Assessment of the Pollution from Tannery Effluents upon Waters and Soils in and Around Kula Vicinity, Turkey

Tarcan, Gültekin; Akıncı, Görkem; Danışman, M Ali

Assessment of the Pollution from Tannery Effluents upon Waters and Soils in and Around Kula Vicinity, Turkey

2010

Tarcan, Gültekin | Akıncı, Görkem | Danışman, M Ali

More than 50 tanneries are operated in Kula, Turkey which is located on highly permeable geological units. The untreated effluents from the tanneries discharged onto the ground surface may cause pollution in surface waters, in groundwater, and in soil. Since the water resources of the region are used for drinking, agricultural, and industrial purposes, the quality assessment of groundwaters and surface waters is completed in the content of this study. Additionally, the surface soil samples are analyzed for their heavy metal content to describe the size of the pollution. The results obtained from the analysis of the water samples show that the concentrations are mostly within drinking water limits. But, concentrations are expected to increase in the next years as no effective effluent collection and treatment is present in the tanneries. Although the concentrations of K, SO₄, Mg, Na, and Cl exceed the permissible limits for drinking water in some cases, they may not directly be caused by tannery activities. Nevertheless, they should be assessed as an indicator of the beginning of groundwater pollution. Also, soil samples collected near the tannery district are extremely polluted. This paper discusses the assessment of the geochemical dispersals of Cr and other pollutants derived from the tannery activities within soil and water in Kula.

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