title: Massive accumulation of highly polluted sedimentary deposits by river damming.
abstract: Uncontrolled dumping of anthropogenic waste in rivers regulated by dams has created contaminated deposits in reservoirs that have remained unidentified for decades. The Flix Reservoir is located in the Ebro River, the second largest river flowing into the NW Mediterranean, has been affected by residue dumping from a chlor-alkali electrochemical plant for decades. High-resolution seismic profiles, bathymetric data, surficial sediment samples and sediment cores were obtained in the Flix Reservoir to study the characteristics of the deposit accumulated by this dumping. These data were used to reconstruct the waste deposit history. Since the construction of the Flix Dam in 1948, more than 3.6×10(5) t of industrial waste has accumulated in the reservoir generating a delta-like deposit formed by three sediment lobes of fine-grained material highly contaminated by Hg, Cd, Zn and Cr (max: 640, 26, 420 and 750 mg kg(-1), respectively). This contamination was associated with the Hg that was used for the cathode in the electrochemical plant from 1949 and with the production of phosphorite derivatives from 1973. After the construction of two large dams only a few kilometres upstream during the 1960s, the solids discharged from the industrial complex became the main sediment source to the Flix Reservoir. The deposit has remained in the reservoir forming a delta that obstructs about 50% of the river water section. Its stability only depended on the flow retention by the Flix Dam. At present, this contaminated waste deposit is being removed from the water reservoir as it is a cause of concern for the environment and for human health downriver.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Marine Sciences (CSIC), Passeig Maritim de la Barceloneta, 37-49, Barcelona 08003, Spain. Electronic address: albertp@icm.csic.es.
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Palanques
authors.affiliation: Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (CSIC), Jordi Girona, 18, Barcelona 08034, Spain.
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Grimalt
authors.affiliation: Institute of Marine Sciences (CSIC), Passeig Maritim de la Barceloneta, 37-49, Barcelona 08003, Spain.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Belzunces
authors.affiliation: Institute of Marine Sciences (CSIC), Passeig Maritim de la Barceloneta, 37-49, Barcelona 08003, Spain.
authors.forename: Ferran
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Estrada
authors.affiliation: Institute of Marine Sciences (CSIC), Passeig Maritim de la Barceloneta, 37-49, Barcelona 08003, Spain.
authors.forename: Pere
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Puig
authors.affiliation: Institute of Marine Sciences (CSIC), Passeig Maritim de la Barceloneta, 37-49, Barcelona 08003, Spain.
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Guillén
mesh_terms: D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry; D015386:Hazardous Substances / Q000032:analysis; D007220:Industrial Waste / Q000032:analysis; D008628:Mercury / Q000032:analysis; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D015386:Hazardous Substances; D007220:Industrial Waste; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D008628:Mercury
keywords: Damming; Ebro River; Industrial waste; Mercury; Sediment trapping