COPPER IN THE SEDIMENTS IN SELECTED BANSKÁ ŠTIAVNICA WATER RESERVOIRS / MEĎ V SEDIMENTOCH VO VYBRANÝCH BANSKO-ŠTIAVNICKÝCH VODNÝCH NÁDRŽIACH

The aim of this paper was to analyze and evaluate sediments of selected water reservoirs Počúvadlo, Malá Richňava, Veľká Richňava, Windšachta, in order to determine the concentrations of copper in the monitored water reservoirs in the Banská Štiavnica region. The analyses of the sediment samples were carried out by flow electrochemistry and atomic absorption spectrometry. In the study area, the samples were collected from 2001 to 2010; we found the following concentrations of copper in the range from 1.66 mg.kg^-1 to 14.0 mg.kg^-1 Cu of dry matter. The copper concentrations in the sediments were well below the risk limit according to “The Methodological Instruction of the Ministry of Environment of the Slovak Republic no. 549/98-2”. Based on the calculated dependency index, it is possible to assess the development of changes in the concentrations over the years as highly dynamic, and unsatisfactory for natural environment.