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Copper (Cu) is an important heavy metal to be considered in soil contamination, because high concentrations of copper in soil produce toxic effects and may accumulate in plant tissues. In Australia's oldest sewage irrigation farm, located in Werribee, Victoria, soil in the land filtration area is contaminated by Cu. However, Cu content in herbage tissues is in the normal range and has been trending downward since 1979. Therefore, studies on the sorption capacity and sequential extraction of Cu in soil at the Werribee Farm is of significance, not only for better understanding the mechanism of transport, chemical processes, and plant uptake of Cu, but also in providing information for the practical management of sewage farm soils. Methods of combining sorption isotherms with sequential extraction procedures were adopted, and the results showed that the soil in the land filtration area at Werribee Farm has a high sorption capacity for Cu, and distribution coefficients, K f of Cu, were 629 L kg -1 in surface soils (0–20 cm) and 335 L kg -1 in subsurface soils (20–40 cm). The sequential extraction fractions demonstrate that exchangeable and carbonate fractions are very low, only comprising 3.49 to 5.49% of total copper. The other fractions are also discussed. This characteristic of Cu in soil is related to the low concentration of Cu in plant tissues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents results of a reconnaisance survey of heavy metal accumulation in soils from Australia's oldest sewerage farm located in Werribee just outside of Melbourne, Victoria. The soil and vegetation samples were collected from randomly selected sites in 21 paddocks in the land filtration area. The average concentration of Chromium (Cr) in sewerage treated soils significantly exceeds the Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council's standard, while the average concentrations of Copper (Cu) and Zinc (Zn) are close the standard. The concentration of Cr, Cu and Zn in sewerage, soils and plant tissues are at a level that can be used as tracers of metal contamination in further studies.

The article investigates the spatial variation of lead concentrations found on the leaves of native vegetation in a small rural coastal town. The selected town has no major lead-producing industry and therefore lead concentrations on plant leaves can be directly correlated with vehicle emissions. This article is the first part of a long-term study to investigate the effects of legislative changes in vehicle emissions on atmospheric pollution and consequent impacts on vegetation and ecosystem function. The study was conducted in Warrnambool, a small rural coastal town with a population of 28,000 people. Warrnarnbool is located approximately 260 km west of Melbourne, Australia.