HEAVY METAL CONTAMINATION AND ECOLOGICAL RISK ASSESSMENT IN THE SEDIMENTS OF MELEN RIVER, DUZCE, TURKEY

Sediment samples were collected from along the Melen River. Those sediments have been affected municipal and industrial discharges that generated in around Duzce City, Turkey. In this study, the Melen River sediment pollution parameters were investigated. All locations are moderately enriched for Cr, Zn, and Pb and significantly enriched for Cd, Ni, and As. Ecological risk for Cd above 80 (97.21) and As was 76.99, indicating that this heavy metals pose moderate, moderate/high risk to the local ecosystem. All of the samples fall in the polluted areas (PLI>) and the highest pollution load index (PLI) (11.36) value was observed at the DM14 site. According to PCA analysis, the pollution levels of heavy metals in DM1, DM2, and DM3 locations were relatively lower than other sample locations. Cu, Cr, As, and Ni contents falls between the TEL and PEL values, moreover Ni concentration exceed to both of the PEL and ERM values. Especially, according to high values of Eri, PCA, and SQG in between DM9 to DM15 locations, studied sediments have under the moderate toxicity risk for Ni, Cd, As, and Cu.