Mill pond sediments as the indicator of the environment of the drainage area (an example of Liswarta River, Odra basin, Poland)

Abstract

The geochemical characteristics of sediments deposited within a channel-type reservoir situated behind the weir of a water mill on the River Liswarta (southern Poland) were studied in relation to land use in the catchment. The catchment in question is an agricultural one with large forest areas. The contamination of sediments with trace elements was assessed using the geoaccumulation index. The sediments studied were moderately to heavily contaminated with As, Cu, Co, Ni and Ba. They were also heavily contaminated with Sr. Additionally, V and Cr contamination ranged from heavy to extreme. The basic composition of sediments and the trace elements present in them indicate both natural and anthropogenic sources of pollution. Mill impoundments provide zones where the sediments transported by rivers accumulate. Within the Liswarta catchment, their removal may cause the remobilisation of contaminated alluvial deposits.

Anthropogenic enrichment of the chemical composition of bottom sediments of water bodies in the neighborhood of a non-ferrous metal smelter (Silesian Upland, Southern Poland)

“…Generally, the correlation between higher SiO 2 content and lower loss on ignition results from catchment conditions (substrates consisting of sandy Pleistocene formations) and human impact (former mineral workings without any overburden and deposit). A high loss on ignition indicates a significant organic matter content in the sediments 10 . The coastal zones of lakes, which are often colonised by compact stands of rushes, play a major role in determining the amount of this matter 32 .…”

“…During the ICP analysis, reagent blanks with and without the lithium borate flux were analysed alongside the method reagent blank. Interference correction verification standards were analysed as well 10,23 . Multiple USGS and CANMET certified reference materials were used for calibration (two standards for every group of ten samples) in order to bracket groups of samples.…”

Pollution of Sedimentary Ponds at an Industrial Plant in Janikowo (Poland)

“…It is different at points G2 and G3, which are further away from the slag ponds; there, high values already occur at smaller depths, after which they remain at a similar level. This may indicate the filtration of less polluted waters from the sedimentary pond, leaching ions from surface of waste heap and transporting them to the lower layers at point G1 [27][28][29]. This phenomenon does not occur at G2 and G3, hence the ions are washed away there much more slowly (only by infiltrating rainwater) and their higher concentrations persist at small depths.…”

Changes in the Dynamics and Nature of Sedimentation in Mill Ponds as an Indicator of Environmental Changes in a Selected Lake Catchment (Chełmińskie Lake District, Poland)

“…Water mill location is an effect of the relationship between natural conditions prevailing at the time, and socioeconomic conditions [1,2]. The research carried out in Struga Rychnowska catchment can provide results of: the changes in hydrographic network [2,3], the sizes and types of anthropogenic landscape features, and sediments deposited in mill pond basins [2,4,5]. They allow determining original condition of geographical environment in the catchment [2,4,5] and the nature of introduced transformations [1, 2,4].…”

“…The research carried out in Struga Rychnowska catchment can provide results of: the changes in hydrographic network [2,3], the sizes and types of anthropogenic landscape features, and sediments deposited in mill pond basins [2,4,5]. They allow determining original condition of geographical environment in the catchment [2,4,5] and the nature of introduced transformations [1, 2,4]. The analyses of bottom pond sediments are commonly used as indicators of anthropogenic impact on the environment [6][7][8][9][10].…”