Environmental assessment of the surface sediment in the artificial lake at Jordan University of Science and Technology as a route to sustainable aquaculture

The submerged surface sediment of the artificial lake at Jordan University of Science and Technology in Irbid, Jordan, was investigated to evaluate its contamination with trace metals. Chemical characterization was applied to leachates of sediment samples collected from 11 sampling stations at the study zone. The metal concentration (Pb, Cu, Cr, Cd, Ni, Zn, Fe, and Hg) in the sediment samples was matched to the limits set by the Jordanian standard for water-sludge-uses of treated sludge and sludge disposal. According to the results obtained via thermal decomposition, mercury amalgamation, and inductively coupled plasma—atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES), most metals were below the detection limit. Several metals were found to be below the limits fixed by the Jordanian standards except for stations 10 and 11 which connected the wastewater channels to the lake. At these two stations, Pb recorded contents were 439 and 335 mg/kg dry matter, respectively, and thus exceeded the limits set by the Jordanian standard. Thus, the overall results were in favor of the environmental safety of the JUST lake for setting up a fish aquaculture.