Fluxes of Heavy Metals from a Highly Polluted Watershed During Flood Events: A Case Study of the Litavka River, Czech Republic

Abstract

The Litavka River (length 56 km, watershed area 630 km2, average flow at the outlet to the Berounka River 2.57 m3 s−1) drains the historical mining, ore processing, and smelting region of Přibram. This Ag–Pb–Zn±Sb ore district (production from the thirteenth century to 1978, locally to 1980) is known for extensive heavy metal contamination. Recent contamination of the Litavka River system is mostly related to the erosion of contaminated soils and fluvial floodplains sediments, especially from a low-gradient river section located immediately below the ore district, where the fine-grained floodplain sediments are from 1.0 to 1.7 m thick. Radiocarbon accelerator mass spectrometry dating of charcoal fragments separated from one floodplain profile showed calibrated 14C age in the range AD 1220–1284 at a depth of 1.2 m below the surface, while depths of 0.4 and 0.8 m yielded ages in the range AD 1680–1939. Formation of this floodplain was related to disturbance of the river equilibrium resulting from deforestation and the influx of fine-grained material from ore processing, including historical failures of settling ponds. Fluxes of heavy metals during flood events in the Litavka River were studied 35 km downstream below the ore district. Metals are transported here mostly (more than 99% for Pb) in the form of suspended particulate matter (SPM), which at the outlet of the Litavka River contains 2,016 mg kg−1 Zn, 918 mg kg−1 Pb, and 25.5 mg kg−1 Cd on average. During a snowmelt-related minor flood event between March 25 and 29, 2006 (peak flow 36.6 m3 s−1), the river transported 2,400 tonnes of SPM during 4 days, containing 74 kg of Cd, 2,954 kg of Pb, and 5,811 kg of Zn. During larger floods (water flows above 55 m3 s−1 have occurred here 27 times during the last 77 years), the contamination is more diluted by material eroded in the floodplain along the middle and lower river course.