Effects of High Discharge and an Oil Refinery Cleanup Operation on Heavy Metals in Water and Sediments in Skeleton Creek

Abstract

Distribution of copper, chromium, lead, and zinc in water and sediments was studied in Skeleton Creek, Oklahoma, following conditions of high discharge and after an oil refinery cleanup operation. Heavy metal concentrations in water generally decreased exponentially with time following high stream discharge while no significant trends existed in the distribution of heavy metals in sediments. Copper concentration in water generally decreased with time while chromium, lead, and zinc exhibited peak concentrations 4 to 8 days after the date effluents from an oil refinery cleanup were expected to enter Skeleton Creek. No significant changes in metal concentrations occurred in the sediments.