Assessment of trace metal contamination in groundwater in a highly urbanizing area of Shenfu New District, Northeast China

Abstract

Shenfu New District, located between two old industrial cities, Shenyang and Fushun, is a typical area undergoing industrialization and urbanization in China. The sources and distributions of heavy metals were analyzed in groundwater by multivariate analysis and GIS, and the impact of urbanization on the aqueous distribution of these metals was investigated. The results indicated that the mean contents of zinc (Zn), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb) in the wet periods were about two times of those in the dry period. Nickel (Ni) and chromium (Cr) were considered to be associated with the same anthropogenic origins (i.e., wastewater from agricultural processing). The concentration of Zn was high under natural conditions, but was also affected by human activities (e.g., wastewater from foundry and instrument manufacturers). As, Cd, and Pb are likely derived from both anthropogenic and natural sources (agricultural and water-rock interactions). The spatial distributions of heavy metals in groundwater were region-specific, with the highest concentrations mostly along the Hun River. The heavy metal pollution index (HPI) values from the dry and wet periods showed similar trends at different sampling sites. Only one site’s HPI was above the critical value of 100. These results provide information that can be used to understand potential threats to the groundwater resources of other developing cities.

Keywords

heavy metals / groundwater pollution / hydrochemical type / spatial distribution / seasonal variation / risk assessment

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the Water Foundations of China (2014ZX07202-011). The authors also appreciate support from the Beijing Key Laboratory of Aqueous Typical Pollutants Control and Water Quality Safeguard. We also thank LetPub (www.letpub.com) for its linguistic assistance during the preparation of this manuscript.

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