Insecticides are commonly used around homes for controlling insects such as ants, termites, and spiders. Such uses have been linked to pesticide contamination and toxicity in urban aquatic ecosystems. Fipronil is a relatively new and popular urban-use insecticide that has acute toxicity to arthropods at low-ppb levels. In this study, we collected runoff water from 6 large communities, each consisting of 152 to 460 single-family homes, in Sacramento County and Orange County, California, and evaluated the occurrence of fipronil and its biologically active derivatives over 26 months under dry weather conditions. Statistical modeling showed that the levels of fipronil and derivatives in the runoff water were both spatially and temporally correlated. More than 10-fold differences were observed between the Sacramento and Orange County sites, with the much higher levels for Orange County (southern California) coinciding with heavier use. The median concentrations of combined fipronil and derivatives for the Orange County sites were 204-440 ng L(-1), with the 90th percentile levels ranging from 340 to 1170 ng L(-1). These levels frequently exceeded the LC50 values for arthropods such as mysid shrimp and grass shrimp. The highest levels occurred from April to October, while decreases were seen from October to December and from January to March, likely reflecting seasonal use patterns and the effect of rain-induced washoff. Fipronil and fipronil sulfone (oxidation derivative) each accounted for about 35% of the total concentrations, with desulfinyl fipronil (a photolytic product) contributing about 25%. Results of this study clearly established residential drainage as a direct source for pesticide contamination in urban waterways, and for the first time, identified fipronil as a new and widespread contaminant with potential ecotoxicological significance.

Fipronil is an urban-use insecticide, and the increased use has led to its frequent detections in urban streams. Most studies on the environmental fate of fipronil so far have focused on soils, and little is known about its behavior in sediment-water systems. In this study, we investigated the transformation and sorption of fipronil in urban stream sediments from California, incubated under facultative and anaerobic conditions. Degradation of fipronil in sediments generally followed exponential decay kinetics, and the first-order half-lives of fipronil were only 4.6-18.5 days in anaerobic sediments. The persistence of fipronil under facultative conditions was considerably longer, with half-lives from 25 to 91 days. Sterilization generally decreased the dissipation of fipronil, indicating that microbial activity was an important factor in fipronil transformations in sediments. Under facultative conditions, fipronil sulfide and sulfone were observed, while only fipronil sulfide was detected in anaerobic samples. The sorption coefficient K d consistently increased with organic carbon contents of sediments. In the same sediment, K d usually also increased with contact time, suggesting decreased availability for aged residues. Results from this study showed that the stability of fipronil in sediments depends closely on the oxygen status and that due to the readily conversion of fipronil to the sulfone and sulfide metabolites, the overall risk assessment of fipronil in surface aquatic systems should take into consideration fipronil as well as its metabolites.

While governments and individuals strive to maintain the availability of high-quality water resources, many factors can “change the landscape” of water availability and quality, including drought, climate change, saltwater intrusion, aquifer depletion, population increases, and policy changes. Specialty crop producers, including nursery and greenhouse container operations, rely heavily on available high-quality water from surface and groundwater sources for crop production. Ideally, these growers should focus on increasing water application efficiency through proper construction and maintenance of irrigation systems, and timing of irrigation to minimize water and sediment runoff, which serve as the transport mechanism for agrichemical inputs and pathogens. Rainfall and irrigation runoff from specialty crop operations can contribute to impairment of groundwater and surface water resources both on-farm and into the surrounding environment. This review focuses on multiple facets of water use, reuse, and runoff in nursery and greenhouse production including current and future regulations, typical water contaminants in production runoff and available remediation technologies, and minimizing water loss and runoff (both on-site and off-site). Water filtration and treatment for the removal of sediment, pathogens, and agrichemicals are discussed, highlighting not only existing understanding but also knowledge gaps. Container-grown crop producers can either adopt research-based best management practices proactively to minimize the economic and environmental risk of limited access to high-quality water, be required to change by external factors such as regulations and fines, or adapt production practices over time as a result of changing climate conditions.