Ecological risk assessment of heavy metals sampled in sediments and water of the Houjing River, Taiwan

The Houjing River flows through Kaohsiung, the most industrialized city in southern Taiwan. In this study, heavy metal concentrations in water and sediments from samples along the river were investigated to illustrate metal contamination levels and call for the awareness of industrial pollution prevention. The heavy metal concentrations in the water samples were low and appear to pose little direct risk to aquatic life and irrigation, but heavy metal concentrations in the sediments are locally very high and present an environmental risk. Cadmium, Cu, and Zn were found in higher concentrations in the river sediments than those recommended in some sediment quality guidelines and findings of river sediments in similar studies worldwide. Hence, the ecological risk of heavy metal contamination in sediments was assessed using the pollution load index (PLI) and potential ecological risk index (RI). Three of the eleven sites sampled were found to have PLI values higher than 1 and 8 of them had ‘considerable’ to ‘very high’ RI values, suggesting a considerable ecological risk. These findings provide an insight into elemental metal contamination of the Houjing River and present a baseline data set, which will be critical for future development and environmental protection plans devised for the region.