Hydrogeochemical Engineering Research and Outreach Group, School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK.
Environ Pollut. 2011 Oct;159(10):3113-22. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2011.02.010. Epub 2011 May 10.
Quantifying diffuse sources of pollution is becoming increasingly important when characterising river catchments in entirety - a prerequisite for environmental management. This study examines both low and high flow events, as well as spatial variability, in order to assess point and diffuse components of zinc pollution within the River West Allen catchment, which lies within the northern England lead-zinc Orefield. Zinc levels in the river are elevated under all flow regimes, and are of environmental concern. Diffuse components are of little importance at low flow, with point source mine water discharges dominating instream zinc concentration and load. During higher river flows 90% of the instream zinc load is attributed to diffuse sources, where inputs from resuspension of metal-rich sediments, and groundwater influx are likely to be more dominant. Remediating point mine water discharges should significantly improve water quality at lower flows, but contribution from diffuse sources will continue to elevate zinc flux at higher flows.
量化污染的扩散源在全面描述河流流域时变得越来越重要——这是环境管理的前提。本研究考察了低流量和高流量事件以及空间变异性，以便评估位于英格兰北部铅锌矿区的 River West Allen 流域内锌污染的点源和扩散源成分。在所有水流条件下，河流中的锌含量都很高，这令人担忧。在低流量时，扩散源的影响很小，主要是来自矿山点源的水排放导致河流中锌浓度和负荷增加。在较高的河流流量下，90%的河流中锌负荷归因于扩散源，这可能是由于富含金属的沉积物的再悬浮和地下水的涌入更为突出。治理矿山点源水排放将显著改善低流量时的水质，但扩散源的贡献将继续在高流量时提高锌通量。
