Geological effect on the Grlište reservoir water quality

Abstract

This work presents analytical data for copper (Cu), zinc (Zn) and manganese (Mn) of the Grlište storage reservoir that was built for water supply to Zaječar and the nearby communities. Because there was not any industry of military work that could be a source of heavy metals, the research focused on the geology of the area drained to the impounded lake. Occurrences and deposits of minerals in the area were registered and concentrations of copper, zinc and manganese in the lake analyzed and graphically represented. Water samples the analyses were taken at the upstream and downstream ends and the middle of the lake, each from three depths: lake surface, mid-depth and near the floor. Measurements spanned the period from 1991 to 2004. The copper and zinc concentrations had a gently rising trend in all sections, and manganese only in the upstream end of the lake.