Study of aluminium concentration and speciation of surface water in four catchments in the Limousin region (France)

This study highlights the contamination of the upstream catchment of several rivers (Vienne, Gartempe, Vezere) in the Limousin (France) by aluminium in the absence of atmospheric pollution. The presence of acid soils on a granitic platform is a natural factor which contributes to the presence of protons and aluminium in water. In the Limousin, it seems that the presence of aluminum in surface water is due to a combination of natural factors: poor acid soils, numerous wet moors and peat bogs. It is currently difficult to evaluate the real impact of intensive cultivation of coniferous trees on the aluminium concentrations found in water in this area. In water, the concentration in total aluminium increases with a decrease in pH and an increase in organic matter. Despite, high concentrations of total aluminium at low pH (close to or lower than 6), the monomeric toxic forms of aluminium, computed with a speciation software, are always inferior to the toxic values for fish. Under such conditions, the concentration in aluminium recorded in some upstream catchments of the Limousin rivers may not cause damage to aquatic life. (C) 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.