A study of ion profiles for Mahoning River surface waters : 1963-1968

Abstract

The Mahoning River in northeastern Ohio has become a reflection of a population's economic growth and decline with its significance in environmental studies warranted by its use and abuse through the past decades. Chemical analyses of the river water and sediment throughout the peak years of steel production and then through the years following the industrial demise in the Mahoning Valley provide useful information about the effects and consequences of uncontrolled human-made pollution in a dynamic system such as a river. However, these analyses have been sporadic and uncontrolled in that method equivalency and standardizations have not been maintained. Differences in testing though will always occur with constantly improving technology. Ion analysis of water samples is especially valuable in diagnosing a river's condition in that both industrial and municipal pollution can often be indicated with the determination of ion concentrations. With the recent explosion in technology including improvements in column efficiency and analysis time, ion chromatography has become the tool of choice for a wide range of ion analyses. For long-term, longitudinal environmental studies which involve repetitive work the advantages of using ion chromatography over tradition wet lab methods are tremendous. The project presented in this paper involves the analysis of eight ions, five anions and three cations, from Mahoning River surface water samples. The procedure used in determining ion concentrations will demonstrate the efficiency, speed and reliability of the ion chromatography system. Results will be compared to previous data showing the value of this method in water testing and the need for its permanent incorporation into standard test procedures such as those dictated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.