. Our results show that in addition to varying water quality levels among different sites, CEC behaviour is highly variable among compounds. In addition, we show that urban and agricultural land cover can be highly useful in predicting the number and concentration of detected compounds. These findings can be used to support data‐driven CEC models as well as inform future mitigation and monitoring strategies.