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Aquatic dissipation and monitoring Studies

Waterborne has significant experience conducting and managing aquatic field dissipation (AFD) studies (USEPA Guideline Reference No. OPPTS 835.6200). The purpose of AFD studies for agrochemicals is to determine the extent of dissipation and mobility of agrochemical residues under actual use conditions. These studies generate on-site data for evaluating potential hazards of an agrochemical under actual use conditions (including mobility, formation of metabolites, and degradation of the parent compound), and generate information relative to mechanisms of dissipation in various aquatic environments.

Our experience conducting AFD studies has included a variety of application scenarios (e.g., direct injection, partial pond, and whole pond) and environments including irrigation canals, rice paddies, and ponds/lakes of all sizes. These studies are sometimes handled entirely by Waterborne personnel when the study location is near one of our facilities or the duration of sampling is short. In other cases, for efficiency’s sake, routine sampling will be conducted using contract research organizations (CRO) that have passed our detailed pre-qualification inspection. When Waterborne uses a CRO for field work, we always retain the management responsibilities (Study Director or Principal Investigator). In many cases, we have worked repeatedly with CROs (field cooperators) and they are part of a diverse network of capable CROs allowing us to place studies anywhere in North America. Waterborne plans to expand our market for this type of study in the near future.

Waterborne has extensive experience conducting aquatic monitoring and fate studies to establish label restrictions/setbacks for agrochemicals that are applied directly to water bodies and for crop-applied agrochemicals adjacent to vulnerable water bodies. The aquatic dispersion studies that we have conducted include the following:

• Partial application in multiple Florida lakes and a river system
• Direct injection in multiple western irrigation canals
• Direct injection in a Minnesota lake
• Partial- and whole-pond applications in experimental ponds throughout the United States including California, Florida, and Missouri
• Large-scale, aerial applications for rice paddies at multiple locations in Louisiana and Arkansas

Waterborne has special expertise related to rice production and have performed numerous rice-paddy AFD studies with seed treatment, ground and aerial applications at multiple locations in Arkansas, Louisiana, and California. Additionally, Waterborne has developed an environmental fate model (RICEWQ) specific to rice production that has been used throughout the world to address regulatory concerns.