Daily News Archive
From March 2, 2001

USDA Posed to Begin Monitoring Drinking Water for Pesticides

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Pesticide Data Program (PDP) will begin a water monitoring survey in March 2001, designed to produce statistically reliable human consumption data on pesticides in drinking water. To date, PDP activities have focused on producing pesticide residue data in food commodities. This pilot survey will introduce drinking water analyses to the program.

This data is necessary to satisfy the requirements of the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA). The FQPA requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to perform aggregate risk assessments that are used to make regulatory decisions about pesticides. In the opinion of many in the environmental community such a program is well overdue.
PDP will conduct the initial water survey in community water systems in California and New York. The United States Geological Survey has been working collaboratively with PDP and will be conducting sample collection for the survey. The New York and California PDP laboratories will perform sample analyses.

Additional information regarding PDP can be obtained by contacting Martha Lamont, Pesticide Data Branch, Science and Technology, Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA, 8700 Centreville Road, Suite 200, Manassas, VA 20110; phone (703) 330-2300, fax (703) 369-0678.