Reports
Analysis of cadmium in ground water and sediment samples in the Aquia aquifer in central Anne Arundel County, Maryland
2006, Bolton, D.W.
Administrative Report
Introduction:
In 2003, samples from several domestic water-supply wells in the Aquia aquifer in the Woodland Beach community in Anne Arundel County exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (USEPA) Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) of 5 micrograms per liter (μg/L) for cadmium (K. Topovski, Anne Arundel County Health Department [AAHD], 2005, written communication). The available data had suggested that elevated groundwater cadmium levels are associated with low pH and elevated chlorides. Cadmium can damage the lungs, cause kidney damage, irritate the digestive tract, and may reasonably be anticipated to be a carcinogen (ATSDR, 2005).To further investigate this issue, the Maryland Geological Survey (MGS) collected additional water samples in June 2005 from residential wells in the Aquia aquifer in central Anne Arundel County. These samples were used along with existing data to better define the distribution, hydrogeologic and geochemical relations, and sources of cadmium in ground water in the Aquia aquifer. Sediment samples from the Aquia Formation in four previously drilled test wells were also analyzed for cadmium and other trace elements.
