Soil & Water Res., 2016, 11(4):235-243 | DOI: 10.17221/118/2015-SWR

Contamination characteristics of the confluence of polluted and unpolluted rivers - range and spatial distribution of contaminants of a significant mining centre (Kutná Hora, Czech Republic)Original Paper

Jan HORÁK, Michal HEJCMAN
Department of Ecology, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic

The study brings new insights into the topic of the contamination characteristics of the mining region of Kutná Hora (Central Bohemia). The previous meta-analysis of the contamination studies showed that there could be a surprisingly low spatial range of contaminated river sediment downstream of Kutná Hora. The study should answer the question as to whether it is justifiable to interpret the presence of contaminants as a result of Kutná Hora mining. There was found a rapid increase in concentrations between the background area and contaminated Kutná Hora. Increase of medians (in mg/kg) of As: 33 and 148, Cu: 34 and 57, Pb: 35 and 82, Zn: 85 and 232; means increased ca 10 times. Then a decrease between the contaminated area and the confluence area was observed. But this decrease was influenced by the presence of extreme values in the contaminated area and therefore it was observed only in means. Medians of the elements concentrations did not decrease. The concentrations of the elements decreased after the confluence to lower values, but they stayed at the contaminated area levels. The background levels were observed only in the probes related to Labe alluvium. But also in these probes, the contamination was traced by multivariate analyses - by clear separation of As, Cu, Pb, Zn from other elements. The contamination was manifested in probes after the confluence mainly in the topsoil levels of alluvium, ca. in 10 to 40 cm. The original starting point of this study, that the contamination is not firmly manifested in the areas after the confluence, based on meta-analysis of regional studies, is not valid.

Keywords: 3D analysis; magnetic susceptibility; pollutant distribution; river sediments; spatial analysis; trace element

Published: December 31, 2016  Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
HORÁK J, HEJCMAN M. Contamination characteristics of the confluence of polluted and unpolluted rivers - range and spatial distribution of contaminants of a significant mining centre (Kutná Hora, Czech Republic). Soil & Water Res.. 2016;11(4):235-243. doi: 10.17221/118/2015-SWR.
Share...
Download citation
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)
    • Open full article

    Supplementary files:

    Download fileHorak_ESM_S1_S20.pdf

    File size: 7.17 MB

    Download fileHorak_ESM_S21.pdf

    File size: 1.22 MB

    Download fileHorak_ESM_S22.xlsx

    File size: 641.64 kB

    References

    1. Ash C., Borůvka L., Tejnecký V., Nikodem A., Šebek O., Drábek O. (2014): Potentially toxic element distribution in soils from the Ag-smelting slag of Kutná Hora (Czech Republic): Descriptive and prediction analyses. Journal of Geochemical Exploration, 144: 328-336. Go to original source...
    2. Bábek O., Hilscherová K., Nehyba S., Zeman J., Faměra M., Francú J., Holoubek I., Machát J., Klánová J. (2008): Contamination history of suspended river sediments accumulated in oxbow lakes over the last 25 years. Morava River (Danube catchment area), Czech Republic. Journal of Soils and Sediments, 8: 165-176. Go to original source...
    3. Bábek O., Faměra M., Hilscherová K., Kalvoda J., Dobrovolný P., Sedláček J., Machát J., Holoubek I. (2011): Geochemical traces of flood layers in the fluvial sedimentary archive; implications for contamination history analyses. Catena, 87: 281-290. Go to original source...
    4. Bartoš M. (2004): The medieval mining in Kutná Hora. In: Nováček K (ed): The Mining and Processing of Precious Metals: Settlement and Technological Aspects. Mediaevalia Archaeologica 6. Praha, Brno, Plzeň. Archeologický Ústav AV ČR: 157-201. (in Czech)
    5. Bird G., Brewer P.A., Macklin M.G., Serban M., Balteanu D., Driga B. (2005): Heavy metal contamination in the Aries river catchment, western Romania: implications for development of the Rosia Montana gold deposit. Journal of Geochemical Exploration, 86: 26-48. Go to original source...
    6. Borovec Z. (1995): Toxic elements in river sediments: case study Elbe and its tributaries. Sborník České geografické společnosti, 100: 268-275. (in Czech) Go to original source...
    7. Brewer P.A., Taylor M.P. (1997): The spatial distribution of heavy metal contaminated sediment across terraced floodplains. Catena, 30: 229-249. Go to original source...
    8. Ciszewski D. (2003): Heavy metals in vertical profiles of the middle Odra River overbank sediments: evidence for pollution changes. Water, Air and Soil Pollution, 143: 81-98. Go to original source...
    9. Ciszewski D., Kubsik U., Aleksander-Kwaterczak U. (2012): Long-term dispersal of heavy metals in a catchment affected by historic lead and zinc mining. Journal of Soils and Sediments, 12: 1445-1462. Go to original source...
    10. Clark S., Menrath W., Chen M., Roda S., Succop P. (1999): Use of a field portable X-ray fluorescence analyzer to determine the concentration of lead and other metals in soil samples. Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine, 6: 27-32. Go to PubMed...
    11. Coulthard T.J., Macklin M.G. (2003): Modeling long-term contamination in river systems from historical metal mining. Geology, 31: 451-454. Go to original source...
    12. Craddock P.T., Lang J. (Eds.) (2003): Mining and Metal Production through the Ages. London, The British Museum Press.
    13. Dennis I.A., Coulthard T.J., Brewer P., Macklin M.G. (2009): The role of floodplains in attenuating contaminated sediment fluxes in formerly mined drainage basins. Earth Surface, Processes and Landforms, 34: 453-466. Go to original source...
    14. Ettler V., Mihaljevič M., Šebek O., Molek M., Grygar T., Zeman J. (2006): Geochemical and Pb isotopic evidence for sources and dispersal of metal contamination in stream sediments district of Příbram, Czech Republic. Environmenatl Pollution, 142: 409-417. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    15. Förstner U., Heise S., Schwartz R., Westrich B., Ahlf W. (2004): Historical contaminated sediments and soils at the river basin scale. Examples from the Elbe River catchment area. Journal of Soils and Sediments, 4: 247-260. Go to original source...
    16. Gäbler H.E., Schneider J. (2000): Assessment of heavy-metal contamination of floodplain soils due to mining and mineral processing in the Harz Mountains, Germany. Environmental Geology, 39: 774-782. Go to original source...
    17. Grattan J.P., Gilbertson D.D., Hunt C.O. (2007): The local and global dimensions of metalliferous pollution derived from a reconstruction of an eight thousand year record of copper smelting and mining at a desert-mountain frontier in southern Jordan. Journal of Archaeological Science, 34: 83-110. Go to original source...
    18. Hilscherová K., Dušek L., Kubík V., Čupr P., Hofman J., Klánová J., Holoubek I. (2007): Redistribution of organic pollutants in river sediments and alluvial soils related to major floods. Journal of Soils and Sediments, 7: 167-177. Go to original source...
    19. Hindel R., Schalich J., De Vos W., Ebbing J., Swennen R., Van Keer I. (1996): Vertical distribution of elements in overbank sediment profiles from Belgium, Germany and The Netherlands. Journal of Geochemical Exploration, 56: 105-122. Go to original source...
    20. Horák J., Hejcman M. (2013): Use of trace elements from historical mining for alluvial sediment dating. Soil and Water Research, 8: 77-86. Go to original source...
    21. Hudson-Edwards K.A., Macklin M.G., Curtis C.D., Vaughan D.J. (1996): Processes of formation and distribution of Pb-, Zn-, Cd- and Cu-bearing minerals in the Tyne Basin, Northeast England: implications for metal-contaminated river systems. Environmental Science and Technology, 30: 72-80. Go to original source...
    22. Hürkamp K., Raab T., Völkl J. (2009a): Lead pollution of floodplain soils in a historic mining area - Age, distribution and binding forms. Water, Air and Soil Pollution, 201: 331-345. Go to original source...
    23. Hürkamp K., Raab T., Völkl J. (2009b): Two and threedimensional quantification of lead contamination in alluvial soils of a historic mining area using field portable X-ray fluorescence (FPXRF) analysis. Geomorphology, 110: 28-36. Go to original source...
    24. Kalnicky D.J., Singhvi R. (2001): Field portable XRF analysis of environmental samples. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 83: 93-122. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    25. Knox J.C. (2006): Floodplain sedimentation in the Upper Mississippi Valley: Natural versus human accelerated. Geomorphology, 79: 286-310. Go to original source...
    26. Kořan J. (1950): The History of Mining in the Ore Region of Kutná Hora. Geotechnica, Vol. 11, Praha, Vědeckotechnické nakladatelství.
    27. Králová L., Száková J., Kubík S., Tlustoš P., Balík J. (2010): The variability of arsenic and other risk element uptake by individual plant species growing on contaminated soil. Soil and Sediment Contamination, 19: 617-634. Go to original source...
    28. Lecce S.A., Pavlowsky R.T. (2001): Use of mining-contaminated sediment tracers to investigate the timing and rates of historical flood plain sedimentation. Geomorphology, 38: 85-108. Go to original source...
    29. Macklin M.G., Klimek K. (1992): Dispersal, storage and transformation of metal-contaminated alluvium in the upper Vistula basin, southwest Poland. Applied Geography, 12: 7-30. Go to original source...
    30. Martin C.W. (2015): Trace metal storage in recent floodplain sediments along the Dill River, central Germany. Geomorphology, 235: 52-62. Go to original source...
    31. Matschullat J., Ellminger F., Agdemir N., Cramer S., Ließmann W., Niehoff N. (1997): Overbank sediment profiles - evidence of early mining and smelting activities in the Harz mountains, Germany. Applied Geochemistry, 12: 105-114. Go to original source...
    32. Miller J.R. (1997): The role of fluvial geomorphic processes in the dispersal of heavy metals from mine sites. Journal of Geochemical Exploration, 58: 101-118. Go to original source...
    33. Nováková T., Matys Grygar T., Bábek O., Faměra M., Mihaljevič M., Strnad L. (2013): Distinguishing regional and local sources of pollution by trace metals and magnetic particles in fluvial sediments of the Morava River, Czech Republic. Journal of Soils and Sediments, 13: 460-473. Go to original source...
    34. Park S.J., Vlek P.L.G. (2002): Environmental correlation of three-dimensional soil spatial variability: a comparison of three adaptive techniques. Geoderma, 109: 117-140. Go to original source...
    35. Piorek S. (1997): Field-portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometry: past, present and future. Field Analytical Chemistry and Technology, 1: 317-329. Go to original source...
    36. R Core Team (2014): R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing. Vienna, R Foundation for Statistical Computing. Available at http://www.R-project.org/
    37. Raab T., Beckmann S., Richard N., Völkel J. (2005): Methodological approaches for reconstruction of floodplain evolution in (pre)historic mining areas - the Vils River case study. Die Erde, 136: 47-63.
    38. Reimann C., Filzmoser P., Garrett R., Dutter R. (2008): Statistical Data Analysis Explained. Applied Environmental Statistics with R. Town, John Wiley and Sons. Go to original source...
    39. Taylor K.G., Owens P.N. (2009): Sediments in urban river basins: a review of sediment-contaminant dynamics in an environmental system conditioned by human activities. Journal of Soils and Sediments, 9: 281-303. Go to original source...
    40. Tylecote R.F. (1987): The Early History of Metallurgy in Europe. London, Longman.
    41. Veselý J., Gürtlerová P. (1996): Mediaeval pollution of fluvial sediment in the Labe (Elbe) River, Bohemia. Věstník Českého geologického ústavu, 71: 51-56.
    42. Vondráčková S., Hejcman M., Tluštoš P., Száková J. (2013): Effect of quick lime and dolomite application on mobility of elements (Cd, Zn, Pb, As, Fe and Mn) in contaminated soils. Polish Journal of Environmental Studies, 22: 577-589.

    This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY NC 4.0), which permits non-comercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original publication is properly cited. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.


    Return to the content