Heavy Metal Inflow into the Floodplains at the Mouth of the River Weibe Elster (Central Germany)

The heavy metal inflow into the floodplains at the mouth of the river WeiBe Elster, Central Germany, was investigated. Starting in 1998, samples of flood sediments were taken from the retention area in order to ascertain the quality of the suspended matter retained there. The samples were fine-sieved dried at 105 degree C and digested according to DIN 38414-S7 using aqua regia. Heavy metals were identified by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). Pressure filtration through a cellulose acetate (CA) filter with a diameter of 10 cm and a pore size < 0.45 mu m was used. The quantity of sediment deposited ranged from 1.1 in the year 2001 to 7.9 kg/m super(2) in 2002.