Arsenic-rich sediments in arid fluvial systems pose great scientific and technical challenges to the planning of sustainable water infrastructure. This work presents the case of the Lluta river watershed in northern Chile, where a dam will be built to provide storage and flow regulation. The quality of water and arsenic rich sediments reaching the dam is controlled by the complex chemical dynamics and hydrology of a river confluence, where the Azufre river (pH<2, As~2ppm) mixes with the Caracarani river (pH~8, As<0.1 ppm) forming a complex mixture of arsenic rich iron oxides, aluminum oxides, and iron-coated sands. A thorough understanding of the interaction between geochemistry, hydrology, and hydrodynamics is needed to provide an assessment of the fate of arsenic in this system and to propose effective preventive measures.

Arsenic occurrence in fluvial sediments: Challenges for planning sustainable water infrastructure in the Lluta river basin

242nd National Meeting (2011)

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