Evaluation of Water Quality and Its Potential Threats Along River Drini Bardh Using Analytical Instrumental Techniques

Abstract

The safety of drinking water is compromised by a variety of pollutants, both chemical and microbial. The goal of this study is to evaluate the quantity of heavy metals in the water, sediment, and soil of aquatic sources in the Drini i Bardhë river. The study site is directly impacted by the geological composition of the rocks present (including: clastic, alluvium, proluvium, glacigene and lake sediments). Results indicate that there were significant changes in the concentrations of heavy metals at various sediment, soil and water sample locations. Sampling and measurements took place in September 2018. We measured physical and chemical parameters, including temperature, pH, EC, TDS, and ions (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, NH4+, NO2-, Cl-, NO3) to characterize environmental samples taken from the study site. The amounts of ten elements in water, sludge, and soil samples were determined using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) (As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn). The study indicates mild contamination from these elements in the river, posing potential risks to humans, but in order to further characterize environmental risks posed by this contamination, additional research at the study site is needed.