Metal pollution in sediments of Jamaica Bay, New York, USA—An urban estuary

Abstract

/ Calculations of the annual input of heavy metals to Jamaica Bay, New York, USA, reveal that sewage effluent carries the largest quantities of Ni, Zn, Cu, and Cd to the bay. Storm sewers and atmospheric fallout are the main sources of Pb. Atmospheric fallout of Zn, Cu, and Cd, although smaller than the combined input from sewers, contributes a significant fraction of these metals. The metal input from landfill leachate is far smaller than that from other sources. Analysis of available data shows that metal concentrations in the sediment of the bay correlate with each other and with percent total organic carbon (%TOC). This is consistent with the observation that the input of metals is predominantly associated with sewage. It is demonstrated that metaI-TOC ratios, rather than metal concentrations, must be used in efforts to detect local intensive sources of metals in solution; metal-TO0 ratios in intertidal sediment adjacent to these landfills are elevated by the adsorption of leachate metals, while metal concentrations are not. Subtidal sediment within a few hundred meters from two landfills shows no evidence of the addition of metals from that source, which is consistent with the small input of metals estimated for these landfills. The evidence cited in this study sharply contradicts the implication made in a widely publicized report issued by an environmental advocacy group that a significant link exists between metals found in subtidal sediment of Jamaica Bay and landfill leachate.

Temporal Trends of Dissolved Trace Metals in Jamaica Bay, NY: Importance of Wastewater Input and Submarine Groundwater Discharge in an Urban Estuary

“…We should note here that the WWTP metal fluxes we calculate for Cu, Pb, Ni, and Zn (the only common metals available for comparison) are lower than those calculated by Seidemann (1991), by factors of 30, 7, 82, and 10, respectively. Given that the WWTP discharge volumes used by Seidemann (originating from a 1984 report) are comparable to ours, the discrepancy must be one of effluent metal concentrations.…”

“…In general, the sedimentary metal distributions in Jamaica Bay follow expected trends of covariation with grain size and organic carbon content; Grassy Bay and the interior marshes tend to have the highest metal concentrations (Ramondetta and Harris 1978;Seidemann 1991). Estimated metal fluxes to the bay show that the liquid sewage source is greatest, followed by raw sewage (combined sewage overflow, or CSO), atmospheric deposition, storm sewers, and landfill leachate (Seidemann 1991). Some data also suggest that trace metal inputs to Jamaica Bay have declined since the late 1960s or early 1970s, and storms and consequent CSO events can deliver large pulses of metal contaminants to the bay that are visible in the sedimentary record (Bopp et al 1993).…”

“…Note that extensive marshland exists in the bay but has been removed from this map for clarity (after Beck et al 2007a) are measurements of sedimentary metal levels. In general, the sedimentary metal distributions in Jamaica Bay follow expected trends of covariation with grain size and organic carbon content; Grassy Bay and the interior marshes tend to have the highest metal concentrations (Ramondetta and Harris 1978;Seidemann 1991). Estimated metal fluxes to the bay show that the liquid sewage source is greatest, followed by raw sewage (combined sewage overflow, or CSO), atmospheric deposition, storm sewers, and landfill leachate (Seidemann 1991).…”

“…To our knowledge, only three peer-reviewed data sets of trace metals in Jamaica Bay have been reported (Ramondetta and Harris 1978;Seidemann 1991;Bopp et al 1993), and all . Shallow groundwater sample sites are noted in large, boldface font; the site codes are Canarsie Pol (CPol), Canarsie Pier (CPier), and Broad Channel (BC).…”

Fractionation of Heavy Metals in Surface Sediments of Taihu Lake, East China

“…It is assumed that the total organic carbon (TOC) can serve as a matrix on particle surfaces for complexing metals. Seidemann (1991) found a strong correlation between the percentage of TOC and metal pollution in sediment of an urban estuary. However, the relationship between the concentrations of heavy metals in different fractions and TOC is not well documented.…”