Assessment of Water Quality and Heavy Metal Environmental Risk on the Peri-Urban Karst Tropical Lake La Sabana, Yucatán Peninsula

Abstract

In the Yucatán Peninsula, anthropogenic activities such as urbanization and the final disposal of solids and wastewater critically impact aquatic systems. Here, we evaluated the anthropogenic-related environmental alteration of Lake La Sabana, located in the northern limits of one of the main cities of the Mexican Caribbean. We evaluated lake water quality, using physical, chemical, and microbiological indicators, and heavy metals in surficial sediment and fish tissue to evaluate the potential environmental risk. Multivariate analyses revealed that environmental conditions in La Sabana are spatially and temporally heterogeneous. Medium to bad water quality was determined within different basins by the National Sanitation Foundation water quality index, related to the degree of anthropogenic influence at each zone. The central-south zones displayed critical microbiological values largely exceeding national standards. Heavy metals in sediment and fish tissue such as Zn and Hg were relatively low, but Hg concentrations threaten the ecological environment. Incipient wastewater treatment and its final disposal in La Sabana are mainly responsible for the changes in the trophic status and availability of nutrients, which in turn may have promoted changes in the biological structure and aquatic plant invasions. Lake La Sabana can be considered a model of the potential and sequential effects of anthropogenic alterations in the oligotrophic karst tropical aquatic systems in the Yucatan Peninsula.

Geochemistry of Metals and Organic Matter in Water and Sediments of the Karst River Cetina, Croatia

“…On the other hand, according to this study, the concentrations of Al, As, and Co were the lowest in the sediments of the Ðale reservoir. The mean Hg concentration in the sediments of the Ðale reservoir was similar to the mean Hg concentration in the sediments of La Sabana tropical karst lake reported by Cohuo et al [56], while the mean concentration of the Peruća reservoir was slightly higher. The Peruća Reservoir belongs to the oligotrophic lakes with a low organic matter content and a high oxygen content (Figure 5), while the elevated concentrations of almost all elements in the sediment of Peruća Lake are most likely due to Neogene clay-marl deposits with bauxite alternations [57].…”

Heavy metals in the sediments of urban sinkholes in Cancun, Quintana Roo

“… Sample (Country) Zn Fe Al Cu Ni Pb Refs. Calcite/Aragonite fresh aggregate 3–4 3–4 63 Carbonate rocks (bulk composition), Yucatan peninsula (Mexico) 249 716 1.71 1.11 1.13 64 Wetland surface sediment, Quintana Roo (Mexico) 202 ± 264 65 Lake surface sediment, Quintana Roo (Mexico) 0–209 0.5–6% 0–81 0–447 0–41 66 Coastal lagoon sediment, Quintana Roo (Mexico) 41–2661 12–1386 69–9425 2.6–50 0.1–5.5 1.1–1.4 67 Sediments, Quintana Roo (Mexico) 9.8 731.0 2.0 3.4 68 Lake sediments, Quintana Roo (Mexico) 1.36–24.48 1.78–80.39 8.61–45.6 69 …”

Assessment of Physicochemical Parameters by Remote Sensing of Bacalar Lagoon, Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico

“…This has generated greater stress on water resources, causing their direct or indirect contamination, and as a result, many water reserves worldwide have been compromised in both quantity and quality. For example, in the karstic aquifer of the Yucatán Peninsula (YP), Mexico, several chemical compounds, such as fertilizers, agrochemicals, and heavy metals [2,3], pollutants derived from anthropogenic activities, such as caffeine, hormones, and antibiotics [4,5], as well as bacteria (coliforms), viruses and even microplastics have been detected [6][7][8]. Contamination causes eutrophication of freshwater ecosystems, which allows the proliferation of cyanobacteria, which can produce microcystins, which are toxic to human and animal health [9].…”