The impact of the combustion waste landfill of the Skawina Power Plant on selected elements of the agricultural production area

Abstract

Field observations and interviews with residents of Kopanka, Ochodza and Borek Szlachecki villages indicate that the agricultural production area located near the combustion waste landfill is negatively affected. Two distinct phenomena are observed: increased dust concentration in the air and excessive soil moisture or even flooding. The aim of the study was to assess whether and to what degree the landfill affects the content of the trace elements Cd(II), Pb(II), Zn(II) and Cu in the soil and plants of the adjoining agricultural production areas. The content of Cd(II), Pb(II), Zn(II) and Cu in the soil of the studied area was within the acceptable norms specified in the regulation of the Ministry of the Environment (Dz. U. 2002 nr 165, poz. 1359). In the herbaceous vegetation growing at sampling points W150, E150, E100 and N100, the acceptable level of Cd(II) specified in the regulation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development exceeded the norms (Dz. U. 2012 poz. 203). In turn, all the plant samples Pb(II) showed acceptable levels. The content of Zn(II) and Cu in the plant material meets the criteria for fodder proposed by IUNG (Kabata-Pendias et al. 1993). The high phytoaccumulation indices for Cd(II) and Zn(II) in the plant material may be due to dust fall containing metals. However, without precise quantitative and qualitative measurements of dust fall, it is difficult to ascertain to what extent this is caused by migration from the landfill and to what extent it is a result of deposits of pollutants from other sources.