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Segregation and retention of As, potentially toxic metals, and organic pollutants in a reservoir from the Ohře River (the Czech Republic)

  • Sediments, Sec 1 • Sediment Quality and Impact Assessment • Research Article
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Abstract

Purpose

This work addresses the fates of elements from historical mining that peaked in the 16th (Ag, Cu, Pb, and Sn mining) and 20th (U) centuries, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and polar pesticides in the Nechranice Dam Reservoir in the Ohře River. A steady fluvial input from secondary pollution (As, Cu, Pb, Sn, Zn) enabled the study of pollutant segregation during deposition and post-depositional migration in sediments. These elements are present in concentrations close to toxic levels for aquatic life, which will prevent the achievement of a favourable ecological status in the Ohře River, which is similar to many rivers in central and western Europe.

Materials and methods

The reservoir bottom morphology was acquired by sonar imaging. The sediments were then sampled by extracting 23 gravity cores to describe the distribution of pollution in sediments with sufficient reliability. The inflow delta was characterised by a sub-bottom profiler, aerial imaging, and photogrammetric modelling. X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy and chromatography were used for sediment analysis. The catchment-specific Hg and U pollution peaks provided local chemostratigraphic markers of the pre-dam/reservoir sediment boundary.

Results and discussion

The Sn-bearing pollutant particles were mostly retained immediately after entering the Nechranice Reservoir. Concentrations of Cu, Pb, and Zn are lower in the reservoir basin than in the inflow delta. The sediments of the reservoir basin with water depths > 20 m are enriched in the top layer with Mn species, which may be relevant for the fates of some pollutants. Arsenic shows a post-depositional enriched peak near the base of the Mn-enriched layer. The PAH concentrations normalised to the total organic carbon content (TOC) in the basin sediments are indirectly proportional to the Mn/Fe ratio, showing their oxidative degradation in the Mn-enriched strata.

Conclusions

Our work reveals the important behaviour of pollutants in dam reservoirs, which has not yet been studied adequately to the relevance of the historical burdens in current fluvial systems, secondary fluvial pollution, and future reservoirs with historically polluted catchments. The inflow delta is a highly dynamic sedimentary system responding to changes in water level. The studied reservoir has behaved as a settling system with post-depositional chemical reactions relevant to pollutant fates. The retention of Mn(III,IV) oxides that is considerably enhanced by river damming might play a positive role in the degradation of modern organic pollutants. Arsenic in the sediments undergoes translocation to sharp subsurface peaks.

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Acknowledgments

Role of co-authors was as follows: TMG co-ordinated laboratory analysis and prepared the manuscript; OB managed grant project, co-ordinated fieldworks, assisted with data interpretation, and contributed to paper preparation; JS performed sampling and assisted with manuscript preparation; ZL performed sub-bottom profiling; MF contributed by magnetic and granulometric analysis; JŠ contributed significantly to fieldwork, performed grab sampling, and acquired and processed sonar data; JP assisted in fieldwork and performed and presented GIS work; JT assisted in sampling and performed organic analysis (PAH and part of pesticides); and SK assisted in sampling and performed organic analysis (part of pesticides). The authors thank J. Elznicová and M. Hošek (UJEP in Ústí nad Labem), who helped with sediment sampling, M. Maříková and P. Vorm (IIC in Řež), who performed most laboratory XRF analyses, and J. Kauputa (UP in Olomouc) for electron microscopy and microanalysis of the magnetic fraction. We appreciate outstanding work of two anonymous reviewers and journal editors, who helped substantially to improve the presentation of our work.

Funding

The work was supported by the Czech Science Foundation (project No. 17-06229S coordinated by O. Bábek), by Internal Student Grant Agency of the J.E. Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem (project coordinated by J. Tolaszová for POP analysis, and project UJEP-SGS-2017-44-005-3 coordinated by J. Štojdl for sonar imaging).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Environment, J. E. Purkyně University, Králova Výšina 3132/7, 400 96, Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic

    T. Matys Grygar, J. Štojdl, J. Pacina, J. Tolaszová & S. Kříženecká

  2. Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, 250 68, Husinec-Řež, Czech Republic

    T. Matys Grygar & M. Faměra

  3. Faculty of Science, Palacký University, 17. listopadu 1192/12, 771 46, Olomouc, Czech Republic

    O. Bábek, J. Sedláček, Z. Lenďáková & M. Faměra

  4. Health Institute in Ústí nad Labem, Moskevská 15, 400 01, Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic

    J. Tolaszová

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  1. T. Matys Grygar
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Correspondence to T. Matys Grygar.

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Grygar, T.M., Bábek, O., Sedláček, J. et al. Segregation and retention of As, potentially toxic metals, and organic pollutants in a reservoir from the Ohře River (the Czech Republic). J Soils Sediments 20, 2931–2948 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-020-02636-w

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