“I’m Mr. Bad Guy… I’m Mr. Mercury”

Petra Lee – Sr. ES SpecialistDivision of Environmental ServicesWest SacramentoPetra.Lee@water.ca.gov

Mercury and Methylmercury Imports and Exports of a Tidal Wetland

•Brief and Possibly Repetitive Background

•Study Area and BRIEF Methods

•QUICK Partial Data Summary

We Will Rock You….

Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?

InorganicMercury Methyl

mercury

Methylmercury is a potent neurotoxin

Prospect Island Dutch SloughBlacklock

Tidal restorations may create and export methylmercury

Please. Tell me more about your study area!!!

Cache Cree k Settl ing Basin

Yolo VVi ld life .Area Tidal Wetland

Liberty Island

Fre mont Weir

I ,..... -

- " ~·--· ,· ;

---L

--- - -t ( ,. ( \ • I

) ''·· .....

----

I '··., .~""""

~ ... --,----) .. / ... L

/ J • !

Sooooooo low

“Little High”

“Little Low”

Ebb and flood and source and sink and import and export stuff

Export & Source

Import & Sink

Wetland

A W<~ttr Qu..Jity Sa~ don

MethodsAka A Cra zy L i tt le Thing Ca l led Loa d

FLOW X CONCENTRATION = LOADCubic feet per second (CFS) ng/L grams per tide

MethodsAka A Cra zy L i tt le Thing Ca l led Loa d

FLOW X CONCENTRATION = LOAD

0.20

0.10

-Q) 0.00 "'C +-J ~ Q) c.. -0.10 V')

E ro bo -0.20 -

"'C ro _g -0.30

-0.40

-0.50

Particulate and Filtered Total Mercury Loads

Source

Sink

• Particulate THg

• Filtered THg

Q)

u > u ro

"'0 ~ lo-

100000

80000

60000

40000

Q) 20000

a. V')

E ro lo-

b.O 0

0

~ :X~

~'li -20000

-40000

-60000

Estimated Monthly Total Suspended Solid Loads

Source

Sink

Spearman’s rho = 0.855P=0.002

Particulate and Filtered Methylmercury Loads 0.002

Source 0.000 -

- -0.002 Q) -c ·-~ ~ -0.004 Q) a. V')

E -o.ooG ro ~

tlO -V') -0.008 -c ro 0

....J -0.010

-0.012

-0.014

Sink

• Particulate MeHg

• Filtered MeHg

Particulate and Filtered Methylmercury Loads 0.002

Source 0.000 -

- -0.002 Q) -c ·-~ ~ -0.004 Q) a. V')

E -o.ooG ro ~

tlO -V') -0.008 -c ro 0

....J -0.010

-0.012

-0.014

Sink

Particulate MeHg

• Filtered MeHg

20

18

16

14

12 ....J

~10 c

8

6

4

2

0

Average Particulate and Filtered Total Mercury Concentrations

• Particulate THg ------

• Filtered THg ~-----

May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May 2014 2014 2014 2014 2014 2014 2014 2014 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015

0.50

0.45

0.40

0.35

0.30 .....J .......... b.O 0.25 c

0.20

0.15

0.10

0.05

0.00

Average Particulate and Filtered Methylmercury Concentrations

• Particulate MeHg

Filtered MeHg

May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May 2014 2014 2014 2014 2014 2014 2014 2014 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015

0.50

0.45

0.40

0.35

0.30 .....J .......... b.O 0.25 c

0.20

0.15

0.10

0.05

0.00

Average Particulate and Filtered Methylmercury Concentrations

• Particulate MeHg

Filtered MeHg

May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May 2014 2014 2014 2014 2014 2014 2014 2014 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015

Conclusion-ish

• Mostly a sink of methylmercury definitely an overall sink of water

• Sometimes a sink of THg, seasonally• Particulate THg is dominant fraction

• We need to know mooooooore about mercury

“…don’t stop me now ‘cause I’m having a good time…”

QUESTIONS andTHANKS!

• Many thanks to the Mercury group, Julianna Manning, Dave Bosworth, and Carol DiGiorgio

• Thanks to Otome Lindsey, Janis Cooke, Sonia Miller, Elaine Jeu• More thanks to Bryte Lab and Allan Wong, Sid Fong, Marilyn Toomey, Gary

Munoz, and Kelley Pepper• Thanks for equipment from Zoltan Matica• Thanks for question answering from Carl Mitchell• Thanks to our patron saint, Freddie Mercury and all the good folks who helped

me with Queen quotes

More Questions? Contact Petra LeePetra.Lee@water.ca.gov916-376-9735

~ qj

~ d-(j)

P blo So un y

• * ,

# #

•

ADCP Flow Meter

Water Quality Sonde

Telemetry Equipment

Sonde Telemetry Cable

A DC P Telemetry Cable

";' :s! .t:, "'

2.00

1.00

0.00

-1.00

-2.00

~ -3.00 -O.l1 ... ~ "'C Ill

..9 -4.00

-5 .00

-6.00

-7.00

-8.00

Jun-15 Jul-15 Aug-15 Sep-15

Blacklock THg Loads

-o.11

-1.17

Oct-15 Nov-15 Dec-15 Jan-16 Feb-16 Mar-16 Apr-16 May-16 Jun-16

• Particulate THg • Dissolved THg

0.040

0.020

0.000

i -0.020 ~ "' E ~ ~ ., ~ -0.040

-0.060

-0.080

-0. 100

Blacklock MeHg Loads

0.005 0.004

-0.017

------------------------------~.022----------------------------------------------------------

Jun-15 Jul-15 Aug-15 Sep-15 Oct-15 Nov-15 Dec-15 Jan-16 Feb-16 Mar-16 Apr-16 May-16 Jun-16

• Particulate MeHg Dissolved MeHg

Q)

u > u ro

"'0 ~ lo-

100000

80000

60000

40000

Q) 20000

a. V')

E ro lo-

b.O 0

0

~ :X~

~'li -20000

-40000

-60000

Estimated Monthly Total Suspended Solid Loads

Source

Sink

Spearman’s rho = 0.855P=0.002

Spearman’s rho = 0.685P=0.029

-2000 -1500 -1000

TSS vs. Particulate MeHg Loads 2

1

0

-~

A-1

A :.l

-3

-4

-5

6

-7

8

-9

0 500

TSS {kg/Tide)

1000

Spearm;

p=0.029

1500 2000

,&

2500 3000

Total Suspended Solid and Particulate MeHg Loads

....__ TSS Load (kg/tide) 2000

_._Particulate MeHg (mg/tide)

Source

Ma r 14

0 Apr-~~-~

1000

-1500

·2000

120

10.0

80

6.0

•. 0 c; :'2 ~

2.0 .§. Qj) :r "' ~ ~

0.0 .. 3

Jul-15 .l:! t: .. Q.

·2.0

-4.0

-6.0

..S.O

-10.0

Spearman’s rho = 0.685P=0.029

-2000 -1500 -1000

TSS vs. Particulate MeHg Loads 2

1

1500

~2000

12.0

10.0

80

6.0

4.0 -.; :2 ~

2.0 .s llj) :c Ill

:e ~

0.0 ., "3

Jul-15 .!./ t: ~

-20

-4.0

~-0

-80

-10.0

Spearman’s rho = 0.085P=0.815

It’s complicated!

Conclusion-ish

• Mostly a sink of methylmercury and organic carbon and definitely an overall sink of water

• Sometimes a sink of THg• Particulate THg is dominant fraction• Total Suspended Solids and THg (particulate mostly) were seasonal• DOC and filtered MeHg were not correlated, TSS and particulate THg

and MeHg were correlated• Concentrations between ebbs and floods were not significantly

different (extra bonus info!)

Sacramento and San Joaquin Delta TMDL* and BPA*

*Total Maximum Daily Load and Basin Plan Amendment

Why is DWR doing this study, foo’…