TRACE ELEMENT DISTRIBUTION IN THE SIMSBURY AND AVON SECTIONS OF THE FARMINGTON RIVER: LOCATING SOURCES OF ANTHROPOGENIC CONTAMINANTS WITHIN STREAM SEDIMENTS

Trace element concentration in stream and stream sediments is a growing concern across many parts of the United States, largely due to the presence of many chemical elements, nutrients, and pathogens that can impact both human health and the ecosystem. Agricultural operations, such as applications of fertilizer, use of biosolids, pesticides, and soil fumigations, have been potential sources of various chemical elements within our environment. The Farmington River is a major river in northwest Connecticut with its path draining through many agricultural, leisure, and other land use industries. Considering that path inspired our investigation of its trace element concentration. This project focused on examining the impact of long-term land use activities on the chemical signatures of As, Cu, Zn, P and S in river sediments along the drainage sections of Avon and Simsbury, CT. Our previous field study considered concentrations of these elements along an intense agricultural area of Windsor, CT. Twenty-five (25) sediment samples were collected and analyzed for particle size variation, using the hydrometer method, and acid-digested for trace elements analysis using an ICP-OES. Results demonstrated spatial variability, with concentrations of stream sediment increasing downstream. Calculations of element enrichment factors and the geoaccumulation index revealed possible influence of anthropogenic activities along the Farmington River. Using correlation and cluster analysis, we examined the interrelationship between geochemical data. Due to observed association, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), based on varimax rotation, was used to further examine possible sources of trace elements within stream sediment. Overall, our results provide evidence of impact of human activities on trace element concentration within the Simsbury and Avon sections of the Farmington River.