Influence of prolonged use of sewage effluent in irrigation on heavy metal accumulation in soils and plants

Total content of Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Pb, Cd, Ni and Co in soils irrigated with sewage effluent increased with increasing years of using sewage effluent in irrigation. Iron and Co applied to the soil from sewage effluent were immobilized mainly in unavailable form; Pb, Cd, and Ni in moderately available form; and Mn, Zn, and Cu in highly available form. The concentrations of Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu in tops of alfalfa and leaves of corn grown on these soils increased substantially with increased levels of available metal content of the soil, while those of other metals were little affected. As for orange, continuous increase in leaves metal content with time was found for Fe, Mn, Zn, Co and Cd. The concentrations of Cd, Co, Ni and Pb in corn grains and orange fruits were several times higher than normal, and this reduces their suitability for human consumption.     

Chemical Investigation of Water Resources Around the Yatagan Thermal Power Plant of Turkey

In this work, trace metals such as Hg, Pb, As, Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn in underground water samples obtained from three wells, an ash-pond and drinking water located near the Yatagan Thermal Power Plant were measured. As, Hg, Cu and Zn contents of the underground water were lower than those reported in the EEC (European Economic Community) and WHO (World Health Organization) guidelines. In contrast, the levels of Fe, Pb, Cd and Mn in some groundwater samples were higher than EEC and WHO guideline values. The trace metal concentrations in coal ash-pond water were observed to be lower than water quality standards with the exception of Pb. The obtained results indicated that the trace metal concentration in the sampled drinking water site did not exceed WHO limits.     

River Water Metal Speciation in a Mining Region – The Influence of Wetlands,Liming, Tributaries,and Groundwater

Changes in metal speciation occurring along the river Vormbäckenhave been investigated, and the potential for using such changes to reduce metal transport to areas further downstream has been evaluated.Vormbäcken is situated in a mining region in northern Sweden. Catchment area features likely to influence metal speciation include wetlands situated along the river, addition of treated (liming) effluent water from a mine area, and addition of other surface waters and groundwater. Surface water samples were collected from seven stations along the river on six occasions, representing different flow regimes. The total As, Ca, Cd, Cu, Fe, Pb, and Zn concentrations in the samples were partitioned into particulate (>0.4 μm and 0.2–0.4 μm, or only >0.2 μm) and dissolved (<0.2 μm, either associated with organiccarbon, or as free metal ions and inorganic complexes) fractions by means of filtration and an ion-exchange technique. The most important finding is that, with the exception of Ca, the fraction of particulate bound metals increased with increasing concentrations of particulate Fe. This Fe has its origin in surface waters and groundwater that join the river on its way through the catchment area. It is suggested that adsorption to, or co-precipitation with, such Fe-containing particles may have potential to be used as the initial step in a treatment method based on natural attenuation processes. Furthermore, the fraction of particulate bound metals decreased dramatically upon passing the lake Vormträsket, suggesting that some of these metals may be removed from the river system, at least temporally.     

再生水短期灌溉对土壤-作物中重金属分布影响的试验研究

再生水是农业灌溉的重要水资源。该文在田间小区开展了为期4年的再生水灌溉试验，研究了重金属在土壤-作物系统中的转化与分布规律。结果表明：短期内重金属在土壤中的累积不明显，且土壤和作物籽粒中的重金属含量都远低于国家标准规定的允许值，再生水短期灌溉对土壤环境和作物均不会造成污染影响；同时，不同再生水灌溉水量条件下，土壤中重金属含量无显著差异，再生水灌溉带入土壤中的重金属量小于作物收获所带走的重金属量，带出量和带入量对土壤中重金属平衡的影响较小。     

Occurrence and distribution of chemical pollutants in Lake Mariut,Egypt. II. Heavy metals

The occurrence and distribution of heavy metals in the water of Lake Mariut, a heavily polluted brackish water lake in Egypt, and their accumulation in the different parts ofTilapia fish in this lake were studied. The variations in concentrations of the metals (Zn, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Cd) in the lake water are mostly due to variations in the discharge rate of dumped wastes. The mean concentrations of these metals in different fish parts were much higher than those in the lake water.     

复垦沉积池土壤中镍、铅、锌的吸附

The wastes used to amend soils sometimes have high concentrations of metals such as nickel (Ni), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn). To determine the capacity of soils to retain these metals, the sorption capacities of different mine soils with and without reclamation treatments (tree vegetation and waste amendment) for Ni, Pb and Zn in individual and competitive situations were evaluated using the batch sorption technique. The untreated settling pond soil had low capacity for Ni, Pb and Zn retention. The site amended with wastes (sewage sludges and paper mill residues) increased the sorption capacity most, probably because of the higher concentrations of soil components with high retention capacity such as carbon and clay fraction. No significant competition was observed between metals in the competitive sorption experiment, indicating that the maximum of sorption was not achieved by adding 0.5 mmol L^-1 of metal. We can conclude that, despite the possible additions of Ni, Pb and Zn from wastes to degraded soils, sewage sludges and paper mill residues have a high sorption capacity that would prevent the metals from being in a mobile form.     

利用Technosols改善铜矿土壤的物理化学特性

Mine tailing soils created from the copper extraction in Touro Mine (Northwest Spain) are very degraded both physically and chemically. Three plots in this mine tailing were amended with Technosols in different proportions in each one to know if this mixture improved the physico-chemical characteristics of the mine soil and contaminated it with heavy metals. The Technosols were made of organic wastes, including mussel residues, wood fragments, sewage sludges and paper mill ashes. An unamended area was used as a control soil. Pseudototal and diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA)-extractable contents of Al, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn were determined in soil samples. The untreated soil had significant limitations for vegetation growth. All the Technosols improved the properties of the mine soil by increasing organic carbon and pH value, but they added Ni, Pb or Zn to the soil. It is advisable to check whether the heavy metal concentrations of the wastes are hazardous or not before adding to soils. It is also necessary to study the effect of these wastes over time and in more areas to conclude if they are actually favourable to restore degraded mine soils.     

Geochemical and Mineralogical Features of Overbank and Stream Sediments of the Beal Wadi (Cartagena-La Union Mining District, SE Spain): Relation to Former Lead�CZinc Mining Activities and Its Environmental Risk

Heavy metals and some major element concentrations were investigated in overbank sediments and stream bed sediments of the ephemeral Beal wadi creek in the Cartagena-La Union mining district (SE Spain). Two vertical sediment profiles were extracted and the chemical and mineralogical compositions were both investigated by X-ray fluorescence and X-ray diffraction. Geochemical variations in vertical profiles of these two kinds of sediments allow observing noticeable heavy metals pollution (especially Fe, Pb, and Zn) in both kind of sediments but especially in the overbank sediments (reaching values of approximately 13% Fe, 6% Pb, and 6% Zn). A single extraction (DIN 38414-S4 leaching test) was made to observe the transfer of metals from solids to liquid phase. Pb, Zn, Cu, and Cd contents surpass the leaching values established by the DIN 38414-S4 limits established by Spanish legislation to consider these wastes as hazardous wastes. Geochemical comparison between leaching behavior of the two types of sediments reveals a major ability of overbank sediments in transferring heavy metals to the water flow.     

The influence of process parameters on the removal of heavy metals in activated sludge

The behavior of six heavy metals in an activated sludge pilot plant under conditions of normal and elevated influent metal concentrations has been studied. Percentage heavy metal removals at sludge ages of 4, 9, and 12 d were more consistent when metals were added to the system, possibly as a result of lesser variations in heavy metal speciation in the settled sewage, and the greatest degree of accumulation of heavy metals by the biomass occurred at the 12 d sludge age. When shock loads of heavy metals were introduced into the system, their concentrations in the effluent did not immediately rise in proportion; however, heavy metal removal efficiencies were similar under steady state conditions of normal and elevated influent metal concentrations. Cadmium, Cu, and Ni were largely soluble in the effluent samples, but Cr, Pb, and Zn were predominantly insoluble, indicating that particulate forms of these metals may escape removal in secondary sedimentation. The high degree of Ni solubility in the settled sewage and final effluent reflected its consistently poor removal in the process. The two most soluble metals, Cu and Ni, appeared to be associated to a large degree with high molecular weight substances in the settled sewage and final effluent, possibly influencing their availability for uptake by the biomass.     

Heavy‐metal displacement in chelate‐treated soil with sludge during phytoremediation

Heavy metals (HMs) in domestic sewage sludge, applied to land, contaminate soils. Phytoremediation is the use of plants to clean‐up toxic HMs from soil. Chelating agents are added to soil to solubilize the metals for enhanced uptake. Yet no studies report the displacement of HMs in soil with sludge following solubilization with chelates. The objective of this work was to determine the uptake or leaching of HMs due to a chelate added to a soil from a sludge farm that had received sludge for 25 y. The soil was placed in long columns (105 cm long; ?? 39 cm) in a greenhouse. Columns either had a plant (hybrid poplar; Populus deltoides Marsh. × P. nigra L.) or no plant. After the poplar seedlings had grown for 144 d, the tetrasodium salt of the chelating agent EDTA was irrigated onto the surface of the soil at a rate of 1 g per kg of soil. Drainage water, soil, and plants were analyzed for three toxic HMs (Cd, Ni, Pb) and four essential HMs (Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn). At harvest, extractable and total concentrations of each HM in the soil with EDTA were similar to those in soil without EDTA. The chelate did not affect the concentrations of HMs in the roots or leaves. With or without plants, EDTA mobilized all seven HMs and increased their concentrations in drainage water. Lower concentrations of Cd, Cu, Fe, Ni, and Zn in leachate from columns with EDTA and plants compared to columns with EDTA and no plants showed that poplars can reduce groundwater contamination by intercepting these HMs in the soil. But the poplar plants did not reduce Pb and Mn in the leachate from columns with EDTA. Concentrations of Cd and Pb in the leachate mobilized by EDTA remained above drinking‐water standards with or without plants. The results showed that a chelate (EDTA) should not be added to a soil at a sludge farm to enhance phytoremediation. The chelate mobilized HMs that leached to drainage water and contaminated it.     

Effect of treated sewage water on vegetative and reproductive growth of date palm

Abstract

The effect of treated sewage water on the vegetative and reproductive growth of date palms was assessed. Leaves and fruits samples were collected from locations irrigated with treated sewage (TSW), desalinised, and well water. Samples were analysed for their calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), lead (Pb), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn) content by atomic absorption spectro‐photometry and for sodium (Na) and potassium (K) by flame photometry. The Mg, Fe, and Zn content of fruits and Na in the leaves were not found to be significantly different. Treated sewage water from University campus utilities significantly increased the Na, K, and Cu and reduced Ca in leaves and Zn in fruits of date palms. But no significant effect was observed on the K, Ca, Mg, and Na contents in fruits of the same palms. The different concentrations of Ca, Mg, Fe, and Zn in the fruits of date palms grown along the same TSW line were attributed to variations in the soil; however, those in Pb content of leaves could be attributed to motor vehicle combustion. The general trend indicated that fruits contained higher K, Na, and Fe contents, but lower Ca, Mg, Cu, Zn, and Pb contents than the leaves. Furthermore, leaves of date palms irrigated with desalinised and well water contained higher Ca and Zn, but lower K, Mg, Na, Cu, Fe, and Pb contents than those of palms irrigated with treated sewage water. Desalinised water reduced the K, Ca, Na, and Zn contents, but it increased the Mg, Fe, Cu, and Pb content of leaves compared to well water. None of the examined metals were found to reach toxic level to man or plant.     

Metal accumulation by bermudagrass grown on four diverse soils amended with secondarily treated sewage effluent

Land treatment is increasingly being utilized as a method of waste disposal for both sewage effluent and sludges. While there has been considerable attention directed toward the fate of metallic constituents of sewage sludges, there have been fewer studies of the fate and mobility of metals appled to soils in sewage effluent. This study was undertaken utilizing secondarily treated sewage effluent amended to contain less than 1 mg l^?1 each of Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn. The effluent was applied weekly for a period of 1 yr on large undisturbed monoliths of four diverse soils enclosed in lysimeters and sprigged to common bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon L.). Soil samples were collected periodically and extracted with DTPA to measure plant available metals. Vegetation was harvested, weighed, subsampled and analyzed for total metal content. Total plant uptake of Cd, Cu, Pb, and Ni during the year was less than 1% of that applied. Vegetative uptake of Zn was as high as 2%. Metal uptake was greatest in the soil with the lowest initial pH. Heavy metal concentrations in plant tissue exhibited a cyclic trend. A similar increasing cyclic trend was evident in the DTPA extractable metals in the surface 0 to 12.5 cm of the treated soils. Decreases in plant and DTPA extractable metals occurred when the soils dried, allowing O₂ to enter. Vegetative concentrations of Cd, Cu, and Ni exceeded normal ranges of 0.2 to 0.8, 4 to 15, and 1.0 mg kg^?1, respectively, for vegetation while Pb and Zn were near normal. Only Cd concentration of vegetation posed a threat to grazing animals.     

Metal Status of Soils and Plants Irrigated with Water from Lake İznik,Turkey

Lake ?znik, located in the southeast part of the Marmara region in Turkey, is considered the largest lake in the region. Soil pollution from irrigation with lake water has become an important concern for arable lands surrounding the lake. Therefore, a study was conducted to investigate trace element contamination of soils and plants irrigated with water from the lake, which has been polluted with industrial and municipal wastes. Eleven different crops grown in 30 different horticultural fields, consistently irrigated with lake water, were studied. To determine pollutant concentrations, soils, plants, and water were sampled and analyzed for both total and extractable iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd). Iron, Cu, and Ni in destructively sampled soils were found to be excessive in soils. The results were subjected to statistical analysis using simple correlations and t‐test. There were no statistically significant relationships among the total and extractable metals in soils and extractable plant metals. Because of lack of standard concentrations indicating excessive concentration of extractable elements, statuses of extractable elements in the soils were not evaluated. Cobalt, Pb, Cr, and Cu concentrations were greater than the normal range in leaves. The accumulation of metals differed greatly among the various plant species, but irrigation with lake water did not increase metals in soils. The appearance of metals in soils might be due to agricultural activities and parent material. Continuous monitoring and future studies of the area are recommended to ascertain long‐term impacts of pollution on plants.     

抚仙湖重金属污染强度、历史及来源的沉积记录

This study focused on the concentration change of heavy metals of sediment cores in heavily polluted north area and less polluted middle area of Fuxian Lake in Southwest China.On the basis of the analysis of Cu,Ni,Ti,V,Pb,Cd,and Zn concentration-depth profiles,the pollution history of heavy metals was studied using ¹³⁷cesium (¹³⁷Cs) dating.The sources of heavy metals were distinguished by normalization of their profiles to aluminum and analysis of heavy metal concentrations of potential source materials.Geoaccumulation index (I_geo) was used to quantify their contamination intensity.The results showed that all the heavy metals found in the Fuxian Lake sediments originated naturally before 1980s.Cu,Ni,Ti,and V were still mainly natural in the north lake after 1980s,Cu,Ni,Ti,V,and Pb were mainly natural in the middle lake at all time,but the concentrations of Pb and Zn in the north lake were influenced by industrial wastes from the phosphorus fertilizer factory and cement plants.In all the lake,the contaminations of Cd and Zn were the results of agricultural cultivation using a large amount of fertilizers and the atmospheric fallouts of dusts from cement plants.At present,the geoaccumulation indices showed that the Fuxian Lake sediments were moderately to strongly polluted by Cd in the middle lake,and unpolluted to moderately polluted by Pb and Zn and strongly polluted by Cd in the north lake.Moreover,the pollution intensities of Cd,Zn,and Pb have been increased since 1980s.     

Distribution of Zn, Cd, Pb and Cu Metals in Groundwater of the Guadiamar River Basin

Traditionally, the Guadiamar River Basin (Seville, SouthwestSpain) has received pollution from two different sources. Inits upper course, from a pyrite exploitation and, in itslower reaches, from untreated urban and industrial wastes aswell as wastes from intensive agricultural activity. In 1998,the accidental release in the river of about 6 million m³ of acid water and sludge from mine tailings contributedto worsen the pollution of an already contaminated area. Themain polluting agents of the spill were heavy metals. Itaffected a large number of wells either directly or as a consequence of infiltration from polluted soils. Assessment of the pollution by total metal determination does not revealthe true environmental impact of the spill and speciation studies showing the distribution of the main pollutants are required. There is a direct association between the physicochemical speciation of an element and its bioavailability, toxicity and mobility. This article describesa distribution study of the metals Zn, Cd, Pb and Cu by speciation analysis of groundwater in six wells of the GuadiamarRiver Basin; the samples were taken several weeks after the spill. The speciation analysis resulted in the definition ofthree species categories: a) labile metal (H⁺ exchangeable),b) metal strongly associated to dissolved organic matter and c) metal associated with suspended material. Analysis was carried out by anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV). Metal speciation ingroundwater of the Guadiamar River Basin allows a differentiationbetween: on the one hand, metals from the mining spill, andon the other hand a less recent pollution from accumulatedinfiltration of either mining or agricultural origin, the last one due to an abuse of phytosanitary products.     

Effects of industrial and sewage waste waters on the concentration of soluble carbon,nitrogen, and some mineral elements in sunflower plants

The effect of three waste waters from two factories, Manquabad (fertilizer) and Bani Quara (detergents and oils), and a sewage effluent from Arab El‐Madabegh (sewage effluent) on the soluble nitrogen and carbon fractions in sunflower plants was studied. In addition, tissue concentrations of sodium (Na), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), chloride (Cl), sulfur (S), phosphorus (P), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), and iron (Fe) were determined. Plants analyzed monthly that were grown in waste waters were found to have significantly higher soluble sugar, hydrolysable carbohydrate, and soluble protein in both their shoots and roots than plants grown in tap water (control). No definite pattern was noted for amino acid responses to the waste water treatment. Element concentrations in the plants were variable, affected by the pollution source differences and monthly sampling. Waste waters significantly enhanced the accumulation of most elements in both shoots and roots. The most notable effect was the increase in the Na, Cl, and Zn concentrations. In addition, waste waters significantly decreased the K content in both shoots and roots. Plants growing in Manquabad waste waters have the highest concentration of Zn, Mn, and Fe. The internal concentration for the mineral elements in the plant tissue was postively and negatively correlated with that found in the waste waters. The negative correlations existed with most elements in the plant tissue and waste waters, indicating the presence of an active regulation system that influenced the element uptake from the waste waters.     

Changes of metal forms by organic amendments to Hawaii soils

Abstract

Forms of metals in soils control their availability to plants and animals and affect the environment differently. To evaluate shifts of metal forms as affected by organic amendments, a sequential extraction procedure was used to fractionate calcium (Ca), iron (Fe), magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn), and zinc (Zn) in two Hawaii soils amended with three organic wastes. The designated forms are water‐soluble, exchangeable, sorbed, organically bound, carbonate, and residual fractions. The soils, a Mollisol (Waimanalo series) and an Ultisol (Paaloa series), were incubated at 25°C±2°C at field capacity with either chicken manure, sewage sludge, or green manure (cowpea leaves) at 0, 5, and 20 Mg#lbha^‐1 for one or five months. Organically bound metals decreased with time because of organic matter decomposition. Iron was mostly residual, but water‐soluble Fe also increased in the acid Paaloa soil. Unlike Fe, most forms of Ca and Mg were transformed to the exchangeable form in 5 months. There was no significant change of Mn forms during the 5‐month incubation. Virtually all organically bound Zn shifted to carbonate and residual forms in the neutral Mollisol (pH 6.2), but shifted to carbonate and exchangeable forms in the acid Ultisol (pH 4.5). The solubilities and exchangeabilities of the five metals in the two soils treated with sewage sludge were not significantly different from those treated with cowpea green manure or chicken manure during the 5‐month incubation. The results suggest that the additions of sewage sludge, chicken manure, or cowpea green manure to Hawaii soils at 20 Mg#lbha^‐1 do not have environmentally significant impacts in terms of Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, and Zn. On the other hand, the amendments may decrease Ca and Mg deficiencies in highly weathered, nutrient‐poor soils such as Ultisols and Oxisols of the tropics.     

Remediation of an electroplating contaminated soil by EDTA flushing: chromium release and soil dissolution

Purpose

Remediation of soils contaminated with Cr (as Cr(III) complexes/precipitates and/or Cr(VI) oxyanion) and cationic metals (Cu, Ni, Zn, and Pb) by ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA) flushing has been challenging and rarely investigated. This study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of EDTA flushing for metal extraction of soil from an electroplating site, with a specific focus on chromium release and soil dissolution.

Materials and methods

Column flushing tests were performed on a sandy soil contaminated by electroplating activities in the field. Three EDTA concentrations (5, 10, and 20 mM) and flow interruptions were employed to investigate the operation of EDTA flushing.

Results and discussion

Results demonstrated that Cr, Cu, and Ni were continuously released along with dissolution of Fe, Al, Mg, and Mn throughout the entire flushing process (up to 600 pore volumes), whereas Zn and Pb removal primarily occurred in the first 50–200 pore volumes. By comparing the Cr and Fe release patterns, the observed Cr release by EDTA flushing possibly resulted from a combination of dissolution of Fe oxides, dissolution of metal–chromate precipitates, and ligand competition for the surface sites (substitution reaction). The latter two mechanisms appeared to be more influential at the early stage. It was also revealed that soil dissolution was predominant, and metal extraction became inefficient at the later stage of flushing, especially with the concentrated EDTA solution. On the other hand, when the flushing process was temporarily paused (i.e., flow interruptions), Cr, Cu, Ni, and Zn concentrations elevated, whereas Pb levels in the effluent decreased, indicating the significance of rate-limited metal exchange of newly formed metal–EDTA complexes.

Conclusions

In consideration of EDTA utilization efficiency and potential ecological risks, diluted EDTA solution is recommended for field applications.     

Occurrence of PPCPs at a Wastewater Treatment Plant and in Soil and Groundwater at a Land Application Site

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) can reach soil and aquatic environments through land application of wastewater effluent and agricultural runoff. The objective of this research was to assess the fate of PPCPs at field scale. PPCPs were measured systematically in a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), and in soil and groundwater receiving treated effluent from the WWTP. A land application site in West Texas was used as the study site; it has received treated wastewater effluent from the WWTP for more than 70 years in order to remove additional nutrients and irrigate non-edible crops. Target compounds (estrone, 17??-estradiol, estriol, 17??-ethynylestradiol, triclosan, caffeine, ibuprofen, and ciprofloxacin) in wastewater, sewage sludge, soil, and groundwater were determined using HPLC/UV with qualitative confirmatory analyses using GC/MS. Samples were collected quarterly over 12 months for wastewater and sludge samples and over 9 months for soil and groundwater samples. Results indicated that concentrations of PPCPs in wastewater influent, effluent, sludge solid phase, and sludge liquid phase were in the range of non-detected (ND)-183 ??g/L, ND-83 ??g/L, ND-19 ??g/g, and ND-50 ??g/L, respectively. Concentrations in soil and groundwater samples were in the range of ND-319 ng/g and ND-1,745 ??g/L, respectively. GC/MS confirmation data were consistent with the results of HPLC/UV analyses. Overall, data indicate that PPCPs in the wastewater effluent from the WWTP transport both vertically and horizontally in the soil, and eventually reach groundwater following land application of the effluent.     

Groundwater Contribution of Metals from an Abandoned Mine to The North Fork of The American Fork River, Utah

Surface water discharge measurements and metals concentrations in the North Fork of the American Fork River, Utah, its tributaries, and the groundwater in the vicinity of the Pacific Mine were used to evaluate the impact of groundwater on loading rates of metals and As to the river. Fish in the river contain As, Cd, and Pb at concentrations that are hazardous to human health if consumed. The results suggest that dissolved As, Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, and Zn enter the river when it is a gaining stream. However, the suspended metals load is significantly greater than the dissolved load, and generally decreases through the reach of river adjacent to the mine site. Cadmium and Mn travel as dissolved species while Cu, Fe, Pb, and Zn travel as suspended solids. Arsenic seems to travel both with the suspended solids and in the dissolved state. The geochemical modeling program PHREEQC and a diffuse double layer surface complexation model were used to investigate the chemical controls on metals mobility and attenuation in the surface and groundwaters at the site. Based on the PHREEQC results, the most important process in these waters is the precipitation of ferrihydrite, also referred to as hydrous ferric oxide (HFO). Copper, Pb, most importantly Zn, and to a lesser degree As sorb to HFO.