ASSESSING TRACE METAL CONCENTRATIONS IN THE SEDIMENTS OF THE TROUT BROOK, WEST HARTFORD, CT

The Trout Brook is a tributary of the Park River watershed located in West Hartford, CT. The river has been polluted with trace metals due to runoff, deposition, point sources, and various metal finishing facilities located in the area. The focus of this study was to quantify the concentrations of lead, zinc, cadmium, chromium, and copper in stream and bank sediments at sample sites located on the Trout Brook. A previous study (Semrod and Gourley, 2012) sampled directly at, and downstream of, a sanitary sewer outflow (SSO) and concluded that the SSO was a significant source of metal contamination to the river. Our study focused upstream of the SSO to determine if particular trace metals are discharging from the SSO exclusively or are originating from an upstream source. In addition, we wanted to determine if sediment concentrations had changed with time at the SSO. All of our results were compared to sediment quality guidelines (SQG) and probable effect concentrations (PEC). Copper, lead, and zinc fell within the SQG and only copper and lead exceeded the probable effect concentrations. Preliminary sampling results suggest metal levels are less than previously reported and therefore there may be a significant temporal component to bedload sediment trace metal concentrations.