Abstract
With the aim of obtaining precise knowledge of the spatial–temporal behavior of the chemistry of the river Tinto, both in the area of the headwaters, close to the point at which the acid mine drainage (AMD) pollution is carried into this river, and in the area before tidal influence, daily sampling was carried out from the end of October 2007 to the beginning of June 2008. In addition to pH, conductivity, and redox potential, sulfates, As, Cd, Fe, Cu, Zn, and Mn were determined for each sample. By studying the results obtained from the statistical processing applied, it can be deduced, first and foremost, that the river Tinto is a watercourse which is highly polluted by acid mine drainage throughout its length. It can also be determined that the order of abundance of the polluting elements, in terms of the concentration of the various parameters in milligrams per liter, follows the pattern, both in the generating source and the receiving environment: SO4 > Fe > Cu > Zn > Mn > Cd > As. The concentration values for As carried into the river in the generating source, with average values of 640 μg l−1 and with a maximum of 1,540 μg l−1 (ten times greater than the maximum found in the receiving environment), far exceed 10 μg l−1, the value established by the EU as the maximum permissible concentration in drinking water, as a consequence of the high eco-toxicity of this element. Specifically, in the correlation matrix, no correlation was found between the variables for both points. It can only be made out in the cross-correlation function graphs through low correlation, prior to time t = 0, that pollution in the generating source leads to pollution in the receiving environment.
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The present study was supported by the Andalusian Autonomous Government Excellence Projects, Project P06-RNM-02167.
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de la Torre, M.L., Grande, J.A., Graiño, J. et al. Characterization of AMD Pollution in the River Tinto (SW Spain). Geochemical Comparison Between Generating Source and Receiving Environment. Water Air Soil Pollut 216, 3–19 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-010-0510-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-010-0510-1