A modified DRASTIC model for Siting Confined Animal Feeding Operations in Williams County,Ohio, USA

Three of DRASTIC’s parameters (Depth to Water, Soil Media, and Topography) were modified and another parameter was added (land use/land cover) to the model to determine the potential impact on groundwater from Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) manure lagoon settings and manure application as fertilizer. Williams County is a mostly agricultural county located in northwest Ohio, USA. It currently has three CAFOs, all dairy, with the possibility of the construction of a multi-million chicken egg CAFO in the near future. A Geographic Information System (GIS) was utilized to modify the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) DRASTIC map for the county to fully assess the county-wide pollution potential of CAFOs. The CAFO DRASTIC map indicates that almost half of Williams County has elevated groundwater pollution potential. The rest of the county, primarily the southeast corner, has lower CAFO groundwater pollution potential. Future CAFO development within the county should focus on the southeastern portion of the county where the groundwater table is deeper, and the aquifer is composed of shale substrate with low hydraulic conductivity. The CAFO DRASTIC results are intended to be used as a screening tool and are not to replace site-specific hydrogeologic investigations.     

Potential for localized groundwater contamination in a porous pavement parking lot setting in Rhode Island

The control of polluted surface runoff and the assessment of possible impacts on groundwater is a concern at the local and regional scale. On this background, a study investigates possible impacts of organic and inorganic pollutants (including bacteria) originating from a permeable asphalt parking lot on the water quality immediately beneath it. The functioning of the permeable pavement, including clogging and restricted vertical percolation, was also evaluated. Four nested sample ports (shallow and deep) were installed below low- and high-traffic areas, including one port outside the parking lot. At least initially there was a good hydraulic connection between the parking surface and the shallow sample ports. The presence of a geotextile layer at the base of the parking lot structure, however, was identified in lab tests as one factor restricting vertical percolation to the deeper ports. Clogging of the permeable surface was most pronounced in heavy traffic areas and below snow pile storage areas. Corroborated by high electric conductivity and chloride measurements, sand brought in by cars during winter was the principal cause for clogging. No bacteria or BOD were found in percolating water. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) were present at concentrations near minimum detection limit. Nutrients (nitrate and phosphate) were being leached into the ground via the permeable parking lot surface at annual flux rates of 0.45–0.84 g/m²/year. A multi-species tracer test demonstrated a retention capacity of the permeable parking lot structure of >90% for metals and 27% for nutrients, respectively.     

Environmental contamination of Zn,Cd, Ni,Cu, and Pb from industrial areas in Hamadan Province,western Iran

Eleven surface soil samples from calcareous soils of industrial areas in Hamadan Province, western Iran were analyzed for total concentrations of Zn, Cd, Ni, Cu and Pb and were sequentially extracted into six fractions to determine the bioavailability of various heavy metal forms. Total Zn, Cd, Ni, Cu and Pb concentrations of the contaminated soils were 658 (57–5,803), 125.8 (1.18–1,361), 45.6 (30.7–64.4), 29.7 (11.7–83.5) and 2,419 (66–24,850) mg kg⁻¹, respectively. The soils were polluted with Zn, Pb, and Cu to some extent and heavily polluted with Cd. Nickel values were not above regulatory limits. Copper existed in soil mainly in residual (RES) and organic (OM) fractions (about 42 and 33%, respectively), whereas Zn occurred essentially as RES fraction (about 69%). The considerable presence of Cd (30.8%) and Pb (39%) in the CARB fraction suggests these elements have high potential biavailability and leachability in soils from contaminated soils. The mobile and bioavailable (EXCH and CARB) fractions of Zn, Cd, Ni, Cu, and Pb in contaminated soils averaged (7.3, 40.4, 16, 12.9 and 40.8%), respectively, which suggests that the mobility and bioavailability of the five metals probably decline in the following order: Cd = Pb > Ni > Cu > Zn.     

Multiple discriminant analysis of the Drava River alluvial plain sediments

Three discriminant function models are raised and cross-compared in order to distinguish geochemical patterns characteristic for the Drava River floodplain sediments. Based on data representing total element concentrations in samples collected from alluvium (A), terrace (T), and unconsolidated bedrock (B) at the border of a floodplain, four element clusters emerged accounting for discrimination between the referred groups of sediments. The most prominent is contaminant/carbonate cluster characteristic for alluvium. The other two are: silicate cluster typical for unconsolidated geological substrate (Neogene sedimentary rocks); and naturally dispersed heavy metal cluster separating terrace from the former two groups. Models introducing depth intervals and single profiles as grouping criteria reveal identical sediment-heavy metal matrices. The second important issue of this paper is possibility of reclassification of samples originally assigned to one of the a priori defined groups of sediments, based on established geochemical pattern. The mapped geological units can be reconsidered by the post hoc assignments to a different group if geological border between alluvium and terrace or between terrace and bedrock can not be established geologically with absolute certainty.     

Anthropogenic influence on trace element geochemistry of healing mud (peloid) from Makirina Cove (Croatia)

Due to their balneotherapeutic features, the organic-rich sediments in Makirina Cove are an important source of healing mud. An environmental geochemistry approach using normalization techniques was applied to evaluate the anthropogenic contribution of trace metals to sediments used as healing mud. Sediment geochemistry was found to be associated with land-use change and storm events, as well as with proximity of a road with heavy traffic in the summer months. Local valley topography preferentially channels lithogenic and pollutant transport to the cove. Concentrations and distribution of trace metals indicate lithogenic (Ni, Cr, Co) and anthropogenic (Pb, Cu, Zn and Se) contributions to the sediments. The calculation of enrichment factors indicates a moderate (EFs between 2–3.5) input of anthropogenic Cu and Pb in surficial sediments to a depth of 10 cm. Patients using the Makirina Cove sediments as healing mud could be to some extent exposed to enhanced uptake of metals from anthropogenic sources via dermal contact.     

Regional distribution pattern of groundwater heavy metals resulting from agricultural activities

Contaminations of groundwater by heavy metals due to agricultural activities are growing recently. The objective of this study was to evaluate and map regional patterns of heavy metals (Cd, Zn and Cu) in groundwater on a plain with high agricultural activities. The study was conducted to investigate the concentration of heavy metals and distribution in groundwater in regions of Shush Danial and Andimeshk aquifers in the southern part of Iran. Presently, groundwater is the only appropriate and widely used source of drinking water for rural and urban communities in this region. The region covers an area of 1,100 km² between the Dez and Karkhe rivers, which lead to the Persian Gulf. For this study, the region was divided into four sub-regions A, B, C and D. Additionally, 168 groundwater samples were collected from 42 water wells during the earlier months of 2004. The flame atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS-Flame) was used to measure the concentration of heavy metals in water samples and the Surfer software was used for determination of the contour map of metal distribution. The results demonstrated that in all of the samples, Cd and Zn concentrations were below the EPA MCLG and EPA secondary standard, respectively. However, the Cu contents of 4.8 % of all samples were higher than EPA MCL. It is also indicated that the concentrations of metals were more pronounced at the southern part of the studied region than at the others. The analysis of fertilizers applied for agricultural activities at this region also indicated that a great majority of the above-mentioned heavy metals were discharged into the environment. Absence of confining layers, proximity to land surface, excess agricultural activities in the southern part and groundwater flow direction that is generally from the north to the southern parts in this area make the southern region of the Shush plain especially vulnerable to pollution by heavy metals than by other contaminants.     

Determination of historical emission of heavy metals into the atmosphere: Celje case study

The research shows that in the Celje area (Slovenia), the historical anthropogenical emissions are 1,712 tons of Zn and 9.1 tons of Cd. For Zn, this value represents approximately 0.3% of the total Zn production in that area. Close to the former zinc smelting plant, the “Zn precipitation” has been estimated to be up to 0.036 mm. The 100-year Zn production left behind a heavily contaminated area with maximum concentrations of Zn of up to 5.6% in attic dust and 0.85% in the soil, and 456 mg/kg of Cd in attic dust and 59.1 mg/kg in the soil. The calculation of historical emissions is based on the data of heavy metals concentration in the attic dust at 98 sampling points and on the data from 19 measurement sites of the weight of total monthly air deposit. The main idea behind determining past emissions is that when the weight of the deposited dust on a small area is multiplied by the concentration of the element in that area, the mass of the polluter which has been transported to the place of interest by air can be calculated. If we sum up all the weight over the whole geochemical anomaly, we get the quantity of historical emissions.     

Experimental study on the deterioration and natural remediation of the Ariake Sea tidal mud caused by the sea laver treatment acid practice and the upward seepage of pore water liquid

This study presents a laboratory study of the following two aspects: (1) the influence of sea laver treatment acid on the geoenvironmental properties of Ariake Sea tidal mud, and (2) the natural remediation effect on the sea laver treatment acid contaminated Ariake Sea tidal mud caused by the upward seepage of pore water liquid in the mud. Firstly, the mechanisms of the transport of sea laver treatment acid in the Ariake Sea tidal mud and the generation mechanisms of the upward seepage flow in the Ariake Sea tidal mud are discussed. Secondly, a series of one-dimensional laboratory infiltration tests were carried out to investigate the deterioration of the Ariake Sea tidal mud caused by the sea laver acid treatment practice. Test results reveal that the acid treatment practice caused considerable change in the geochemical properties of the mud in terms of increase in sulfide content and decrease in pH value. After the treatment by the sea laver treatment acid, the sulfide content of the mud even exceeded the safe limit value for the benthos, which represents undesirable living condition for benthos. Thirdly, series of laboratory fresh seawater infiltration tests for the deteriorated Iida site mud were conducted to illustrate this natural remediation efficiency. It is found that with the infiltration of the fresh seawater, the sulfide content of the Iida site mud was considerably reduced and pH value increased to an acceptable range for benthos living in the tidal flat mud. With the increase in the infiltration time and the hydraulic gradient, the remediation efficiency could be increased.     

Timing of UHP metamorphism in the Hong’an area,western Dabie Mountains,China: evidence from zircon U–Pb age,trace element and Hf isotope composition

The Hong’an area (western Dabie Mountains) is the westernmost terrane in the Qinling-Dabie-Sulu orogen that preserves UHP eclogites. The ages of the UHP metamorphism have not been well constrained, and thus hinder our understanding of the tectonic evolution of this area. LA-ICPMS U–Pb age, trace element and Hf isotope compositions of zircons of a granitic gneiss and an eclogite from the Xinxian UHP unit in the Hong’an area were analyzed to constrain the age of the UHP metamorphism. Most zircons are unzoned or show sector zoning. They have low trace element concentrations, without significant negative Eu anomalies. These metamorphic zircons can be further subdivided into two groups according to their U–Pb ages, and trace element and Lu–Hf isotope compositions. One group with an average age of 239 ± 2 Ma show relatively high and variable HREE contents (527 ≥ Lu_N ≥ 14) and ¹⁷⁶Lu/¹⁷⁷Hf ratios (0.00008–0.000931), indicating their growth prior to a great deal of garnet growth in the late stage of continental subduction. The other group yields an average age of 227 ± 2 Ma, and shows consistent low HREE contents and ¹⁷⁶Lu/¹⁷⁷Hf ratios, suggesting their growth with concurrent garnet crystallization and/or recrystallization. These two groups of age are taken as recording the time of prograde HP to UHP and retrograde UHP–HP stages, respectively. A few cores have high Th/U ratios, high trace element contents, and a clear negative Eu anomaly. These features support a magmatic origin of these zircon cores. The upper intercept ages of 771 ± 86 and 752 ± 70 Ma for the granitic gneiss and eclogite, respectively, indicate that their protoliths probably formed as a bimodal suite in rifting zones in the northern margin of the Yangtze Block. Young Hf model ages (T _DM1) of magmatic cores indicate juvenile (mantle-derived) materials were involved in their protolith formation. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Low-pressure,water-assisted anatexis of basic dykes in a contact metamorphic aureole,Fuerteventura (Canary Islands): oxygen isotope evidence for a meteoric fluid origin

Migmatites produced by low-pressure anatexis of basic dykes are found in a contact metamorphic aureole around a pyroxenite–gabbro intrusion (PX2), on Fuerteventura. Dykes outside and inside the aureole record interaction with meteoric water, with low or negative δ¹⁸O whole-rock values (+0.2 to −3.4‰), decreasing towards the contact. Recrystallised plagioclase, diopside, biotite and oxides, from within the aureole, show a similar evolution with lowest δ¹⁸O values (−2.8, −4.2, −4.4 and −7.6‰, respectively) in the migmatite zone, close to the intrusion. Relict clinopyroxene phenocrysts preserved in all dykes, retain typically magmatic δ¹⁸O values up to the anatectic zone, where the values are lower and more heterogeneous. Low δ¹⁸O values, decreasing towards the intrusion, can be ascribed to the advection of meteoric water during magma emplacement, with increasing fluid/rock ratios (higher dyke intensities towards the intrusion acting as fluid-pathways) and higher temperatures promoting increasing exchange during recrystallisation. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.