The Release Characteristic and Potential Ecological Risk of Heavy Metals in Surface Sediments in Wei River, Shaanxi

Currently, there are plans to add foreign water into the Wei River, Shaanxi Province, China, to address the water shortage and currently pollution issues within the region. In this study, laboratory experiments were conducted using surface sediments taken from the Xianyang and Weinan sections of the Wei River in Shaanxi Province, China. The results show that the measured heavy metals were released from the surface sediments after the addition of the foreign water. The content of exchangeable and carbonate-bound Co, Mn, Mo, and Pb decreased. The potential ecological risk index for multiple metals ( RI) of the heavy metals in the surface sediment samples of the Weinan section decreased by an average of 17%, to <150, after the introduction of foreign water, indicating a low ecological hazard. In comparison, the RI of the heavy metals in the surface sediment samples of the Xianyang section decreased by an average of 4%, to <300, but still >= 150, after the introduction of foreign water, indicating a moderate ecological hazard.