The Synergic Characteristics of Surface Water Pollution and Sediment Pollution with Heavy Metals in the Haihe River Basin, Northern China

Xian Cheng,Peiru Kong,Liding Chen,Ranhao Sun

doi:10.3390/w10010073

Abstract

Aquatic environmental deterioration is becoming a serious problem due to rapid urbanization and economic development, particularly in developing countries. As two important components of the aquatic environment, water quality and sediment pollution are widely considered to be concerns; however, they are considered separately in most cases. The relationship between water quality and sediment pollution with heavy metals has been little addressed. In this study, the Haihe River Basin (HRB), one of the most polluted areas in China, was used as a case study, and the eutrophication index (EI) and the potential ecological risk index (RI) were employed to evaluate water quality and sediment pollution of heavy metals, respectively. The results showed that generally in the HRB, the water quality was poor, while the risk of heavy metal pollution was relatively low. Surface water quality was mainly influenced by sewage discharges from human daily life, and heavy metal pollution was affected by industry structure, in that the areas with resource/energy consumption industries and high-pollution industries often have high risks of heavy metal pollution Synergic pollution from water eutrophication and sediment pollution with heavy metals was found, especially in the central areas of the HRB, and it was largely dependent on the type of human activities. In the places with intensive human activities, such as secondary industry, eutrophication occurred simultaneously with heavy metal pollution, other than in less human-affected areas. These findings are useful for planning aquatic environment protections and river ecosystem management.

Highlights

IntroductionAquatic ecosystems and environments are facing the threat of deterioration
As human activity increases, aquatic ecosystems and environments are facing the threat of deterioration
Mean concentrations of total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), ammonia nitrogen (NH3 -N), nitrate nitrogen (NO3 -N), chemical oxygen demand (COD) in waters and heavy metals (Cd, As, Pb, Cu, Ni, Zn, Cr) in sediments were investigated in the Haihe River Basin

Summary

Introduction

Aquatic ecosystems and environments are facing the threat of deterioration. Eutrophication, as an important contributor to the degradation of aquatic ecosystems, is the enrichment of water bodies by nutrients, especially compounds of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), which may cause the accelerated growth of algae and higher forms of plant life and produce an undesirable disturbance to the balance of organisms and water quality [4]. This may lead to changes in water clarity and dissolved oxygen, result in the deterioration of the water environment, and even threaten the aquatic ecosystems’ function [5,6].

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Conclusion