Seasonal Change of Heavy Metals’ Levels in Surface Waters of Siirt Region

Abstract

The rapid increase in the population of our country, the growing agricultural, industrial, and mining activities in recent years and the necessity to meet the needs of the growing population increase the demand for water rapidly. The increase in the need for water requires monitoring and control of surface clean water resources, which are limited, and determining priority water policies. For this reason, not only the water quality but also the amount of water resources is important. In this study, some heavy and metal determinations (As, Cu, Co, Ni, Cd, Cr, Mn, Pb) were performed in the major surface waters (Kezer, Başur, Bitlis, Botan and Zarova rivers) in Siirt region and seasonal changes were investigated. The amount of heavy metals determined as a result of this study is below the levels determined by WHO (World Health Organization), EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and TSE (Turkısh Standard İnstitute). However, it was concluded that the levels of these heavy metals analyzed did not change significantly seasonally