ANALYSIS OF SELECTED METALS IN GROUNDWATER AND SOIL ON BYERS ISLAND NEAR SUNBURY, NORTHUMBERLAND CO., PA

A group of faculty and students at Bloomsburg University have been sampling the Susquehanna River near the confluence of the West and North Branch for the past several years. During the first round of sampling, elevated concentrations of metals were documented in Susquehanna River water samples collected near Byers Island—a large island in the Susquehanna between Sunbury and Selinsgrove, Northumberland Co., PA. Additional work indicated that the island was the most likely source of these metals, but confirmation in the form of groundwater and soil analyses was lacking. In late summer 2012, soil, groundwater, and surface water samples were collected in and around Byer’s Island to identify possibler causes of the elevated metal concentrations. Travelling by canoe, we collected water and soil samples on Byers Island and adjacent surface water samples. Using a hand auger, 5 wells were installed along the shore of the island; one well was placed above the low-head dam and the subsequent 4 were placed below the dam, three on the east side of the island, where metals level had been elevated, and one on the west side. Soil samples were collected from each well drilled; selected samples were sent to Hawk Mountain Laboratories for further analysis. Surface water samples were also collected at the mouth of Shamokin Creek, and soil samples were collected on the ridge that rises above the east bank of the river, near entrances to the long-abandoned Doughty Lead-Zinc Mine. Analyses were run for metals, anions and cations in the lab, as well as alkalinity and acidity. The soil samples were all analyzed by X-ray fluorescence in the field. Our search found no obvious sources for elevated levels of lead or copper in the Susquehanna River. Field and lab soil analyses, however, as well as groundwater samples from Byers Island do show moderately elevated levels of manganese in silt-rich deposits on the island.