Evaluation and mapping spatial distribution of bottom sediment heavy metal contamination in Burullus Lake, Egypt

Burullus Lake is one of most important lakes in north Delta of Egypt. It is exposed to huge amounts of serious pollutants especially heavy metals. The sediments within the lake aid in the dispersion of these metals. The main objectives of this research were to evaluate and map the spatial distribution of heavy metals in Burullus Lake sediments. Accordingly, 37 locations were randomly distributed within the lake. Sediment samples were taken from these locations. These samples were analyzed for seven metals including Fe, Cu, Zn, Cr, Co, Cd and Pb. Also, five indices were used to identify the status of metal pollutants in the Lake. These indices are: enrichment factor (EF), contamination factor (CF), degree of contamination (DC), pollution load index (PLI) and geo-accumulation index (Igeo). Ordinary Kriging was used to interpolate the spatial distribution of the studied elements within the lake. The obtained results indicated that cadmium was the most enriched element in the lake sediments due to industrial and agricultural wastes drained into the lake. The Igeo index revealed that Cd and Pb were the common pollutants in lake sediments. The DC values ranged between low (near El-Boughaz) and moderate (near drainage areas). The spatial distribution of pollutants within the lake indicated that the highly polluted areas are located close to the drains, whereas as the less polluted areas were close to El-Boughaz.