Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
6355993 | Marine Pollution Bulletin | 2016 | 4 Pages |
Abstract
Sites throughout Boston Harbor were analyzed for caffeine to assess its utility as a tracer in identifying sources of sanitary wastewater. Caffeine ranged from 15Â ng/L in the outer harbor to a high of 185Â ng/L in the inner harbor. Inner harbor concentrations were a result of combined sewage overflow (CSO) events as well as illicit discharge of sanitary sewage into municipal storm drains. Comparing current results to data from 1998 to 1999 shows reductions in caffeine levels. Reductions are attributed to termination of effluent discharge to the harbor, declines in the number of CSOs and discharge volume along with efforts to eliminate illicit discharges. Spatial distributions of caffeine identified CSOs as major contemporary sources to the inner harbor. The findings further establish the utility of caffeine as a tracer for sanitary wastewater contamination in urban estuaries and demonstrate the efficacy of pollution reduction strategies undertaken in recent decades in Boston Harbor.
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Physical Sciences and Engineering
Earth and Planetary Sciences
Oceanography
Authors
Mark G. Cantwell, David R. Katz, Julia C. Sullivan, Todd Borci, Robert F. Chen,