Heavy Metal Content in the Stream Sediments of Wilson Creek in the Vicinity of the Southwest Wastewater Treatment Plant, Greene County, Missouri

The content of barium, calcium, cobalt, chromium, copper, cadmium, iron, manganese, nickel, lead, silver, and zinc was determined in the stream sediments of Wilson Creek upstream and downstream from the effluent of the Southwest Wastewater Treatment Plant. The purpose was to determine if the effluent was contributing heavy metal quantities to the stream sediments. The mean content for all metals except barium, cobalt, and manganese were found to be higher in stream sediment samples downstream from the treatment plant effluent. A t-test showed a significant difference between the mean content of silver, chromium, copper, nickel, barium, cobalt, and manganese in the sediments upstream compared to sediments downstream from the treatment plant effluent. Trend charts for silver, chromium, copper, and nickel indicated increasing downstream quantities which did not initiate at the plant\u27s effluent. The results indicated that effluent from the treatment plant did not add detectable amounts of heavy metals to the sediments