Seasonal Variation of Heavy Metals Levels in Surface Waters of Siirt Region

Abstract

The rapid increase in the population of our country, the growing agricultural, industrial, and mining activities in recent years and the necessity to meet the needs of the growing population increase the demand for water rapidly. The increase in the need for water requires monitoring and control of surface clean water resources, which are limited, and determining priority water policies. For this reason, not only the water quality but also the amount of water resources is important. In this study, some heavy and metal determinations (As, Cu, Co, Ni, Cd, Cr, Mn, Pb) were performed in the major surface waters (Kezer, Başur, Bitlis, Botan and Zarova rivers ) in Siirt region and seasonal changes were investigated. As a result, the levels of the heavy metals determined were below the values determined by WHO (World Healt Organization ), EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), TSE ( Turkısh Standarts Instite ) and there was no change in their levels seasonally.