PRELIMINARY STUDY OF METAL AND ANION POLLUTION IN POND WATERS FROM BUTLER COUNTY, OHIO

Ponds are a critical ecosystem in urban and suburban landscapes however they are subject to a wide variety of pollution owing to deposition of both runoff and atmospheric sources. Only recently has detailed investigations of metal pollution in ponds in southwestern Ohio been carried out and most of this work has been on pond sediments. Detailed work on metal pollution in pond water in the area is a current gap in our understanding of aquatic environments in southwestern Ohio. Replicate water and sediment samples were collected in August 2013 from various representative ponds in Butler County, Ohio and were analyzed for their chemical composition as a survey of pollution in the area. Preliminary inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) analysis of the pond water indicates metal elements of environmental concern such as As (1.2-15.5 ppb), Cu (0.8 - 616 ppb), Cr (1.6-5.4 ppb), Zn (0.1 -3.2 ppb), and V (0.8-2.3 ppb) are detectable. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analyses indicate both SO4 in appreciable but highly variable concentrations. Nitrate and phosphate concentrations occur at ~1 ppm or less by HPLC analysis. Major elements in waters are dominated by Ca (~5 to 50 ppm) and Mg (~ 5 to 20 ppm) and reflect a strong local bedrock control. A strong positive correlation between concentrations of Na and Cl is observed and is interpreted to reflect extensive road treatment runoff. There is also a correlation between Cr and V and Cr and Ni which is attributed to coal pollution. This initial analysis indicates that although some ponds are heavily impacted by road treatments, metal pollution although present, is not extensive in pond water. Correlations of Cr, V and Ni agree with general trends observed in pond and street sediment studies in the area and suggest coal pollution has a major ecological impact in the region. This investigation opens up potential investigations for distribution coefficient studies of pond sediment and water and element cycling in ponds in southwest Ohio.