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CHANGES IN TRACE METAL CONCENTRATIONS IN DETROIT RIVER WATER AND SEDIMENT SINCE THE 1980S
Citation:
Rossmann, R. CHANGES IN TRACE METAL CONCENTRATIONS IN DETROIT RIVER WATER AND SEDIMENT SINCE THE 1980S. Presented at Citizens Environmental Alliance Tour of the Detroit River, Windsor, Ontario, September 21, 2002.
Description:
Water samples werre collected from the Trenton Channel of the Detroit River between March 1995 and June 1996. Both unfiltered and filtered samples were collected. Sediments were collected by MDEQ between 1993 and 1996. Water results were compared to those for water samples collected in 1986. Conversion of particulate concentrations to a mass per unit weight permitted comparison of the particulate results with those for sediments collected in 1982, 1987, and 1993-6. Comparison of the various data sets reveals river water quality that has improved with respect to decreasing concentrations of Cd, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn in the water column. Of these metals, only Hg exceeds Water Quality Guidelines for the Protection of Wildlife and Human Health. For particulate matter being transported by the river, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn concentrations exceed the Ontario Provincial Sediment Quality Guidelines for metals. Though water quality appears to have improved since 1986, sediment quality has not improved since 1987.