Ecological Conditions of Watercourses in the Middle Amur Lowland in the Areas of Drainage Reclamation

Abstract

The effect of land reclamation on the migration and accumulation of heavy metals and some pollutants in small rivers is determined. The study was conducted in the Middle Amur lowland in different phases of hydrological regime and at different extent of floodplain inundation. The formation of the hydrological regime in small rivers in this area is governed by the irregular annual runoff distribution. The seasonal character of flood periods requires water samples to be taken before spring flood (April) and after floods have passed (September–October), and at various extent of floodplain inundation. The field studies of water-courses were carried out in 2009–2014. The water samples were analyzed to determine the concentrations of heavy metals (iron, manganese, copper, nickel, cobalt, lead and zinc), suspended substances, organic carbon (total, dissolved, and suspended), humic and fulvic acids, and volatile organic compounds. The mobility of heavy metals in surface watercourses was shown to reflect the effect of drainage and surface runoff from soil horizons, an increase in the concentrations of suspended and organic compounds, especially, fulvic acids, which enhance their geochemical mobility. During floods, an increase in heavy metals washout from floodplain soils and the dilution of their concentrations causes the formation of a single-type concentration series of heavy metals. In addition, the processes of pollutants migration show an effect of changes in the geomorphological characteristics of floodplain–channel complexes and a decrease in flow velocity in watercourses in the areas where land reclamation was applied. Thus, all factors mentioned above lead to a decrease in water pollution index in the river.