Concentration and Distribution of Selected Trace Elements in the Maumee River Basin, Ohio, Indiana and Michigan
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Date
1974-03
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Ohio State University. Water Resources Center
Abstract
During the period August, 1971 to April, 1973, water and stream-bottom sediment samples were collected from 225 sites distributed throughout the Maumee River basin in northwestern Ohio, southeastern Michigan and northeastern
Indiana. Split sediment samples were treated with a weak and a strong extractant before being examined by an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Water samples were analyzed without specific preparation. The water and
sediment samples were analyzed in order to determine the concentration of Ag, Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Sn, Sr, and Zn.
The concentration of these elements in both water and sediment included a wide range, but in most cases, the concentrations in water are very small
while in sediment it may be very large.
Seven municipalities within the basin are characterized by large concentrations
of one or more elements in water or sediment. These localities include Fort Wayne and Butler, Indiana; Hudson, Michigan; and Maumee, Findlay, Defiance, and Decatur, Ohio. The high concentrations are probably the result of Industrial and municipal waste disposal.
Not all anomolous concentrations are restricted to industrial centers. A large number of samples from small streams in rural areas contained high
concentrations of arsenic, mercury, lead, zinc and nickel. These may be related to the agricultural use of pesticides. A natural source, however, may be related to the discharge of mineralized ground water, which reflects the
chemical composition of the strata through which the water has migrated.
Some high concentrations may be more apparent than real, particularly for those elements characterized by a low wave length. This is due to instrument error, and analytical techniques. In particular, these elements include
arsenic, mercury and tin.
Description
This study was supported by the Office of Water Resources Research. U.S. Department of the Interior under Project A-026-OHIO
(print) 149 p. : maps (some folded) ; 28 cm.
(print) 149 p. : maps (some folded) ; 28 cm.