Variation in composition of stream bed sediments in a small watercourse

Abstract

We investigated the regional and temporal variation of the composition stream of bed sediments of the Langbroekerwetering, The Netherlands, in particular the effect of effluent discharges of sewage treatment plants on the sediment composition. Before we could map the chemistry of the bed sediments we had to examine two aspects which might obscure regional variation, namely variation due to differences in clay and organic matter content and short range variation. To remove the effect of clay and organic matter, the concentrations in the bed sediment were normalized to a standard sediment with 7% clay and 5% organic matter. By means of a nested sampling we ascertained that the sediments were highly variable within short distances. By increasing the effective support size by collecting composite samples, the regional differences can be mapped. The number of subsamples needed for a composite sample was established at 25. From the mapping of the study area it appears that the two existing effluent discharges affect the sediment composition locally. In particular, concentrations of N, P, K, Na, Zn, and Cu are raised due to the discharge of effluent. Inlet of water from the River Rhine and the occurence of flood waves are the main sources of temporal variation in the bed sediment composition in the Langbroekerwetering.