Évaluation de la qualité physico-chimique et du niveau de contamination métallique (Cd, Pb, Zn) des rejets d'eaux usées d'Oran et de Mostaganem (littoral Ouest algérien)

Abstract

The coastal areas are the locus of activities requiring water of good physicochemical quality: recreational uses, aquaculture and fishing. These areas are under the direct influence of wadis and wastewaters which pass by the contributions of watersheds, urban and industrial discharge. These discharges result, when the renewal of water masses is small compared to release, significant degradation of water quality and marine ecosystem.This study focuses on an assessment of water quality of urban and industrial effluents from two coastal urban centers western (Oran and Mostaganem), with the aim of assessing the state of contamination by heavy metals (Cd, Pb and Zn), as well as the evaluation of the physico-chemical quality of marine waters to determine the potential impact of metal pollution on the west coast of Algeria.The average concentration of cadmium is maximal for the industrial effluent of Mostaganem (0.88 mg.l-1 – standard deviation: 1.35 mg.l-1). For zinc, the highest average concentration corresponds to the urban effluent of Mostaganem (0.92 mg.l-1 – standard deviation: 1.35 mg.l-1). Lead has average concentrations high enough at the three studied effluents: 0.23 mg.l-1 at the urban effluent of Oran (standard deviation: 0.22 mg.l-1), 0.22 mg.l-1 at the industrial effluent of Mostaganem (standard deviation: 0.21 mg.l-1) and 0.19 mg.l-1 at the urban effluent of Mostaganem (standard deviation: 0.20 mg.l-1). If heavy metal concentrations vary greatly from one sample to another, as reflected in the standard deviations, no lasting change is apparent. Only average levels of cadmium are exceeding the normative.

Keywords

• Algeria
• wastewater
• marine ecosystem
• urban effluent
• industrial effluent
• heavy metals