Environmental distribution of chlorohydrocarbon contaminants associated with Sydney sewage discharges

A steady-state nonequilibrium fugacity model incorporating the oceanographic dimensions of the environment receiving a sewage discharge from Sydney, Australia was used to predict the environmental fate of a range of chlorohydrocarbon contaminants. The model showed advection in water to be the dominant removal process, accounting for all except 1–2% of the contaminants discharged. With the exception of the more water soluble dieldrin, the major portion of contaminant present in the area was held in the sediments. Bioconcentration and sediment sorption models were used with levels detected in the biota and sediments to calculate the ambient water concentrations of the chlorohydrocarbon contaminants. The ambient water concentrations calculated using these models were in general agreement within a factor of about 2 in all but one case, and that was in agreement within an order of magnitude. The fugacity model was also used to estimate the rates of discharge of each of the contaminants. These were chlordane 83–640, DDT 150, dieldrin 1400–1500, hexachlorobenzene 360–400 and PCBs 55–96 g day−1. Comparisons of the calculated ambient concentrations of each compound in the water and in fish in waters adjacent to the discharge point before and after its relocation from a cliff-face to a deepwater site indicated that relocation should result in an order of magnitude reduction.