Assessing Pesticide Contamination in Illinois Water Supply and the Impact of Agricultural Practices

This project served as an in-depth analysis of water contaminants and agricultural practices in Illinois. The Environmental Protection Agency Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) Program provides toxic chemical release data reported by facilities throughout the United States. The United States Geological Survey gathers measurements of chemicals in the water supply over time. These data sets were evaluated using data science techniques and agricultural data was compared to reveal trends of chemical pollution throughout Illinois. The agricultural data was sourced from the United States Department of Agriculture. These maps contain key locations of agricultural practices, soil properties, and drainage that are important in providing geographical context to the TRI Program data. Understanding the relationship between contaminants and mapping their spread helps provide insights for reducing environmental and public health risks. The objectives were to develop a model that identifies relationships between attributes of the TRI Program data, develop a predictive model to forecast pesticide exposure, use geospatial analysis to map locations of pesticide use in Illinois, and create visualizations that present the findings of contamination and forecasted exposure.