Integral assessment of pollution in the Suquía River (Córdoba, Argentina) as a contribution to lotic ecosystem restoration programs

MERLO CAROLINA; ABRIL ADRIANA; AMÉ M.VALERIA; ARGÜELLO GUSTAVO ; CARRERAS HEBE; CHIAPPERO MALISA; HUED ANDREA ; WANNAZ EDUARDO; GALANTI LUCAS; MONFERRÁN MAGDALENA; GONZÁLEZ CLAUDIS; SOLÍS VELIA. M.

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

Año: 2011 vol. 409 p. 5034 - 5034

The Suquía River lower?middle basin (Córdoba, Argentina) is subject to a strong anthropic impact because it receives pollutants from different sources (industries, wastewaters, heavy traffic, agricultural land use, etc.) We have assessed the degree of watershed degradation of Suquía River lower?middle sections through the analysis of different ecosystem compartments (air, water, riparian soil, sediments and biota), in order to provide useful data to be considered in future river restoration programs. Four study sites were selected along the river (La Calera city, Córdoba city, Corazón de María village and Río Primero city) which were sampled during the low- and high-water flow periods. We analyzed: a) chemical and physical characteristics of water, sediments, and riparian soil; b) heavy metal content of water and sediments, and c) semi-volatile organic compounds in air. Besides, pollutant bioindicators such as fish assemblages, lichens (Usnea amblyoclada), vascular plants