Alme river

On August, 22, 1999 the effluent of a sewage treatment plant (STP) in Hamm and the effluent of a pharmaceutical plant in Bergkamen were sampled. Tributaries like the Alme river (see Figure 1) and the Quabbe Brook were sampled on August, 29, 2000. Water samples from the Seseke river (see Figure 1) were taken on March, 8, 2001. 

In order to get an idea about the input pathways of the detected compounds into the Lippe river, some tributaries and potential sources of organic contaminants were sampled. Random samples were taken from the Alme river and the Quabbe Brook which are located at the less densely populated upper reaches of the Lippe river. Additionally, the Seseke river was investigated, a dirty water course which is heavily polluted with sewage effluents. Analyses of effluents from the municipial sewage treatment plant (STP) in the city of Hamm and a pharmaceutical plant were also carried out. The compound spectra which was identified in the Lippe river (see Table 1) was used as a basis for investigating the source samples. The results are summarised in Table 3. 

West of the source region, there are four more sampling locations on the upper reaches of the Lippe river (sites 17 to 14). This area is not densely populated, but there are two major sewage treatment plants (Fig. 2 Paderbom and Lippstadt). The effluent discharge of the STP s leads to significantly higher loads of HHCB and AHTN at sites 16 to 14. In contrast, concentrations are lower than at site 18. This is the result of Lippe water dilution by several small brooks (e.g. the Beke Brook) and by some larger tributaries (e.g. the Alme river). 

When dialysis bags full of pure water were immersed in freshwater systems (e.g. rivers and lakes) for several weeks, light element ions (mono- or divalent) migrated into the bags, and this result confirmed that these elements existed in the waters primarily as low-molecular-weight species. Excluded were multivalent ions (e.g. Alm, Fem, Th ) which were present mainly in colloidal or particulate form (Benes and Steinnes, 1974). 

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