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a Sedimentation rate based on ¹³⁷Cs age dating, bottom sediment age, and top sediment age. b Drawing of layers from trench 2. Colors represent colors observed in the field. Light and dark layers suggest seasonality. c Loss on ignition results from select light and dark layers from trench 2. Higher organic carbon and carbonate in darker sediment layers
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The record of mining legacy and water quality was investigated in sediments collected in 2018 from four trenches in the Aztec, New Mexico, drinking-water reservoir #1. Bulk chemical analysis of sediments with depth in the reservoir revealed variable trace-element (uranium, vanadium, arsenic, copper, sulfur, silver, lead, and zinc) concentrations, w...
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Citations
... However, these heavy metal(loid)s can be released again into the water due to the changes in water conditions and a series of physical and chemical reactions, resulting in 'secondary pollution' of water environment (Kim et al., 2021;Zhang et al., 2019). Drinking-water reservoir is important source of water supply in karst mountain areas, and the water quality protection is particularly important to ensure the safety of water supply for those who draw on the water resource (Blake et al., 2020;Lee et al., 2017;Zhou et al., 2021). As for the heavy metal(loid)s pollution in the sediment of reservoir, its high toxicity, resistance to degradation, persistence, and irreversibility make it a significant threat to the environmental ecosystem. ...
As important place for water storage and supply, drinking-water reservoirs in karst mountain areas play a key role in ensuring human well-being, and its water quality safety has attracted much attention. Source apportionment and ecological risks of heavy metal(loid)s in sediments of drinking-water reservoir are important for water security, public health, and regional water resources management, especially in karst mountain areas where water resources are scarce. To expound the accumulation, potential ecological risks, and sources of heavy metal(loid)s in a drinking-water reservoir in Northwest Guizhou, China, the surface sediments were collected and analyzed based on the combined use of the geo-accumulation index (Igeo), sequential extraction (BCR), ratios of secondary phase and primary phase (RSP), risk assessment code (RAC), modified potential ecological risk index (MRI), as well as the positive matrix factorization methods. The results indicated that the accumulation of Cd in sediments was obvious, with approximately 61.9% of the samples showing moderate to high accumulation levels, followed by Pb, Cu, Ni, and Zn, whereas the As and Cr were at low levels. A large proportion of BCR-extracted acid extractable and reducible fraction were found in Cd (72.5%) and Pb (40.3%), suggesting high bioavailability. The combined results of RSP, RAC, and MRI showed that Cd was the major pollutant in sediments with high potential ecological risk, while the risk of other elements was low. Source apportionment results of heavy metal(loid)s indicated that Cd (75.76%) and Zn (23.1%) mainly originated from agricultural activities; As (69.82%), Cr (50.05%), Cu (33.47%), and Ni (31.87%) were associated with domestic sources related to residents’ lives; Cu (52.36%), Ni (44.57%), Cr (34.33%), As (26.51%), Pb (24.77%), and Zn (23.80%) primarily came from natural geological sources; and Pb (47.56%), Zn (22.46%) and Cr (13.92%) might be introduced by mixed sources of traffic and domestic. The contribution ratios of the four sources were 18.41%, 36.67%, 29.48%, and 15.44%, respectively. Overall, priority control factors for pollution in relation to agricultural sources included Cd, while domestic sources are primarily associated with As. It is crucial to place special emphasis on the impacts of human activities when formulating pollution prevention and control measures. The results of this study can provide valuable reference and insights for water resources management and pollution prevention and control strategies in karst mountainous areas.
... Uranium mining and milling (UMM) release considerable amounts of natural radionuclides and toxic metals, originally detained in the unexploited uranium deposits. Groundwater, soil, stream sediments, and the atmosphere generally receive contaminations from these harmful substances (Benes 1999;Hanfi 2019;Blake et al. 2020;Borges et al. 2021). In addition to radiotoxicity, uranium, as a heavy metal has a fatal chemotoxicity. ...
Stream sediments and groundwater samples were collected from the vicinity of El Allouga uranium mine in southwestern Sinai and analyzed for their radionuclides to explore the geochemical dispersion and environmental impact. The radioactivity measurements were performed using γ-ray spectrometry and UV-photometry. Most stream sediments samples have eU concentrations more than the background level. The significant correlations between eU, clay, and organic matter contents reflect possible adsorption of U to the surface of clay and organic matter. The high radionuclide concentrations in the stream sediment are mainly due to contamination from the mining process, and, in some locations, due to rock outcrops weathering. The measured concentrations of U in groundwater samples exceed the Maximum Contamination Level of groundwater U (30 ppb). The lack of correspondence of U concentrations in the country rocks and associated groundwater indicates the high mobility of U and reflects absence of a simple rock/water equilibration. Water resources in the study area have 234 U/ 238 U activity ratios with obvious deviations from secular equilibrium. The U isotopic data support that uranium ore body could be locally forming within the rock aquifer at El Allouga area. The calculated external hazard parameter values are higher than the worldwide average in 30% of the studied stream sediment samples; this indicates that people who are exposed to that level of radiation for a lifetime would have an elevated cancer risk. The Annual Effective Dose resulting from U activity concentrations in the studied drinking water is significantly higher than the recommended limit for children and adults. Therefore, the available water resources in the study area are considered unsafe for human consumption.
... Identifying the concentration of metals in sediments in a drinking-water reservoir is important to decisions made for water treatment and longterm reservoir efficacy. Sediments deposited in reservoirs can be susceptible to metals contamination from upstream sources such as mining, milling, wildfires, or weathering and erosion of local geology, and geochemical mechanisms such as reduction-oxidation (Blake et al. 2020;Herndon et al. 2018;Audry et al. 2010). Geochemical analyses of sediments from reservoir core samples have been shown to reflect historical contributions of trace metals transported by upstream surface waters (Blake et al. 2020;Cardoso-Silva et al. 2016;Smol 2008;Van Metre and Mahler 2004). ...
... Sediments deposited in reservoirs can be susceptible to metals contamination from upstream sources such as mining, milling, wildfires, or weathering and erosion of local geology, and geochemical mechanisms such as reduction-oxidation (Blake et al. 2020;Herndon et al. 2018;Audry et al. 2010). Geochemical analyses of sediments from reservoir core samples have been shown to reflect historical contributions of trace metals transported by upstream surface waters (Blake et al. 2020;Cardoso-Silva et al. 2016;Smol 2008;Van Metre and Mahler 2004). In addition, lake sediments can serve as a continuous archive of changing water chemistry, soils, or climate in a watershed (Norton et al. 2016). ...
... The Animas River watershed contains rocks that range in age from Proterozoic through Quaternary and cover nearly all major lithologies. Of major importance, when considering the waters of the Animas River, is the mining activity that occurred in the Silverton District in Colorado from the 1890s until 1991 (Blake et al. 2020;Yager and Bove 2007;Van Loenen et al. 1997;Church et al. 1997). Mining and milling activities in the area contributed metals including As, Pb, Cu, and U to the river. ...
The geochemical record in lake sediments was investigated in four gravity-core collected sediment cores from Farmington Lake, a drinking-water reservoir, to understand the geochemical history in the reservoir, determine any potential effects on water quality, and evaluate watershed processes. Trace-element sediment chemistry of arsenic, copper, lead, manganese, and sulfur revealed variable patterns among the four cores suggesting fluctuating water inputs to the reservoir depending on known conditions in the watershed or effects of local geology, lake turnover, redox conditions, or evaporative conditions in the sediments. Manganese and sulfur concentrations in reservoir sediments compared with local groundwater and surface water chemistry indicate that reduction–oxidation mechanisms play an important role in the chemical variability identified in the sediments and that there may be direct interaction with groundwater in Farmington Lake. Results of mobility experiments showed that the majority of manganese and copper were released from sediments after reaction with acetic acid and that sulfur was primarily released after reaction with a bicarbonate solution. Scanning electron microscopy evaluation of sediments showed that the reservoir sediments are predominantly kaolinite and montmorillonite with barite, framboidal pyrite, and iron and manganese oxides within the clay matrices. In contrast to the sediment chemistry from nearby Aztec Drinking Water Reservoir #1, evidence of upstream mining and milling was not observed in the sediment chemistry of Farmington Lake. This is further confirmed through identification of diatom taxa from the sediment, where no taxa were indicative of sustained low pH or highly mineralized water entering the reservoir. The results of this study provide information about the geochemical mechanisms in a large drinking-water reservoir that can be used for management decisions and an understanding of the geochemical transport that occurs in a dynamic watershed.
The chemical composition of sediments from the Arctic mountain Lake Bolshoy Vudjavr, situated in the western part of the Russian Arctic zone, was studied. The lake has been under intense anthropogenic load for more than 90 years since the development of the richest apatite–nepheline deposits in the world started. A 27 cm thick sediment core was sampled in the central part of the lake at the maximum depth of 37.4 m. The concentrations of more than 50 elements were analyzed by the mass spectral method, ICP-MS. The lake sedimentation rate established from the change in the content of the radioactive isotope 210Pb was 2.3 mm/yr. The effluent from apatite–nepheline production and atmospheric fallout enrich the sediments of Lake Bolshoy Vudjavr with alkali and alkaline earth metals, N, P, Mn, Fe, Al compounds, rare earth elements, and trace elements (Sb, Cu, Zn, Pb, Bi, Nb, Ta, Th). Analysis of the forms of elements in the lake sediments showed that the studied elements are mainly found in stable fractions—mineral, acid-soluble, and associated with organic matter. The pollution of the sediments of Lake Bolshoy Vudjavr was assessed by the integral index PLI (Pollution Load Index) and CF (contamination factor). The PLI value sharply increased after the “Apatite” Plant had been launched and a large amount of wastewater from the mines had been released into the lake. The highest PLI values were detected in the sediment layers accumulated during the period 1990s–2000s. Sb (18.2), P (10.3), Sr (7.8), and La (6.0) have the maximum CF values among all the studied elements.
The importance of vanadium (V) in the functioning of land systems is extremely diverse, as this element may exert both positive and harmful effects on terrestrial organisms. It recently become considered an element of beneficial character with a range of applications for human welfare. The health-ameliorative properties of this transition element depend on its degree of oxidation and on optimal concentration in the target cells. It was found that a similar relationship applies to vascular plants. However, excessive amounts of vanadium in the environment contaminate the soil and negatively affect the majority of living organisms. A significantly elevated level of V results in the destabilization of plant physiological balance, slowing down the growth of biomass which significantly reduces yield. In turn, low doses of the appropriate vanadium ions can stimulate plant growth and development, exert cytoprotective effects, and effectively enhance the synthesis of some biologically active compounds. We present the scientific achievements of research teams dealing with such topics. The issues discussed concern the role of vanadium in the environment, particular organisms, and highlight its dualistic influence on plants. Achievements in the field of V bioremediation, with the use of appropriately selected microorganisms and plant species, are emphasized.
