Heavy metals: their pathway from the ground, groundwater and springs to Lake Góreckie (Poland)

Abstract

The migration pathways of heavy metals derived from an area previously in agricultural use was investigated in the Wielkopolski National Park (mid-western Poland). The heavy metals involved (Cd, Cu, Cr, Pb, Ni and Zn) were determined in groundwater, the springs that feed Lake Góreckie and the lake itself. In order to show how the heavy metals may be set free and what is their biological availability, soil and sediment samples were subjected to single-stage extraction, using 0.01 M CaCl(2), 0.02 M EDTA, 0.005 M DTPA, 0.1 M HCl, 1 M HCl and de-ionised water. Varying metal concentrations were recorded in the water samples during the study period (from November 2009 to July 2010), usually with higher values in winter and lower ones in summer. The seasonal changes may be ascribed to natural processes taking place in the ground- and surface waters of Lake Góreckie. On the other hand, the concentration levels (mostly of Cd, Pb and Cr) are indicative of anthropogenic activity. It should be mentioned in this context that the highest metal concentrations were found in the soil layer. The concentrations were also found to exceed both the Polish and the World Health Organization water-quality standards. It appears that the soils are highly contaminated, mostly with cadmium. The long-lasting effect of acid precipitation in the area makes it possible for immobile forms to become mobile, thus facilitating further migration into the environment.

Comparison of 1 M HCl and Mehlich 3 for Assessment of the Micronutrient Status of Polish Soils in the Context of Winter Wheat Nutritional Demands

“…Although some authors compare Mehlich 3 to other extractants (Bortolon and Gianello 2012;García et al 1997;Liu et al 2011;Ostatek-Boczynski and Lee-Steere 2012;Rodriguez-Suarez et al 2007) and a few authors have run extraction of metals from soil with 1 M HCl (Bakircioglu, Kurtulus, andİbar 2011;Cekstere and Osvalde 2013;Kuang et al 2013;Loide, Noges, and Rebane 2005;Korzeniowska 2010, Walna andSiepak 2012;Walworth, Gavlak, and Panciera 1992), the literature lacks reports comparing both methods. However, researchers often detect strong correlations between M3 and such extractants as DTPA (Cancela, Aparecida De Abreu, and Paz-González 2002;Chilimba, Mughogho, and Wendtc 1999;Brennan et al 2008 EDTA (Brennan et al 2008), or 0.1 M HCl (Bortolon and Gianello 2012;Fonseca, Caires, and Barth 2010).…”

Application of multivariate statistical approach to identify trace elements sources in surface waters: a case study of Kowalskie and Stare Miasto reservoirs, Poland

“…Trace elements penetrate to surface waters from natural and anthropogenic sources (Krishna et al 2009; Férauda et al 2009; Zhao et al 2011; Walna and Siepak 2012; Zeng et al 2015). In non-contaminated water reservoirs, the concentrations of most trace elements are low and originate mainly from the weathering of parent rock and soil (Reza and Singh 2010).…”

Spring water chemistry in a formerly glaciated area of western Poland: the contribution of natural and anthropogenic factors

“…As the present research has demonstrated, these are primarily areas in the drainage basins of the Pliszka and Ołobok rivers (the Lake Niesłysz region). The variability of selected heavy metals in spring water was already found not only in the Gry_ zynka river catchment of the Lubuska Upland in the previous work (Szczucińska et al 2010) but also in springs near Poznań in western Poland (Walna and Siepak 2012). Walna and Siepak (2012) interpret the variability as caused by both natural processes (long-lasting precipitation that allows for immobile forms of trace elements to become mobile; changes in pH) and anthropogenic factors (mainly agriculture).…”

“…The mosaic phenomenon of spatial and temporal variation of iron content in the spring waters was also observed by Mazurek et al (2014). Particularly, changes caused by the variability in pH and in the redox potential (Walna and Siepak 2012) are important. In the studied springs, the occurrence of moderate redox conditions (averaging 424 mV) is conducive to the water migration of iron and manganese.…”

“…This is confirmed by the results of research conducted at the monitoring site in Zielona Góra (approximately 25 km from the study area), where the average recorded concentration of lead in atmospheric precipitation during this period was 0.0053 mg/L, whereas the mean for the remaining months was 0.002 mg/L (Liana 2013). Moreover, the high levels of lead in spring water could also be partly due to the timing of melting of a particularly persistent snow cover, which could contribute to the rapid delivery of lead into groundwater (Walna and Siepak 2012). In the case of spring no.…”