Abstract
The Chickahominy River drains 790 km2 in southeastern Virginia, including approximately 155 km2 of dense commercial, industrial, and urban development in the upper basin near Richmond, Virginia. Previous studies have shown that total stream concentrations of trace metals and nutrients increased during storms, suggesting resuspension of contaminated sediments and (or) stormwater influxes of pollutants. The possible role of wetlands in maintaining water quality is of concern because the river furnishes about 46 percent of the water supply for the City of Newport News. Particle sizes of sediments and their corresponding total concentrations of carbon, nitrogen, copper, nickel, lead, and zinc were determined to assess their distribution within wetlands adjacent to the river. Except for Zn, concentrations of all measured constituents in the <63-μm-particle fraction were lower downstream of Richmond, suggesting that most contaminants are retained in the upper basin. Zinc concentrations increased along downstream reaches, peaking at 510 mg kg−1 approximately 8 km below the confluence of Upham Brook with the Chickahominy River. Lead concentrations up to 192 mg kg−1 were measured in sediments along Upham Brook near Richmond. Concentrations of Zn and Cu were highest in streambed sediments and lowest in elevated forested wetlands. The results suggest that the developing regions of the basin have a significant effect on sediment chemistry within the basin and that wetlands play a role in retaining these sediment-borne contaminants in upper reaches of the basin. Studies are underway to asses the stablity, of these sediments and the capacity of these contaminated wetlands to continue to assimilate them.
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Puckett, L.J., Woodside, M.D., Libby, B. et al. Sinks for trace metals, nutrients, and sediments in wetlands of the Chickahominy River near Richmond, Virginia. Wetlands 13, 105–114 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03160870
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03160870