What urban priority pesticides are found in our waters?
This map displays pesticide concentration data for three urban priority pesticides: permethrin, bifenthrin, and fipronil (and three of fipronil's toxic degradates). These pesticides were listed as the top three priorities for monitoring in urban areas, according to the Department of Pesticide Regulation's (DPR) surface water prioritization model, which accounts for prevalence, toxicity, and reported use. The markers on the map are colored red or yellow if a pesticide at that monitoring station has at some point exceeded a USEPA Aquatic Life Benchmark. These benchmarks indicate the concentration above which a pesticide is expected to cause toxic effects in aquatic organisms. Markers are red if the exceedance occurred in an urban area as defined by the 2010 US Census, and yellow if it occurred outside of an urban area. The map uses monitoring data from 2009-2015 from DPR's Surface Water Database. This database includes data from a wide variety of environmental monitoring studies, including data from the Water Boards' California Environmental Data Exchange Network (CEDEN). For more information about this map please contact the Water Board's Storm Water Planning Unit at STORMS@waterboards.ca.gov or visit their webpage.
Note: the categories and data in the map and download file are for statewide assessment purposes only. They are not to be used for regulatory purposes.
Download Data
- Excel File - This table contains monitoring data from 2009-2015 DPR's Surface Water Database for three urban priority pesticides. It contains monitoring information including site description, latitude/longitude, sample dates, pesticides chemistry, and study information. You can access DPR's entire Surface Water Database at this link