Kenneth . S. Sajwan, Paramasivam Sivapatham, Joseph P. Richardson, Julius Afolabi, Craig. L. Young, Jeffrey A. Delise, Mariel .C. Potts, and Teri.P.A. Schell. 2003. Water Quality Characteristics of Savannah River and its Tributaries

Surface water pollution as a result of various industrial activities is a worldwide problem of increasing magnitude. The lower Savannah River has been receiving the industrial effluent for a long time. This has caused some serious concerns to the surface water quality, aquatic food chain, and human health. A study was undertaken to monitor temporal and spatial variation of chemical composition from selected locations in lower Savannah River and also from tributaries (creeks) in this region at monthly interval for a period of one year. The study indicated that pH of water samples varies from 6.0 to 9.3 while the ionic strength varied from 0.98 to 755.6 mM. The Na, Ca and Mg were the dominant cations present in these samples and their concentrations varied substantially with time and location of sampling sites. Study also indicated the substantial amounts of other cations such as NH₄⁺-N and K⁺ in these surface water samples. Among the various anions monitored, NO₃^--N, NO₂^--N, PO₄^3-, and SO₄^2- found to be in substantially high concentrations and were greater than that of their respective Maximum Contaminant Limit (MCL). Among other elements the Fe varied from 0.4 to 10.1 mg L^-1 in tributaries while in lower Savannah River it varied from 0.1 to 1.2 mg L^-1. The Mn and Zn were approximately in the range of 1/10th of the concentration of Fe. Heavy metals such as Cd, and Pb varied in the range of 0-400 µ L^-1 in all water samples while Cr varied widely in the range of 0 - 100 µ L^-1. The observed concentration range for Cd, Cr, and Pb were 70 to 400 times greater than those mean values generally reported in literature for fresh water. The results of this study further signal an alarming situation with respect to aquatic food chain and human health in long run and indicating the urgency of implementing an intensive monitoring program to protect surface water quality for the sustainable coastal environment.