Summary

Description

Metal, hydrocarbon, or nutrient data have not been recorded for the Arctic coastal plain 1002 area of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Arctic Refuge in areas of prospective oil and corridor development. Predevelopment baseline data for contaminants are necessary to enable general characterization of water quality and contaminant residues, as well as to provide sitespecific predevelopment information in the event of a Congressional decision to open the Arctic coastal plain to oil and gas exploration and development. This study examines 19881989 samples of sediments, water, sedge, birds, invertebrates, and fishes from the 1002 area. Volume 1 of the three volumes in this report describes the study area, study sites, methods, and objectives, and provides summary statistics geometric mean, arithmetic mean, arithmetic standard deviation, maximum, minimum, and median for those analytes with more than 23 of the concentrations greater than the limit of detection. Volume 2 contains the raw metal and hydrocarbon contaminant data, and the raw water quality data. Volume 3 summarizes quality assurancequality control QAQC results which include mean relative percent differences RPDs from duplicate analyses, mean percent recoveries from spiked analyses, mean recoveries and Z scores from standard reference material analyses, and maximum concentrations from blank analyses. For a comprehensive description of all quality assurancequality control methods, also see Volume 1. These reports provide a database on a sufficient number of aquatic, terrestrial, and lagoon samples to enable general characterization of water quality and contaminant residues, as well as to provide site specific predevelopment information. The reader is strongly encouraged to use the QAQC data in Volume 3 to assess data quality on an analytebyanalyte basis for each sample matrix. This information will be used by Refuge management and State and Federal regulators to assess any post development changes that result from any oil and gas exploratory or production activities. The data will also be useful in evaluating special use permits, Clean Water Act Sections 402 and 404 permits, and State wastewater permits, and in recommending appropriate mitigation measures if development occurs on the 1002 area.