Water Quality And Pollutant Migration In AStretch Of The Po River System

Abstract

An overview of the water quality of the Po River in its middle course is presented together with a summary of the behaviour of pollutants (both heavy metal and organics) discharged by the Lambro River. The fluctuations of the most important water quality parameter (dissolved oxygen), deriving from a 14 years monitoring programme carried out in two stations of the Po River (the former upstream and the latter downstream the Lambro River input), is treated in terms of oxygen production and consumption. Forecasting models, based on the fugacity concept, are used to predict the distribution of pollutants, both organics and heavy metals, between the Po River environmental compartments, and validated through dedicated field runs. More specific studies to understand the role of Lambro River on the exchange processes between water and suspended particulate matter of some selected heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Co, Mn, Fe, Zn and Pb) have been carried out. In particular the Kd variabilities between Po River and its tributary (Lambro River) have been studied.