Biogeochemistry of mercury in a river-reservoir system: impact of an inactive chloralkali plant on the Holston River-Cherokee Reservoir, Virginia and Tennessee

Technical Report · Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 1980

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5179006· OSTI ID:5179006

Hildebrand, S. G.; Lindberg, S. E.; Turner, R. R.; Huckabee, J. W.; Strand, R. H.; Lund, J. R.; Andren, A. W.

Elevated mercury concentrations in fish species from the North Fork of the Holston River were observed in the early 1970's. The source of the mercury was a chloralkali plant which had ceased operation in 1972. Mercury continues to be released to the river from two large (approx. 40-ha) waste disposal ponds at the plant site. This report presents results of a study of the emission of mercury to the environment from the abandoned waste ponds and of the distribution of mercury in water, sediment, and biota of the Holston River-Cherokee Reservoir System in Virginia and eastern Tennessee.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
• OSTI ID: 5179006
• Report Number(s): ORNL/TM-6141
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
CHEMICAL PLANTS
CHEMICAL EFFLUENTS
MERCURY
BIOGEOCHEMISTRY
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
TENNESSEE
AIR POLLUTION
WATER POLLUTION
VIRGINIA
BENTHOS
DISTRIBUTION
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FISHES
PONDS
RIVERS
SEDIMENTS
SOLID WASTES
WASTE DISPOSAL
ANIMALS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
CENTRAL REGION
CHEMISTRY
DATA
ELEMENTS
GEOCHEMISTRY
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
INFORMATION
MANAGEMENT
METALS
NORTH AMERICA
NUMERICAL DATA
POLLUTION
SOUTHEAST REGION
STREAMS
SURFACE WATERS
USA
VERTEBRATES
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
520200* - Environment
Aquatic- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)
500200 - Environment
Atmospheric- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)