Spatial and temporal distribution of metals in the Salt River catchment, Cape Town
Abstract
The Liesbeek and Black Rivers are two major urban tributaries in the Salt River catchment. The Salt River enters the ocean at Paarden Island, Table Bay, Cape Town. A multitude of pollution sources are found along the banks of these rivers, including industries, household waste, sewage treatment plants, golf course and informal settlements, which continue to threaten the water and sediment quality of these rivers. The catchment has been severely modified and canalized, increasing flooding events and sediment loads downstream. Despite the multitude of pollution sources surrounding the heavily urbanised Salt River catchment and the risk pollutants such as metals pose to aquatic ecosystems, no comprehensive study on metal pollution in this catchment has been published to date. This study investigated the spatial and temporal distribution of metals (Al, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in water and sediments the Liesbeek, Black, and Salt Rivers by comparing new data (2022) with unpublished 2006 data, as well as by comparing wet and dry seasons and selected sampling stations. The objectives of the study were to assess contamination levels, identify the potential sources of pollution, and evaluate the spatial and temporal trends in metal concentrations over a sixteen years period. Two sampling stations were selected in each of the Liesbeek and Black Rivers, and one in the Salt River (due to most parts of the latter being canalised). Physicochemical parameters were measured…
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