Tf. Rozan et Ks. Hunter, Effects of discharge on silver loading and transport in the Quinnipiac River, Connecticut, SCI TOTAL E, 279(1-3), 2001, pp. 195-205
Silver concentrations were measured in water and sediment samples collected
from the Quinnipiac River in Connecticut. This river was chosen for study
because of its history of industrialization and high levels of Ag contamina
tion. Sewage treatment plant (STP) effluent accounts for similar to 15% of
the total river discharge and similar to 60%, of the dissolved Ag in the wa
ter column during baseflow conditions. Erosion of contaminated riverbank se
diment is the primary source of particulate Ag in the river. Both dissolved
and particulate Ag fractions vary as a function of river discharge. Increa
sed discharge due to rain events decreases the relative importance of STP e
ffluent, and thus dilutes the dissolved Ag concentration in the water colum
n. Conversely, increasing discharge results in higher particulate Ag concen
trations from increased erosion. The results of this study clearly indicate
that both point and non-point sources contribute significantly to Ag loadi
ng in this river system, with the level of river discharge determining the
relative importance of each. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights rese
rved.