Abstract
The present investigation was conducted in the vicinities of the Bou Grine abandoned mine in order to assess the presence and the spatial distribution of trace metallic elements (TME) or trace metals in soil, surface water and groundwater. Water and sediment samples were collected and analysed to determine the principal physicochemical properties of the TME. High level contamination of soil by Pb, Zn and Cu was detected, with maximum concentrations of 14,149 mg/kg, 14,691 mg/kg and 165.7 mg/kg, respectively. These relatively high concentrations bring insight to the anthropogenic impact related to the erosion of dump deposits, which represent the principal source of metal contamination in the soil. The distribution of trace elements concentrations in water (surface or groundwater) shows that the high values, which largely exceed the World Health Organization (WHO) standards for drinking water, occur downstream the abandoned mine. This finding confirms the assumption that the abandoned mine site constitutes the main source of metal pollution, which needs its urgent rehabilitation in order to avoid the undesirable interaction with agricultural and urban areas.
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