Chemical Composition of the Rocky River Near Cleveland, Ohio

Author Institution: Department of Geological Sciences, Cleveland State UniversityOn 29 and 30 October 1978, 44 water samples were collected from the Rocky River and selected tributaries. We investigated the distribution of K, Na, Ca and Sr with respect to location along the river and found that the Lower Rocky River has the highest average concentrations of K, Na and Ca, compared to the East Branch and West Branch, a finding probably attributable to cultural inputs from waste water and industrial dumps. The higher average concentrations of K, Na and Ca in the West Branch relative to the East Branch of the Rocky River may be caused by the agricultural and industrial input. The sharp drop of element concentrations near the mouth of the Rocky River may be the result or mixing of lake water with the river water. The average concentrations of K, Na, Ca and Sr found in the Lower Rocky River were 7.4, 62.0, 59.0, and 0.15 ppm, respectively. These values are comparable with those of the Lower Cuyahoga River but are considerably higher than those reported for the midlake water of Lake Erie