Heavy Metal Accumulation in Sediments of Small Retention Reservoirs—Ecological Risk and the Impact of Humic Substances Distribution

Abstract

Anthropogenic pollutants that accumulate in bottom sediments may pose a serious threat to the aquatic environment and humans. The aim of the study was to determine the ecological risk related to the contamination of sediment with heavy metals and the relationship between the accumulation of heavy metals and various granulometric fractions and humic substances in the bottom sediments of small retention reservoirs located in catchments of varying anthropopressure. The research objects were five small dam reservoirs located in south-eastern Poland. The sediments of the reservoir exposed to the greatest anthropopressure from the catchment area posed a serious threat to aquatic organisms feeding at the bottom. The bottom sediments of the remaining reservoirs showed a low level of potential toxicity (or non-toxicity). The observed relationship between the enrichment of sediments with organic matter (OM) and the increased risk of their ecotoxic impact on aquatic organisms was determined by excessive exposure to heavy metal contamination. The sand content did not appear to have a clear effect on the metal accumulation, although it was associated with enrichment in OM. Due to diverse environmental conditions, it was not possible to unequivocally confirm that the accumulation of heavy metals in the sediments of small retention reservoirs directly depends on the content of organic matter and humic substances, but such relationships were observed in most of the objects.