A survey of heavy metals in water, soil and the surrounding plants in the Lower Rio Grande Valley

Heavy metal pollution of the environment in recent years has become a major issue of importance for both human and environmental health. Samples were investigated for the potential pollution of the area as it is a vital produce producing area. During the study plant, soil and water samples were collected from the Donna Reservoir and Canal System to test the concentration of various heavy metals. The heavy metals tested included both potentially toxic and micronutrients in the samples which included arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, iron, lead, nickel and sulfur. During the study, a sixty day sampling period was used to compare possible changes in metal concentrations during a seasonal change. The Donna water reservoir is fed by the Rio Grande River and supplies water to the City of Donna and irrigation needs of the area. All samples were analyzed using an Inductively Coupled Plasma- Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES).