Multivariate correlation between concentrations of selected herbicides and derivatives in outflows from selected U.S. midwestern reservoirs

Multivariate correlations between the concentrations of selected herbicides and herbicide derivatives in outflows from selected reservoirs in the Midwestern United States for April 1992 through September 1993 were investigated using principal component analysis (PCA) and multivariate curve resolution (MCR). Two independent sources for alachlor ethanesulfonic acid, one major source related to spring flush and seasonal runoff and another minor source related to groundwater, were identified using PCA. Results of MCR provided a semiquantitative interpretation of the environmental sources of the observed herbicide concentrations in reservoir outflows and allowed the examination of their temporal and geographical distributions. Samples with higher herbicide concentrations were collected from reservoirs in Indiana and Ohio, especially during the late spring and summer.