Background Concentrations of Nickel in the Sediments of the Carpathian Dam Reservoirs (Southern Poland)

The background nickel (Ni) concentrations in the sediments of two sub‐mountain reservoirs (Dobczyce and Czorsztyn) situated in the Carpathian Flysh (southern Poland) were evaluated. Ni concentrations (15.6–83.1 µg g^?1 dry wt.) in both reservoir sediments were affected mainly by the high background content of Ni in the surrounding watershed. Distribution of elevated Ni concentrations mostly revealed an impact of long‐range transport influenced by the flow of the main tributary. Ni spatial pattern was mainly influenced by mineral compounds of Fe, Mn, and Al, and to a lesser degree by organic matter content and silt and clay fractions of the sediments of both investigated reservoirs. Spatial distribution was additionally modified by hydrological conditions (flood events and course of the old river‐bed). In both reservoirs, substantial portions of Ni were bound to potentially immobile phases, i.e., moderately reducible and residual phases (64–82% in total). Laboratory experiments showed that changes in pH affected Ni leaching from the sediment to a small degree (at pH ～3 up to 19.9%). Our results indicated that Ni in these reservoirs has low mobility and, therefore, poses a low toxicological risk to aquatic organisms.