Sources and concentrations of mercury and selenium in compartments within the Las Vegas Wash during a period of rapid change.

The Las Vegas Wash, which drains the Las Vegas valley watershed and provides the second largest inflow to Lake Mead, is being dramatically altered with erosion control structures and wetland restoration efforts. The impact of these changes on the cycling and distribution of Hg and Se is of particular interest because of their tendency to bioaccumulate and because of a lack of information on these contaminants in the Wash. In this study, we determined concentrations of Hg and Se in surface water (monthly), groundwater (once) and sediments (quarterly) from strategic locations within and along the Wash during 2002 and 2003. The data was used to characterize Se sources and loading into the Wash. Samples containing resurfacing groundwater and urban runoff (LW10.75 and Duck Creek) had significantly higher yearly means (13.7 +/- 4.4 and 23.8 +/- 4.1 microg/L, respectively) compared with mainstream samples containing primarily treated wastewater (2.8 +/- 0.8 microg/L). Investigation of Se in tributaries, street runoff and rain suggest that the source of the elevated Se is likely groundwater seeps located within a relatively narrow geographic band on the southeast side of the valley. Se content of sediments was similar, except for LW10.75 which was rich in organic matter. Hg concentrations in the water and sediments were low, averaging 4 +/- 5 ng/L and 34 +/- 20 ng/g, dw, respectively. Overall, this study suggests that water quality remains relatively stable despite changes in the Wash and managers of developing wetlands should not use tributary water as source water.