Heavy Metal Loading to Lake Lanier from Point Sources of Pollution and Urban Runoff

Abstract

An investigation into sources of heavy metal contamination in Lake Sydney Lanier has been carried out as part of the Clean Lakes Program. Previous studies have found evidence of trace metal contamination in the water column and sediments of the lake and its tributaries and in the tissues of fish. Currently, there is little quantitative data on point and non-point sources of toxic metals in the watershed. In this study, effluent samples from nine municipal and one industrial wastewater treatment plant and stormwater samples from three lake tributaries were analyzed for total recoverable mercury, arsenic, selenium, chromium, nickel, copper, zinc, cadmium, barium and lead. The most abundant metals were barium and zinc. Toxic metal loads due to stormwater runoff were always greater than those due to effluent discharges.