The assessment of the impacts of a marble waste site on water and sediment quality in a river system

About 35,000 tons/year of marble waste is discarded into the Fetrek River bed, which stretches from north to south over an alluvial aquifer and feeds the groundwater. The marble waste mixes with the natural flow of the river and is carried away to the alluvial plain that provides drinking water for the residential areas downstream. Based on the analysis in this study, the electrical conductivity values are measured to be between 810-2040 mu S/cm in the Fetrek River, and 619-1230 mu S/cm in the ground water. Similarly, the pH values range from 7.20 to 8.78 both in surface and ground water. According to the Piper diagram, both the surface and the groundwater belong to Ca-SO4 and Ca-HCO3 groups. The analysis further revealed the presence of a number of trace metals, such as Fe, Al, As and Pb, which violate the currently effective Drinking Water Quality Standards in Turkey. The computed saturation indices demonstrate oversaturation levels with respect to calcite and dolomite minerals in Fetrek River and groundwater within the immediate vicinity of the marble waste disposal site. According to the irrigation water quality criteria, the Fetrek River and regional groundwater belong to Class III type irrigation water. From a similar perspective, the calcium contents of Fetrek River sediments are also remarkably high around the marble waste site and decreases gradually as a function of distance. Finally, the pollution index parameter is used to specify the level of pollution in the soil. Some samples collected from the vicinity of the waste disposal site had a pollution index value greater than 1, which represents high levels of contamination