Migration of Lead in Surface Water, Pore Water, and Groundwater With a Focus on Firing Ranges

Abstract

Lead has been widely introduced into the environment for centuries and lead toxicity has been well known for decades. Despite hundreds of articles describing lead's interaction with the environment, questions continue to be raised regarding the extent to which the element may migrate through soil and the vadose zone and contaminate groundwater. The authors examined lead geochemistry and field data and conclude that lead may migrate short distances in surface and pore water but that reports of lead in groundwater are related to vanishingly low natural concentrations, direct introduction of lead, or errors during sample handling or analysis.

KEY WORDS:

• groundwater
• lead
• migration
• shooting ranges

Notes

^aValue is different than that for Table 2 because this table contains only data from the berms where lysimeters were emplaced.