Influence of Historic Land Use and Era of Development Effects on PCB Contamination of Soils and Stormwater Sediments in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a group of chlorinated compounds, which are classified as. Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) have been developed in many cases. Local soils and roadway sediments may be mobilized in stormwater and contain attached PCBs. In this study, samples were collected from different sites in Maryland, with different land uses and eras of development. Concentrations of 209 PCB congeners were determined in the samples and compared to other soil parameters. Non-legacy PCB 11 has been a frequently detected congener in stormwater and has been found in yellow road paints. It is expected that industrial land uses and pre-1979 developments will have the highest PCB contaminated soil samples, relative to residential land uses and post 2005 developments. Information on PCB concentrations in sediments from different land uses can be used as an estimation of PCB load removal in various stormwater controls. Stormwater control measures can be targeted to land uses with the highest sediment PCB concentrations.