Contamination From Battery Salvage Operations On The Chipola River, Florida

Trace elements (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Pb, Se, and Zn) were measured in fish, clams, and sediment in 1982 to determine whether the effluents from 2 abandoned battery salvage operations were contaminating the Chipola River, Florida. Concentrations of the metals were generally low, but tended to increase downstream from plant sites. Elevated concentrations may reflect residual contamination from the battery salvage operations as well as increased land-use development and proximity to major highways. Concentrations of trace elements in samples of biota and sediments demonstrated no serious contaminant problem in the Chipola River.