Abstract
Sources and mobility of arsenic in the upper Salt River (Arizona) were examined using a 6‐year long mass balance for nine U.S. Geological Survey chemical monitoring stations, a more spatially intensive low‐flow synoptic study, and laboratory leaching studies. An arsenic‐rich lacustrine deposit (the Verde Formation) comprised only 4% of the watershed but contributed a third of the total watershed arsenic loading. Export from this part of the watershed was 10–20 times higher than export from most other parts of the watershed. Laboratory experiments confirmed the high As leaching potential for this formation. Although elevated levels of As were found in a geothermal spring and in several mine seeps, these sources of arsenic contributed little to the overall As loading. About 15% of the As loading from the upper Verde River watershed was retained by a two‐reservoir system. Sedimentation and chemical precipitation appear to be likely mechanisms of As retention in the reservoirs.
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