Assessment of Heavy Metal Pollution in Water and Sediment of Ghare Bagh Drainage (Southeast Shiraz)
Subject Areas :Elham Bikineh 1 , Farid Moore 2 , Behnan Keshavarzi 3 , Vahideh Sheykhi 4
1 - M.Sc. Holder of Environmental Geology, Earth Sciences Department, Faculty of Sciences, Shiraz University
2 - Professor of Earth Sciences Department, Faculty of Sciences, Shiraz University
3 - Assistant Professor of Earth Sciences Department, Faculty of Sciences, Shiraz University
4 - Post doc Researcher of Environmental Geology, Earth Sciences Department, Faculty of Sciences, Shiraz
University
Keywords: Heavy metals, Effluent discharge, Geochemical indices, Ghare Bagh drainage,
Abstract :
In this study, Ghare Bagh drainage in southeast Shiraz is investigated. Ghare Bagh drainage receives dischargeof Shiraz Industrial Complex effluent, irrigation-return flows, and sewage of upstream villages before reachingMaharlu Lake. Sediment and water heavy metal contents and physicochemical parameters of this drainage aredetermined and discussed in this study. The results showed a decreasing trend in heavy metals abundance inwater samples as Zn > Ni > Cu > Pb > Mo > As > Co > Cd and in sediment samples as Cr > Ni > Zn > Cu > Co> Pb > Mo > As > Cd. Pollution assessment was carried out by calculating Enrichment Factor, GeoaccumulationIndex, Contamination Factor, and Contamination Degree. The results revealed that Ghare Bagh drainagesediments are moderately to heavily polluted with Mo, Zn, Ni, Cr, and in some stations with Pb. In order toestablish interelemental relationships and indicate the sources of elements, Correlation Coefficients andPrincipal Component Analysis (PCA) were implemented on data. Principal components analysis of sedimentsamples showed that Ni is mainly originated natural environment, probably the parent rocks, while the rest ofelements (except Cr) have anthropogenic origins. Cr probably is originated from both anthropogenic and naturalsources.
