IMPACTS OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT ON AN OXBOW LAKE IN THE AMAZON REGION: LANDSCAPE AND GEOCHEMICAL EVIDENCE

Abstract

Amapá Lake is an abandoned meander of the Acre River, the margins of which are occupied by agricultural settlements, smallholdings, fish farms and dirt roads. This paper discusses the impact of this occupation on the lake area based on field data and physical-chemical and elementary chemical analyses of the lake and river waters. The strong physical changes in the lake landscape have impacted the quality of its water. During the dry season (low water), when the temperature of the water reaches 30-34ºC, there is a proliferation of green algae and in the area affected by fish farms and smallholdings there is an increase in total dissolved solids, electrical conductivity, and transparency, while turbidity and total suspended solids become more concentrated during the flood season. The anthropogenic impact is also indicated by the higher levels of ammonia, chlorides, bromides, and phosphates in the water. However, the concentrations of dissolved metal ions are all consistent with those found in the Acre River, and other muddy water lakes and rivers in the Amazon basin, reflecting the mineralogy of the suspended material. The concentrations of most heavy metals (Pb, Cu, (Zn), Cd and Hg) are below 0.01 mg L-1, while that of Hg (0.006 mg L-1) is above the recommended limits for human consumption. Overall, the results of the study indicate that Amapá Lake is suffering ongoing impacts (physical and chemical) from urban development, which are mitigated by the periodic flooding of the river. Key words: Urban expansion, Environmental impacts, Waters, Heavy metals.