EVALUATION OF THE DISTRIBUTION AND MOBILITY OF SELECTED TRACE METALS IN SEDIMENTS AT THE JORDAN RIVER WATER HEAD OF UTAH LAKE

Anthropogenic activities have introduced significant amounts of pollutants into Utah Lake, ultimately flowing into the Jordan River. Elevated concentrations of major and trace metal contaminants can cause harm to the ecosystem, bioaccumulate in fish, disturb the chemical equilibrium of water bodies, as well as contaminate nearby farms when used for irrigation purposes. This study evaluated selected trace metal/metalloid contents, distribution, and mobility in sediments in the north section of Utah Lake. Core samples of up to 90 cm in depth were collected in the sediments at three locations (East lateral, approximately 3.5 km north of the American Fork River, North lateral, located near the island and West lateral, 75 m west of the Saratoga Hot Springs) at the head of the Jordan River and analyzed for Al, As, Cd, Co, Cu, Cr, Pb and Zn. Samples were digested in a Microwave Accelerated Reaction System using the EPA 3052 Method and analyzed in the Perkin Elmer Optima 8000 inductively coupled plasma, atomic emission spectrometer (ICP-OES). A two-factor MANOVA was used to analyze the data, and the Bonferroni adjustment made for multiple comparisons. Without exception, the results indicated that the East and North lateral sediments of the Jordan River were more heavily impacted by trace metal pollutants than the West lateral, with the North lateral accumulating higher levels of the majority of the trace metals or metalloid evaluated. Enrichment of Al, Co, Cr, Pb and Zn was observed on the East lateral at concentrations reaching 10,821, 4.07, 13.7, 12.7, 119.4 mg kg^-1, respectively. The most substantial increase in the concentration of trace metals occurred with Cu in the North section of the lake, increasing from 349 mg kg^-1 at 0-15 cm to 1383 mg kg^-1 cm depth, showing high mobility, followed by Zn which increased from 46.7 mg kg^-1 at 0-15 cm to 592 mg kg^-1 30-45 cm depths. The enrichment of these trace metals in the East and North laterals near the head of the Jordan River pose a health risk to animals and humans who use these areas for recreational purposes.