Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Three Gorges Reservoir: metal pollution in surface water and suspended particulate matter on different reservoir operation periods

  • Thematic Issue
  • Published:
Environmental Earth Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Heavy metals in surface water and suspended particulate matter (SPM) from the Yangtze River, the Jialingjiang River, the Wujiang River and the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) were detected to clarify the effects of water input on water quality of the TGR during the water impoundment period (October 2014) and water releasing period (January 2015), respectively. The results showed that metals concentrations in surface water were in the low range and showed different trends. Metals concentrations in SPM also presented various tendencies. In October 2014, significant or highly significant correlations were found between all the elements except for Ni, Cu and Zn. In January 2015, highly significant correlations were detected between Al, As, Cd, Sn, Sb and Ba, suggesting that these elements may share the same source in SPM. Heavy metal pollution evaluation of surface water and SPM showed that water samples sampled from water impoundment period (October 2014) of TGR suffered more heavy metal pollution than that from water releasing period (January 2015) and waters in the three most important input rivers of TGR were more polluted than waters in TGR, while it showed the opposite trend in SPM. We also found that SPM in January 2015 was more polluted by heavy metals than that in October 2014. As the water quality of TGR is most affected by the three input rivers (the Yangtze River, Jialingjiang River and Wujiang River), some of pollutants especially elements of Cd, Pb and Zn embedded in SPM showed accumulation during the two sampling campaigns and may cause adverse effect to water quality of TGR.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Backman B, Bodis D, Lahermo P, Rapant S, Tarvainen T (1997) Application of a groundwater contamination index in Finland and Slovakia. Environ Geol 36:55–64

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bhuiyan MAH, Dampare SB, Islam MA, Suzuki S (2015) Source apportionment and pollution evaluation of heavy metals in water and sediments of Buriganga River, Bangladesh, using multivariate analysis and pollution evaluation indices. Environ Monit Assess 187:4075

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bilos C, Colombo JC, Presa MJR (1998) Trace metals in suspended particles, sediments and Asiatic clams (Corbicula fluminea) of the Rio de la Plata Estuary, Argentina. Environ Pollut 99:1–11

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carpenter SR, Caraco NF, Correll DL, Howarth RW, Sharpley AN, Smith VH (1998) Nonpoint pollution of surface waters with phosphorus and nitrogen. Ecol Appl 8(3):559–568

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen CW, Kao CM, Chen CF, Dong CD (2007) Distribution and accumulation of heavy metals in the sediments of Kaohsiung Harbor, Taiwan. Chemosphere 66:1431–1440

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • CNEMC (2011) Bulletin on the ecological and environmental monitoring results of the Three Gorges Project 2011. China National Environmental Monitoring Center

  • Deyerling D, Wang JX, Hu W, Westrich B, Peng CR, Bi YH, Henkelmann B, Schramm KW (2014) PAH distribution and mass fluxes in the Three Gorges Reservoir after impoundment of the Three Gorges Dam. Sci Total Environ 491–492:123–130

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dumas C, Aubert D, Durrieu de Madron X, Ludwig W, Heussner S, Delsaut N, Menniti C, Sotin C, Buscail R (2014) Storm-induced transfer of particulate trace metals to the deep-sea in the Gulf of Lion (NW Mediterranean Sea). Environ Geochem Health. doi:10.1007/s10653-014-9614-7

    Google Scholar 

  • Edet AE, Offiong OE (2002) Evaluation of water quality pollution indices for heavy metal contamination monitoring. A study case from Akpabuyo-Odukpani area, Lower Cross River Basin (southeastern Nigeria). GeoJournal 57:295–304

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feng H, Cochran JK, Hirschberg DJ (2002) Transport and sources of metal contaminants over the course of tidal cycle in the turbidity maximum zone of the Hudson River estuary. Water Res 36:733–743

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fu J, Zhao CP, Luo YP, Liu CS, Kyzas GZ, Luo Y, Zhao DY, An SQ, Zhu HL (2014) Heavy metals in surface sediments of the Jialu River, China: their relations to environmental factors. J Hazard Mater 270:102–109

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • He Q, Peng SJ, Zhai J, Xiao HW (2011) Development and application of a water pollution emergency response system for the Three Gorges Reservoir in the Yangtze River. China J Environ Sci 23(4):595–600 (in Chinese)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kumar M, Rahman MM, Ramanathan AL, Naidu R (2016) Arsenic and other elements in drinking water and dietary components from the middle Gangetic plain of Bihar, India: health risk index. Sci Total Environ 539:125–134

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li FQ, Ye L, Liu RQ, Cao M, Cai QH (2008) Dynamics of main nutrient input to Xiangxi Bay of the Three-Gorges Reservoir. Acta Ecol Sinica 28(5):2073–2079 (in Chinese)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ma X, Li Y, Zhang M, Zheng FZ, Du S (2011) Assessment and analysis of non-point source nitrogen and phosphorus loads in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area of Hubei Province, China. Sci Total Environ 412–413:154–161

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ma YQ, Qin YW, Zheng BH, Zhang L, Zhao YM (2015) Seasonal variation of enrichment, accumulation and sources of heavy metals in suspended particulate matter and surface sediments in the Daliao river and Daliao river estuary, Northeast China. Environ Earth Sci 73:5107–5117

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mamat Z, Yimi H, Ji RZA, Eziz M (2014) Source identification and hazardous risk delineation of heavy metal contamination in Yanqi basin, northwest China. Sci Total Environ 493:1098–1111

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Momodu MA, Anyakora CA (2010) Heavy metal contamination of ground water: the Surulere case study. Res J Environ Earth Sci 2(1):39–43

    Google Scholar 

  • Muller G (1979) Index of geoaccumulation in sediments of the Rhine. GeoJournal 2:108–118

    Google Scholar 

  • Muller B, Berg M, Yao ZP, Zhang XF, Wang D, Pfluger A (2008) How polluted is the Yangtze river? Water quality downstream from the Three Gorges Dam. Sci Total Environ 402:232–247

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prasad B, Bose JM (2001) Evaluation of heavy metal pollution index for surface and spring water near a limestone mining area of the lower Himalayas. Environ Geol 41:183–188

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prasad B, Kumari P, Bano S, Kumari S (2014) Ground water quality evaluation near mining area and development of heavy metal pollution index. Appl Water Sci 4:11–17

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prasanna MV, Praveena SM, Chidambaram S, Nagarajan R, Elayaraja A (2012) Evaluation of water quality pollution indices for heavy metal contamination monitoring: a case study from Curtin Lake, Miri City, East Malaysia. Environ Earth Sci 67:1987–2001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reis A, Parker A, Alenvoao A (2014) Storage and origin of metals in active stream sediments from mountainous rivers: a case study in the River Douro basin (North Portugal). Appl Geochem 44:69–79

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reza R, Singh G (2010) Heavy metal contamination and its indexing approach for river water. Int J Environ Sci Tech 7(4):785–792

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shen ZY, Chen L, Hong Q, Qiu JL, Xie H, Liu RM (2013) Assessment of nitrogen and phosphorus loads and causal factors from different land use and soil types in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area. Sci Total Environ 454–455:383–392

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simeonov V, Stratis JA, Samara C, Zachariadis G, Voutsa D, Anthemidis A, Sofoniou M, Kouimtzis T (2003) Assessment of the surface water quality in Northern Greece. Water Res 37:4119–4124

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Song YX, Ji JF, Mao CP, Yang ZF, Yuan XY, Ayoko GA, Frost EL (2010) Heavy metal contamination in suspended solids of Changjiang River—environmental implications. Geoderma 159:286–295

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tang Q, Bao YH, He XB, Zhou HD, Cao ZJ, Gao P, Zhong RH, Hu YH, Zhang XB (2014) Sedimentation and associated trace metal enrichment in the riparian zone of the Three Gorges Reservoir, China. Sci Total Environ 479–480:258–266

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang JX, Bi YH, Pfister G, Henkelmann B, Zhu KX, Schramm KW (2009a) Determination of PAH, PCB, and OCP in water from the Three Gorges Reservoir accumulated by semipermeable membrane devices (SPMD). Chemosphere 75:1119–1127

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang Y, Shen ZY, Niu JF, Liu RM (2009b) Adsorption of phosphorus on sediments from the Three-Gorges Reservoir (China) and the relation with sediment compositions. J Hazard Mater 162:92–98

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang L, Wang YP, Xu CX, An ZY, Wang SM (2011) Analysis and evaluation of the source of heavy metals in water of the River Changjiang. Environ Monit Assess 173:301–313

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang JX, Liang W, Henkelmann B, Pfister G, Schramm KW (2015) Organochlorine pesticides accumulated by SPMD-based virtual organisms and feral fish in Three Gorges Reservoir, China. Environ Pollut 202:160–167

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wong CM, Williams CE, Pittock J, Collier U, Schelle P (2007) World’s top 10 rivers at risk. Gland, Switzerland: WWF International. http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/freshwater/publications/index.cfm?uNewsID=97680

  • Wu J, Huang J, Han X, Gao X, He F, Jiang M, Jiang Z, Primack RB, Shen Z (2004) The Three Gorges Dam: an ecological perspective. Front Ecol Environ 2:241–248

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang ZJ, Liu DF, Ji DB, Xiao SB, Huang YL, Ma J (2013) An eco-environmental friendly operation: an effective method to mitigate the harmful blooms in the tributary bays of Three Gorges Reservoir. Sci China Technol Sci 56:1458–1470

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang ZF, Xia XQ, Wang YP, Ji JF, Wang DC, Hou QY, Yu T (2014) Dissolved and particulate partitioning of trace elements and their spatial-temporal distribution in the Changjiang River. J Geochem Explor 145:114–123

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ye C, Li SY, Zhang YL, Zhang QF (2011) Assessing soil heavy metal pollution in the water-level-fluctuation zone of the Three Gorges Reservoir, China. J Hazard Mater 191:366–372

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zahra A, Hashmi MZ, Malik RN, Ahmed Z (2013) Enrichment and geo-accumulation of heavy metals and risk assessment of sediments of the Kurang Nallah—feeding tributary of the Rawal Lake Reservoir, Pakistan. Sci Total Environ 470–471:925–933

    Google Scholar 

  • Zheng BH, Cao CJ, Qin YW, Huang MS (2008) Analysis of nitrogen distribution characters and their sources of the major input rivers of Three Gorges Reservoir. Environ Sci 29(1):1–6

    Google Scholar 

  • Zheng BH, Wang LJ, Gong B (2009) Load of non-point source pollutants from upstream rivers into Three Gorges Reservoir. Res Environ Sci 22:126–131 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhou AX, Chen N, Lu JY, Fang F, Guo JS (2011) Analysis and evaluation of sediment pollution of secondary rivers of the Three Gorges Reservoir. Procedia Environ Sci 10:2147–2152

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This research was financially supported by the Major Program of National Water Pollution Control and Management (No. 2012ZX07503-002).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Drinking Water Source Protection, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China

    Yingqun Ma, Yanwen Qin, Binghui Zheng, Yanmin Zhao, Lei Zhang, Chenchen Yang, Yao Shi & Quan Wen

  2. National Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China

    Yingqun Ma, Yanwen Qin, Binghui Zheng, Yanmin Zhao, Lei Zhang, Chenchen Yang, Yao Shi & Quan Wen

Authors
  1. Yingqun Ma
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Yanwen Qin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Binghui Zheng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Yanmin Zhao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Lei Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Chenchen Yang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Yao Shi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Quan Wen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Binghui Zheng.

Additional information

This article is part of a Topical Collection in Environmental Earth Sciences on “Environmental Research of the Three Gorges Reservoir”, guest edited by Binghui Zheng, Shengrui Wang, Yanwen Qin, Stefan Norra, and Xiafu Liu.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary material 1 (DOCX 17 kb)

Supplementary material 2 (DOC 61 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Ma, Y., Qin, Y., Zheng, B. et al. Three Gorges Reservoir: metal pollution in surface water and suspended particulate matter on different reservoir operation periods. Environ Earth Sci 75, 1413 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-016-6220-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-016-6220-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation