5 Environmental Geochemistry and Health Impacts (Posters)

This session welcomes research on contaminant occurrence, fate and transport, and impacts on human and environmental health. Interdisciplinary contributions with implications for environmental remediation and natural resources management are encouraged.

Monday, 18 May 2026
8:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Alvarado D/E

Investigating PFAS, Microplastics, and PCB in Urban Runoff Contributing to the Rio Grande near Albuquerque, New Mexico

Paper number: 5-3
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 8:00 AM – 8:00 AM

Authors

Abstract

Anthropogenic contaminants have implications for aquatic and human health and can enter aquatic ecosystems, especially in urban environments where they are prevalent. Additionally, in many instances, extensive environmental degradation precedes the introduction of oversight or regulatory measures. Investigations of legacy contamination and contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) are needed to assess human related changes to the environment. CECs are typically synthetic chemicals that are not routinely monitored in the environment but have the potential to cause adverse environmental and/or human health effects. Common sources of CECs include pharmaceuticals, personal care products, household cleaners, pesticides, and compounds derived from industrial and consumer products. Urban runoff and wastewater treatment plant effluent are known to contain CECs. Persistent drought conditions in the arid Southwest make wastewater effluent an increasingly important resource for sustaining water resources.

In 2024, the United States Geological Survey, in cooperation with Bernalillo County, initiated a study to assess the occurrences of CECs including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), microplastics, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) in stormwater drainage outfalls and in the Rio Grande as it flows through Albuquerque, New Mexico. The study also evaluates the effectiveness of green stormwater infrastructure including an upcoming installation at one outfall location.

PFAS, microplastics, and PCB were found in water and sediment samples collected from stormwater drainages in Albuquerque. Microplastics were sampled by pumping water through a 50 micron mesh net to capture particles. Assessing the advantages and limitations of this method provides the opportunity for future advancements in assessing microplastics in the aquatic environment as methods for microplastics collection and analysis continue to evolve.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 58, No. 4

doi: 10.1130/abs/2026RM-410593

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