Spatio-Temporal Variation of Heavy Metal Pollution during Accidents: A Case Study of the Heshangshan Protected Water Area, China

Abstract

Recently, water environmental accidents have occasionally occurred which have had wide-ranging influences, long durations and are difficult to deal with. The development of the social economy, the acceleration of industrialization, the huge discharge of industrial wastewater and the occasional occurrence of ship transportation accidents pose serious threats to the water quality of water inlets and protected water areas. This article applied the two-dimensional water quality model, used a GIS platform and FORTRAN language, and predicted spatio-temporal variations of the iron concentration during a water pollution accident. This research selected the water inlet of Heshangshan Water Plant and the Heshangshan protected water area as the research objective, and assumed a water pollution event had occurred. It was suggested that we should take corresponding emergency measures and relevant solutions to deal with the bad effects of water pollution accidents. The processes mainly included the selection of the study area, the determination of the equation to be used, parameters determination, as well as the identification of the accident scenario and source. The durations of the iron concentration exceeding the standard at the water inlet were 12–18 min and in the protected water area were 16–36 min in four water periods after the accident. In addition, the durations taken for the iron concentration to decrease to the background value in the protected water area were 18–38 min after the accident in four water periods in the accident scenario. Relevant departments should take some contingency measures to avoid fetching water from the intake after the accident within 40 min after the accident and the relevant staff can cancel the warning 40 min after the accident.

A management framework for sudden water pollution: A systematic review output

“…This outcome reduced water availability to people, creating the tendency for water‐wash diseases. A study by Ding et al (2019) summarized a sudden heavy metal pollution incident in the Tingjiang River, which led to a drinking water crisis. The residents spent about 9 days without access to safe drinking water.…”

“…A study by Ding et al (2019) reported that the 2010 dam breakage of the Zijin mine produced an acid water leakage accident from the Zinjinshan copper mine, China. The study also evidenced the serious heavy metal pollution in the waters of the Tingjiiang River.…”

“…This indecent occurred in 2015 when a tailing pond ruptured, producing an antimony concentration over 1000 times greater than the established standard. Another study by Ding et al (2019) reported severe heavy metal pollution due to accidental leakage of copper mines. Similarly, a rupture in the trans‐Andean petroleum pipeline in Ecuador was observed in 1998, leaking crude oil into the Teaone River for several hours (Hernández, 2022).…”

“…Two studies by Ding et al (2019) and Liu et al (2020) applied a 2D water quality model in a GIS platform to overcome the limitations of 1D models. The study analyzed the spatiotemporal variation of iron concentrations under an assumed accidental discharge into a protected water area.…”

Temporal changes in metal concentrations in a polluted urban basin: the contribution of multivariate techniques to the evaluation of their recovery

“…In urban rivers in many fast-growing cities heavy metals contamination is one of the major quality issues because of the practice of discharging of untreated domestic and industries wastes (Khadse et al 2008; Reza and Singh 2010; Venugopal et al 2009). The impacts of metals in the environment are severe and long term because they are di cult to eliminate (Ding et al 2019;Liang et al 2011). Metals tend to be toxic for the environment and humans as they are non-biodegradable and can accumulate in the human body system, causing damage to the nervous system (Adams et Rivers and streams of fresh water are important for food, services and recreation, and this is why their recovery has become a world-wide requirement (Chen 2017;Palmer et al 2005).…”