A new geospatial screening approach was developed to identify vernal pool aquatic habitats with possible exposure to pesticides by spray drift or field runoff. To evaluate potential field runoff exposure, watersheds for over 5,000 vernal pools in California were delineated using the 10-meter resolution National Elevation Dataset. Pond watersheds overlapping pesticide use sites defined by the Cropland Data Layer (CDL) were determined to have potential for pesticide exposure from field runoff. For potential spray drift exposure, pond integrated drift fractions were computed based on an aerial-spray drift-distance curve from the AgDrift model and the distance to the nearest use site for each pond. Use site distances were calculated from composite use site footprints combining CDL, California Pesticide Use Reporting program, National Land Cover Database, and Farmland Mapping and Monitoring Program data. The population of ponds found to have potential for pesticide exposure by the screening approach were included in further exposure modeling analysis using the PRZM and EXAMS models.

Screening vernal ponds for potential exposure to pesticides via runoff and spray drift

248th National Meeting (2014)

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