Physico-Chemical Characteristics and Heavy Metal Contents of Water from Karavasta lagoon, Albania

A study was conducted on physico-chemical parameters and heavy metal contents of water from the Karavasta Lagoon(40º56’ N and 19º29’ E). Karavasta Lagoon is one of the largest lagoons in the Mediterranean Seaand one of the most important economic and ecological areas in the southern part of Albania. The overall complex is composed of four lagoons, sand dunes, and a river mouth has a surface of 10000 ha. It is situated in the central part of western region, between Shkumbini River in the north and Semani River in the south, 40 km west of the city of Lushnja, by the Adriatic coast. The study aimed to determine (i) the water quality in the lagoon of Karavasta using physico-chemical parameters and the level of heavy metals, (2) its status to support living life in the aquatic ecosystem. Data on temperature, pH, salinity, dissolved oxygen were obtained in-situ using Hanna multi-parameters instruments. Surface water of the lagoon was analyzed for heavy metals: Pb, Cr, Cu, Cd, As.The results showed that water temperature varies depending on the seasons. The highest temperatures were in July from 26 to 28.6 ºC depending on the sampling station.The results showed that water temperature varies depending on the seasons. Highest values of pH in the water of the lagoon are verified in December from 10.72 to11.98. The values of salinity in the lagoon of Karavasta are higher in Dajlani station SS1 ranging 42.31% in July to 40.83 %in December, depending from the connection with Adriatic Sea. Also it varies considerably from one area to another, and between seasons, depending on the degree of isolationThe heavy metals Cr, Pb, Cu in some stations are found to be close or higher than the values allowed by the EU and pose a potential health risk to humans and the aquatic life of the lagoon’s ecosystem.