LEAD AND CADMIUM ASSOCIATED WITH SALTWATER INTRUSION IN A NEW JERSEY AQUIFER SYSTEM1

ABSTRACT: The U.S. Geological Survey collected ground-water samples from the upper and middle aquifers of the Potomac-Raritan-Magothy aquifer system in a 400-square-mile area of New Jersey from 1984 through 1986. Concentrations of lead were greater than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 50 micrograms per liter in water from 16 of 239 wells. The cencentrations of cadmium were greater than the MCL of 10 micrograms per liter in water from 10 to 241 wells. One-half of the wells that exceeded the lead MCL were in known areas of saltwater intrusion, as were all 10 wells that exceeded the cadmium MCL. The association of elevated concentrations of these metals with elevated concentrations of chloride indicates a mochanism related to saltwater intrusion.     

DISTRIBUTION AND GRAIN-SIZE PARTITIONING OF METALS IN BOVFOM SEDIMENTS OF AN EXPERIMENTALLY ACIDIFIED WISCONSIN LAKE1

ABSTRACT: A study of concentrations and distribution of major and trace elements in surficial bottom sediments of Little Rock Lake in northern Wisconsin included examination of spatial variation and grain-size effects. No significant differences with respect to metal distribution in sediments were observed between the two basins of the lake, despite the experimental acidification of one of the basins from pH 6.1 to 4.6. The concentrations of most elements in the lake sediments were generally similar to soil concentrations in the area and were well below sediment quality criteria. Two exceptions were lead and zinc, whose concentrations in July 1990 exceeded the criteria of 50 μg/g and 100 μg/g, respectively, in both littoral and pelagic sediments. Concentrations of some elements, particularly Cu, Pb, and Zn, increased along transects from nearshore to midlake, following a similar gradient of sedimentary organic carbon. In contrast, Mn, Fe, and alkali/alkaline-earth elements were at maximum concentrations in nearshore sediments. These elements are less likely to partition to organic particles, and their distribution is more dependent on mineralogical composition, grain size, and other factors. Element concentrations varied among different sediment grain-size fractions, although a simple inverse relation to grain size was not observed. Fe, Mn, Pb, and Zn were more concentrated in a grain-size range 20–60 tm than in either the very fine or the coarse fractions, possibly because of the aggregation of smaller particles cemented together by organic and Fe/Mn hydrous-oxide coatings.     

EFFECTS OF COAL PILE RUNOFF ON STREAM QUALITY AND MACROINVERTEBRATE COMMUNITIES1

Samples of coal pile runoff, Georges Creek water, and macrobenthos above and below two coal storage areas along Georges Creek, Allegany County, Maryland, were collected in July, August, and September 1982, and February and July 1983. Coal pile runoff was collected under high- and low-flow conditions. Water samples were analyzed for Hg, Zn, As, Fe, Mn, Al, SO₄^?2, pH, filterable and non-filterable residue, conductivity and acidity. Leachate from coal piles along Georges Creek contained high concentrations of heavy metals, particularly manganese, aluminum and zinc. Iron and sulfate were very high and the pH ranged from 1.4 to 3.1. Georges Creek water had much lower concentrations of metals, iron and sulfate and a pH of about 7.0. The distribution of macrobenthos in Georges Creek showed the effects of both runoff from coal storage piles and periodic drought. Brillouin's diversity index values were low even in areas which did not dry. Densities of tubificid worms and chironomid larvae were very high above the coal storage areas where organic inputs were high. At all the rest of the sampling stations, macroinvertebrate densities were very low. Where coal pile runoff enters Georges Creek, it compounds the effects of periodic drought and further stresses the aquatic community.     

FACTORS INFLUENCING ACUTE TOXICfrY OF COAL ASH TO RAINBOW TROUT (SALMO GAIRDNERI) AND BLUEGILL SUNFISH (LEPOMIS MACROCHIRUS)1

ABSTRACT: The potentially toxic components in coal ash (ash particles, heavy metals) were evaluated in laboratory static, acute (96 hr) bioassays, both separately and in various combinations with extreme pH (5.0 and 8.5), using rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) and bluegifi sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus). Ash particle morphology and metal distribution anlaysis, using electron microscopy and surface-subsurface analysis by ion microscopy, showed that metals could be either clumped or evenly distributed on the surface of fly ash. Surface enrichment on fly ash particles from electrostatic precipitators, as measured by ion microscopy, was found for cadmium, copper, chromium, nickel, lead, mercury, titanium, arsenic, and selenium. Bottom (heavy) ash was not acutely toxic to either fish species at concentrations of up to 1500 mg/l total suspended solids (TSS) at pH 5.0, 7.5, or 8.5. Fly ash particles were not acutely toxic to blue-gill at levels up to 1360 mg/l TSS. Rainbow trout were highly sensitive to fly ash (25 to 60 percent mortality) at concentrations of 4.3 to 20.5 mg/I TSS when dissolved metal availability was high but were not sensitive at higher particulate concentrations (58 to 638 mg/I TSS) when dissolved metals were low. When metals were acid-leached from fly ash prior to testing, no rainbow trout mortality occurred at TSS concentrations of up to 2,350 mg/l TSS. When the percent of dissolved metal was high (e.g., 50–90 percent of the total), fish mortality was increased. Rainbow trout were nearly two orders of magnitude more sensitive than bluegill when subjected to a blend of cadmium, chromium, copper, nickel, lead, and zinc. The two species were similar in their acute sensitivity to acidic pH at levels at or below 4.0 and alkaline pH of 9.1. If the pH of coal ash effluent is contained within the range 6.0 to 9.0, acute toxicity to fish can be attributed to trace element availability from fly ash but not heavy ash. Control of holding pond and effluent pH and maximizing pond residence time are important strategies for minimizing effects of ash pond discharges on fish.     

SUSPENDED SEDIMENT AND METALS REMOVAL FROM URBAN RUNOFF BY A SMALL LAKE1

ABSTRACT: A small lake in the Chicago Metropolitan Area was from 91 to 95 percent efficient in removing suspended sediment and from 76 to 94 percent efficient in removing copper, iron, lead, and zinc from urban runoff. Sediments accumulated in the lake in the form of an organic-rich mud at an average rate of 20 millimeters per year; this reduced lake storage and covered potential habitat for aquatic organisms. Copper, lead, and zinc concentrations were closely associated with suspended-sediment concentrations and with silt- and clay-sized fractions of lake sediment. Although concentrations of mercury and cadmium were near detection limits in runoff, measurable concentrations of these metals accumulated in the lake sediments.     

Metals recycling in the United States

Twenty-two metals for which secondary recovery is important, in terms of quantity and/or value, were compared and ranked for rate and efficiency of recycling, and availability of recycled metal. In general, their recycling rates trended upward over the period 1970–1993. Iron, aluminum, copper, gold, platinum, and lead accounted for most of the value of all secondary metal produced, while iron and steel dominated in terms of quantity produced and exported. The factors most influential on recycling rates are profitability, public support, organization of infrastructure, sortability, legislative support, and scrap purity. The share of supply accounted for by secondary metals is expected to surpass that of primary metals sometime in the next decade.     

Characteristic levels of heavy metals in sediments and dredged sediments of a municipal creek in the Niger delta, Nigeria

Characteristic levels of metal ions in post dredged sediment and dredged sediments materials of a municipal creek in the Niger Delta show that significant concentrations of heavy metals are found to be accumulated more on the surface (0–15cm depth) of the dredged material as compared to the sub surface (15–30cm) and post dredged sediments. The distribution patterns were in the following order Fe > Mn > Zn > Cu > Pb > Ni > Cd and Fe > Mn > Zn > Pb > Cu > Ni > Cd for the post dredged sediment and dredged sediment materials respectively. The levels of the various metals were far below the EPA screening levels for open water disposal, consequently total levels of heavy metal found in these sediments pose no problem by open-water or upland disposal     

MULTICOMPONENT GEOCHEMICAL TRANSPORT MODELING USING HYDRUS-1D AND HP11

Abstract: The transport of reactive contaminants in the subsurface is generally affected by a large number of nonlinear and often interactive physical, chemical, and biological processes. Simulating these processes requires a comprehensive reactive transport code that couples the physical processes of water flow and advective-dispersive transport with a range of biogeochemical processes. Two recently developed coupled geochemical models that are both based on the HYDRUS-1D software package for variably saturated flow and transport are summarized in this paper. One model resulted from coupling HYDRUS-1D with the UNSATCHEM module. While restricted to major ion chemistry, this program enables quantitative predictions of such problems as analyzing the effects of salinity on plant growth and the amount of water and amendments required to reclaim salt-affected soil profiles. The second model, HPI, resulted from coupling HYDRUS-1D with the PHREEQC biogeochemical code. The latter program accounts for a wide range of instantaneous or kinetic chemical and biological reactions, including complexation, cation exchange, surface complexation, precipitation dissolution and/or redox reactions. The versatility of HP1 is illustrated in this paper by means of two examples: the leaching of toxic trace elements and the transport of the explosive TNT and its degradation products.     

USE OF X-RAY FLUORESCENCE TO DETERMINE TRACE METALS IN WATER RESOURCES1

ABSTRACT. The X-ray fluorescence method was used to analyze trace metals collected in particulate form on filter papers and from the ionic state by ion exchange filter papers. The samples were prepared by allowing water to pass through these filter papers. The procedures necessary for using the X-ray fluorescence method are described. A number of samples were taken from the Great Miami River in Dayton, Ohio over one year showing the presence of the following metals, Ca, Ti, Cr, Fe, Cu, Zn, Sr, and Cd. Elements in the periodic table between Ti and Cs were detectable to a sensitivity limit of the order of 30 ppb for metals in the particulate form and 0.4 ppm for metals in the ionic form.     

WATER QUALITY IN A MEDITERRANEAN MARINE PROTECTED AREA (NORTH SPORADES ISLANDS, GREECE)

Pollution in the marine protected area of North Sporades Islands was investigated in July 1997. Salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, dissolved inorganic nutrients, organic carbon, hydrocarbons as well as dissolved and particulate trace metals were determined at 15 offshore and coastal stations. Dissolved organic carbon and inorganic nutrient concentrations indicate the mesotrophic character of the investigated waters. The dissolved forms of nitrogen were slightly higher at coastal stations. Dissolved and particulate Cu, Zn and Ni, were higher in coastal stations, whereas concentrations of Pb were generally low and likely of atmospheric origin. Dissolved/Dispersed petroleum hydrocarbons (DDPH) were close to detection limits at all stations. Temperature and salinity vertical profiles, nutrient and trace metal concentrations revealed the presence of a slight influence of the Black Sea water coming from Dardanelles straits.