The USGS has produced a body of work assessing pesticides and their degradates in the continental U.S., and the Midwest in particular. Results will be presented from multiple interpretive analyses that have taken place since 2013, including results from annual, national-scale sampling of 74 surface water sites (known as the USGS National Water Quality Network), and 1,204 groundwater wells that produce water for public supply. Additionally, the results of sampling 100 surface water sites in the Midwest through the Midwest Stream Quality Assessment, and compilations of other regional networks will be presented. In these analyses, pesticide use, occurrence, distribution, and toxicity to human health and aquatic life were assessed in both surface water and groundwater for up to 229 pesticides and degradates, including widely detected herbicides (e.g., triazines) and insecticides that contribute to increased toxicity (e.g., organophosphates, neonicotinoids). The USGS use of a broad-spectrum analytical technique, beginning in 2013 and continuing with current (2022) sampling, allowed for a more comprehensive assessment of pesticide mixtures and mixture toxicity than was previously possible. The pesticide assessments discussed will provide a wide-scale understanding of the current state of individual pesticides and pesticide mixtures in the continental U.S., and the Midwest specifically. The potential risk that pesticides present to human health and aquatic life is a priority water availability issue and regular, continued monitoring and assessment is required to quantify this risk.

Synthesis of USGS pesticide occurrence, distribution, and toxicity assessments in surface water and groundwater of the U.S., with an emphasis on the Midwest

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