Aplinkos tyrimai, inžinerija ir vadyba, 2009. Nr. 1(47), P.

13-23 ISSN 1392-1649

Environmental Research, Engineering and Management, 2009. No. 1(47), P. 13-23

Pollution of Bottom Sediments in Šventoji Port

Rimutė Stakėnienė, Kęstutis Jokšas, Arūnas Galkus and

Lina Lagunavičienė
Institute of Geology and Geography, Vilnius, Lithuania

(received in December, 2008; accepted in March, 2009)

The aim of the work is to research and sum up pollution of surface bottom sediments with
hydrocarbons and heavy metals Cr, Pb, V, Ni, Cu, Zn and Hg in Šventoji Port, Lithuania. It is determined that
concentration of pollutants depends mainly on the granular and material composition of bottom sediments,
the distance from the sources of pollution and sedimentation patterns in the barrier zone fresh–saline water.
The greatest area (33.2%) of bottom sediments in the Šventoji Port 7.75 ha basin is polluted with
hydrocarbons. The most highly polluted is the sand in the Šventoji River sector in front of its mouth (0.047
ha) where the maximal permissible concentration (MPC) value for sand is exceeded by 21.3 times. Certain
areas of surface bottom sediments in the Šventoji Port basin are polluted with heavy metals Pb (0.054 ha), Ni
(0.19 ha), Cu (0.19 ha) and Zn. (0.36 ha).
Key words: bottom sediments, composition, concentration, heavy metals, mud, hydrocarbons, organic
carbon, pollutants, port basin, sand.

1. Introduction

The first individual research into the
composition of bottom sediments in the Šventoji
River and port basins was carried out in 1997 [1].
Geochemical reconnaissance was performed
following a preliminary worked out scheme of bottom
sediments. In June of 2004, the authors mapped the
water area of the port, performed its bathymetric
measuring, analysed the water mass and, in a detailed
network of stations, collected surface bottom
sediment samples for granulometric and chemical
analysis. The further research was undertaken to fill
the gaps of the first survey. Based on the new data,
the authors defined the geographical factors
responsible for the character of sedimentation
processes in the port waters, determined the influence
of the subaqual relief on sedimentation processes,
distinguished sedimentogenetic zones, and considered
a possibility for recognition of sedimentary
environment transformations according to the
dynamics of water indices [2]. Chemical analysis of
bottom sediment samples helped them track up the
dependence of distribution and accumulation of
metals Cr, Pb, V, Ni, Cu, Zn and Hg on specific
features of the sedimentary environment [3].
The present article introduces the yet
unpublished analysis results of organics and bottom
sediment pollution with hydrocarbons and heavy
metals Cr, Pb, V, Ni, Cu, Zn and Hg. The
concentrations of the mentioned pollutants are used as
soil pollution criteria in the normative documentation
and recommendations of many countries [4, 5, 6 and
7] and in Lithuanian valid normative document
LAND 46 -2002 (Rules for dredging soils in sea and
sea port waters and dredged soil management).
Though in LAND 46-2002 [8] hydrocarbons are
referred to as “oil products”, in practice soil pollution
is assessed, as a rule, taking into consideration the
measured concentrations of total hydrocarbons. This
principle is also followed in the present work.
2. Material and methods
Samples of surface bottom sediments (0–5 cm)
were taken from the Šventoji Port basin (7.75 ha) in
June of 2004. A Van Veen grab sampler was used for
collecting sediment samples. The sediment samples
were transferred to plastic bags and frozen [2].
 R. Stakėnienė, K. Jokšas, A. Galkus and L. Lagunavičienė

As the sorption potential of soils largely depends KX = CX/MPCX

on the content of organic material, the concentrations
determined were not only of hydrocarbons and heavy
metals but also of organic carbon. The content of total
organic carbon (OCT) was determined by destruction
of carbonates contained in sediments using mineral
acid and oxidation of organic material at 900ºC using
a high-temperature catalytic oxidation method
(HTCO) [9]. Total concentration of hydrocarbons
(HCT) in bottom sediments was determined by an
infrared spectrometry method [10].
After combustion of bottom sediments in HNO3-
HClO4-HF mixture and dry residual dissolution in
hydrochloric acid, the metals: zinc (Zn), lead (Pb),
chromium (Cr), vanadium (V), and nickel (Ni) were
analysed by an ICP-MS method (inductively coupled
plasma mass spectrometry). Concentration of Hg was
determined by an ICP-MS method after preliminary
combustion of sediments in aqua regia [11, 12].
For assessment of the level of pollution, the
samples of bottom sediments were first of all assigned
to one of the dominant Šventoji Port soil types
according to granular composition and consistence:
sand or mud [8]. The pollution of each type of soil
with every individual pollutant was estimated
according to index KX:
Where:
CX – concentration of pollutant X in a sample;
MPCX – maximal permissible concentration of
pollutant X for each type of soil.
3. Results
Concentrations of chemical elements in the
natural environment determined by analytical
methods are major indicators of the level of pollution
of a territory. The hazards of pollution can be judged
about from the total pollution index or from the total
of different pollution indices [13]. The geographical
peculiarities and social–economic aspects of a country
or a region predetermine some differences of practical
assessment of pollution indices. The criteria and
norms applied for assessment of bottom sediment
pollution are rather variable. They inter alias set the
limits of industrial utilization or storage of soils.
Concentration of pollutants in the Šventoji Port
bottom sediments depends on the composition of
sediments (Fig. 1).

Fig.1. Surface bottom sediments (0–5 cm) of Šventoji Port [2]:

1 – gravel; 2 – sand with gravel; 3 – coarse-grained sand; 4 – medium-grained sand; 5 – muddy medium-grained
sand; 6 – fine-grained sand; 7 – silty sand; 8 – muddy fine-grained sand; 9 – muddy sandy silt; 10 – silty-clayey
mud; 11 – overgrowths of bulrush and reed;12 – boundary of the study area.

14
 Pollution of Bottom Sediments in Šventoji Port
The composition of sediments is predetermined
by the Šventoji drift, sand migration in the near-shore
and on the shore, and biomaterial produced by
plankton and water macrophytes. In a basin of
sophisticated configuration, these factors often act
jointly causing high heterogeneity and granular
variability of sediments. Especially heterogeneous are
the bottom sediments in that part of the port basin
which is extending farthest into the river channel.
They are composed of river drift and coarse-grained
sedimentary material washed out of the channel
slopes. The granular composition of alluvial
sediments ranges from gravel and sand with gravel in
the fairway to muddy sandy silt. In the branch to the
Eastern Basin, the coarse-grained alluvial sediments
are covered by a layer of silty–clayey mud. Bottom
sediments of comparable structure are also
widespread in the littoral zone and southern part of
the Eastern Basin. The bottom of the central part of
the Eastern Basin is composed of medium-grained
sand. Only finest sedimentary material is able to reach
the Western Basin of Šventoji Port where together
with degraded plankton it composes mud sediments
[2] (Fig. 1).
Fig 2. Total organic carbon (OCT) concentration (% ) in surface bottom sediments (0-5) 0f Sventoji Port
15
A belt of sand with pebbles in the fairway of the
Šventoji River extends to the mouth of the Western
Basin. A large shoal, covered by muddy fine-grained
sand in the central part and by silty sand in its
peripheral parts, is situated north of it. Coastal sand of
the Baltic Sea plays a decisive role in the formation of
bottom sediments in the sector between the alluvial
shoal and the Šventoji mouth [2].
In many places, the bottom of port waters is
overgrown by water plants. Even in 22 % of basin
water, macrophytes are represented by bulrush-reed
overgrowths towering high above the water surface.
They extend along the littoral zone and somewhere
even aggregate plant “islands“ in the shoals [2] (Fig.
1).
Concentrations of examined heavy metals Cr,
Pb, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Hg are in closest direct
relationship with the content of silty-clayey mud
fraction (< 0.063 mm). Concentration of cadmium
alone depends slightly on both the finest mineral
particles and the content of organic material. The
dependence of all other examined heavy metals on the
content of organic material in bottom sediments is
rather pronounced [3].
 R. Stakėnienė, K. Jokšas, A. Galkus and L. Lagunavičienė
Concentration of total organic carbon (OCT) in
surface bottom sediments of the Šventoji Port basin
ranges from 0.03% to 8.68 % with diminishing grain-
size composition of sediments. The highest OCT
concentrations were found in the silty-clayey mud of
the Eastern Basin. Concentration of OCT in the
Western Basin amounted to 5–6 %. The values of
OCT concentration are markedly lower in the zone of
marine sand sedimentation [3]. They remain low also
in sand and gravel sediments of the Central Basin
right in front of the Western Basin and in medium-
grained sand of the central part of the Eastern Basin
(Fig. 2). Average concentration (0.96 %) of organic
carbon in sands of Šventoji Port is on the average 2.4
times as high as in silty soils and 7 times as high as in
mud soils.
The dependence of OCT concentration on the
composition of bottom sediments is also confirmed by
the calculated correlation coefficients (r) between
OCT and concentrations of different granulometric
fractions in soils. OCT is in the best correlation (r =
0.91) with the concentration of silty-clayey mud
fraction (< 0.063 mm). There is a close reverse
correlation (r = - 0.79) between OCT and
concentration of fraction >0.1 mm.
Organic material – both autochthonous and
terrestrial – is the main source of natural
Fig.3. Total hydrocarbons (HCT) concentration (mg/kg) in surface bottom sediments (0–5 cm) of Šventoji Port
16
hydrocarbons in the Šventoji Port basin. Natural
hydrocarbons (HCN) accumulate together with oil
products resulting from human economic activities
(industrial and municipal waste water discharges,
navigation, breakdowns, etc.) which are called
technogenic, anthropogenic or simply petroleum
(HCP) hydrocarbons emphasizing their origin. Natural
and petroleum hydrocarbons become a constituent
part of the newly formed specific organic material and
are analysed as total sum HCT=HCN+HCP.
Distinguishing between anthropogenic and natural
hydrocarbons in the total concentration of
hydrocarbons requires a complicated qualitative
analysis.
Concentrations of HCT in Šventoji Port bottom
sediments range from 7.5 mg/kg to 3050 mg/kg. The
lowest average HCT concentration occurs in sand:
44.3 mg/kg. In mud, it is 10 times as high making 530
mg/kg on the average.
Average HCT concentration in the sand soils of
Šventoji Port basin is even twice as high as the
background value for silty sand soils of the Klaipėda
Port basin [14]. Meanwhile, average HCT
concentration in the mud soils of Šventoji Port is 1.2
times as low as the concentration of HCT in the most
highly petroleum hydrocarbons-polluted Klaipėda
Port silty-clayey mud (653 mg/kg).
 Pollution of Bottom Sediments in Šventoji Port
Concentrations of HCT in heterogeneous
alluvial bottom sediments of the Šventoji River are
rather uneven (Figs 1 and 3). In the Šventoji River
sector before its sharp turn to the west,
concentrations of HCT vary within wide limits of
50–100 mg/kg. In the mud of the western bank, the
concentration increases reaching 125 mg/kg and in
the coarser sediments it falls down to 15 mg/kg.
Concentration of hydrocarbons slightly increases in
front of the Western Basin (50–100 mg/kg);
especially in the river fairway next to the mouth (up
to 425 mg/kg) (Fig. 3).
Concentrations of hydrocarbons in the silty-
clayey mud covering the coarse-grained alluvial
soils in the Šventoji branch to the Eastern Basin
range within the limits of 100–500 mg/kg. An
especially marked elevation of HC concentrations is
characteristic of the southern part of the Eastern
Basin where maximal OCT (8.68 %) and HCT (3050
mg/kg) values were recorded (Figs 2 and 3).
In the coarse-grained sediments accumulating
in the northern part of the basin, the concentration
reduction (<50 mg/kg) is dramatic.
In the silty-clayey mud covering almost the
entire bottom of the Western Basin, concentration
of HCT does not fall below 500 mg/kg and in the
eastern litoral zone it even reaches 525 mg/kg. Only
Fig.4. Pollution index KHC values in surface bottom sediments (0–5 cm) of Šventoji Port
17
in the sandy soils of the southern part of the basin,
concentration of HCT does not exceed 50 mg/kg.
A strong direct relationship exists between
OCT and HCT concentrations in bottom sediments
of basins not polluted with oil products [15]. In the
oil-polluted areas, this relationship is weaker. The
determined small value of correlation coefficient
(0.54) between the concentrations of organic carbon
and hydrocarbons in Šventoji Port sediments
demonstrates a hardly mediocre relationship what
allows assuming that the Šventoji Port basin is
polluted with petroleum hydrocarbons. This
assumption is supported by a high relative
concentration of total hydrocarbons in comparison
with the concentration of total organic carbon what
implies an elevated concentration of petroleum
hydrocarbons in the total. In the sand of Šventoji
Port, HCT account for 1 % of OCT. Meanwhile,
relative concentration of HCT in the cleaner sand of
the Lithuanian near-shore of the Baltic Sea reaches
only 0.05 % and in the Klaipėda Port basin 0.08 %
[14]. In Šventoji Port, the sands most highly
saturated with petroleum hydrocarbons accumulate
in the sector next to the mouth of the Šventoji River
where relative concentration of HCT in the organic
material reaches 2.8 %.
 R. Stakėnienė, K. Jokšas, A. Galkus and L. Lagunavičienė
Average relative concentration of HCT in
organic material of mud in the Šventoji Port basin
accounts for 1.2 %. This value is 1.2 times as high as
the one determined in silty-clayey mud of Klaipėda
Port. The mud of the Eastern Basin has accumulated
the highest concentrations of petroleum hydrocarbons.
In the western near-shore the per cent of total
hydrocarbons in the organic material reaches its
maximum: 7 %.
For evaluation of the level of sediment pollution
with hydrocarbons in the Šventoji Port basin,
pollution index KHC calculated using the values of
HCT was employed. Maximal permissible
concentrations of HCT taken for counting KHC were
for sand 20 mg/kg and mud 500 mg/kg [8].
Distribution analysis of KHC values showed high
variation of pollution status: the values range within
very wide limits: from 0.04 to 21.3 (Fig. 4).
Local pollution of the Šventoji River basin with
oil products in the sector in front of the western bend
was detected only near its eastern bank. In the sector
between the bend and the mouth, two pronounced
areas of oil-pollution are observed (Fig. 4). In one of
them situated in the mouth-front fairway the highest
values of sand saturation with hydrocarbons and KHC
have been recorded. There the maximal permissible
value for sand soils is exceeded even by 21 times!
The values of HCT concentration markedly exceeding
the MPC (5<KHC<10) have been observed in the soils
at the western shore of the Eastern Basin where most
highly oil-saturated fine-grained sediments
accumulate (Figs 1, 3 and 4).
Table 1. Values of correlation coefficients between the concentrations of metals and the total concentration of hydrocarbons
Cu Pb Zn
HCT 0.58 0.60 0.61
The highest concentrations of chromium (Cr)
have accumulated in the silty-clayey mud of the
Eastern and Western Basins where the maximal Cr
values reach up to 47 mg/kg and 54 mg/kg,
respectively. In the remaining part of the basin where
bottom sediments are composed of coarser fractions,
Cr concentration does not exceed 20 mg/kg.
Distribution of cadmium (Cd) concentrations in the
bottom sediments of the Šventoji River and the port
basin follows a rather monotonous pattern. Almost
everywhere in the basin, its concentration does not
exceed 0.5 mg/kg. Only in the southern part of the
Western Basin and at the right embankment of the
Eastern Basin, concentration of Cd more than
doubles, yet it still does not exceed the MPC for fine-
grained soils. Concentration of mercury (Hg) in the
Šventoji River fairway up to the mouth of the Eastern
Basin ranges from <20 μg/kg to 50 μg/kg. In the mud
of the Western Basin, its concentration doubles. It
increases even more in the mud of the Eastern Basin
reaching its maximum of 201 μg/kg at the western
near-shore [3]. Concentrations of these heavy metals
nowhere exceed the MPC values [8].
Concentration of Pb in sands of different
granular composition and silt of the Šventoji River
18
A sophisticated artificially shaped configuration
of the port, rapidly accreting shoals and abundance of
macrophytes affect the hydrodynamic processes
taking place in the port basin which, in their turn,
influence the dispersion of hydrocarbons in the water
mass and intensity of their settling down on the
bottom. The salty marine water invasions into the port
basin also in a certain way affect sedimentation of
hydrocarbons. The marine water recharges the fine-
grained particles that absorb hydrocarbons, entails
their coagulation and accelerates the settling on the
bottom [16]. Together with the finest organics-rich
sedimentary material, hydrocarbons tend to
accumulate in the quiet backwaters of the Šventoji
Port basin and in bottom depressions. The best
conditions for HCT accumulation exist in the southern
part of the Eastern Basin and in the Western Basin.
The marked elevation of the KHC values in some near-
shore zones of the Eastern Basin indicate the presence
of high HCP inputs from the anthropogenic sources of
the land area.
Concentrations of heavy metals and
hydrocarbons in bottom sediments depend on the
lithological composition of soils and concentrations of
organic material. Moreover, it is determined that the
relationship between HCT and Zn, Pb and Cu in
bottom sediments of the Šventoji Port basin is
mediocre whereas the relationship between Hg and
HCT is strong (Table 1). This is presumably related
with the common sources of these pollutants and with
their distribution patterns.
Ni Cd Cr Hg V
0.37 0.04 0.32 0.72 0.30
does not reach 10 mg/kg except a few areas where its
concentration increases almost up to 20 mg/kg [3]. In
the muddy fine-grained sand at the southern shore of
the Western Basin, concentration of Pb 1.5 times
exceeds the MPC for sands: Pb <20 mg/kg [8].
Maximal concentrations of nickel (Ni) are
detected in mud soils of the Eastern (25.0 mg/kg) and
Western (24.0 mg/kg) Basins and maximal
concentrations of copper (Cu) - in the mud at the
eastern embankment of the Šventoji branch into the
Eastern Basin (49 mg/kg). In sand and silt sediments,
concentrations of Ni and Cu do not exceed 10 mg/kg
[3]. Only the silty sand bottom sediments in a small
belt of macrophyte overgrowth at the northern bank of
the Sventoji River are saturated with Ni and Cu:
concentrations range within 10–20 mg/kg 1.3–1.8
times exceeding the MPC for sand soils: Ni and Cu
<10 mg/kg [8].
Zinc (Zn) among other heavy metals occurs in
the highest concentrations. In the coarse-grained
alluvium of the Šventoji River, they range from 20
mg/kg to 50 mg/kg. Only somewhere in the muddy
medium-grained and muddy fine-grained sand along
the litoral zone, concentration of Zn exceeds the MPC
for sand soils (Zn <60 mg/kg) about 1.5 times [8].
 Pollution of Bottom Sediments in Šventoji Port
Concentration of Zn in the mud of the Western Basin
increases up to 232 mg/kg (the MPC for clean mud is
Zn <300 mg/kg) reaching its maximum (276 mg/kg)
in the mud soils of the south-western part of the
Eastern Basin [3].
For assessment of pollution of bottom sediments
in the Šventoji Port basin with heavy metals Pb, Ni,
Cu, and Zn (whose concentrations episodically exceed
MPC), pollution indices KPb, KNi, KCu, and KZn have
been calculated and schemes of their distribution in
the Šventoji Port basin have been compiled. It is
determined that >1 KPb values occur only in the
southern slope of the Western Basin and comparable
KCu and KNi values occur only in a small sector of the
northern slope of Šventoji River. There are more
Fig.5. Pollution index KZn values in the surface bottom sediments (0-5 cm) of Šventoji Port
On the basis of analysed concentrations of
hydrocarbons and heavy metals determined in surface
bottom sediments of the Šventoji Port basin and the
Lithuanian valid normative documentation [8], the
authors of the present paper have outlined the areas of
polluted sediments in the Šventoji Port basin (Fig. 6).
Analysis of pollution has shown that the largest
areas (33.2 %) of Šventoji Port bottom sediments are
polluted with hydrocarbons. Maximally polluted is the
19
zones where KZn exceed the unit (Fig. 5): one of them
coincides with the zone of KCu and KNi >1 value in the
northern slope of the Šventoji River. Another one is
located at the branch to the Eastern Basin and the
third one coincides with the mud area at the river
bend next to the mouth. Mud soils of the south-
western part of the Eastern Basin, where KZn exceeds
0.8, approach the limit of zinc-polluted soils. The
values of pollution coefficient in the eastern part of
the Western Basin range within the limits of 0.5–0.8
and in the western part they decrease up to 0.3–0.4.
Rather variable and sometimes elevated KZn values
were determined in the Šventoji River alluvial
sediments. (Fig. 5).
sand of the Šventoji River fairway in front of the
mouth (0.047 ha) where MPC for sand is exceeded 21
times. Pollution with heavy metals Pb (0.054 ha), Ni
(0.19 ha), Cu (0.19 ha), and Zn (0.36 ha) bears a local
character. The location of the polluted areas indicates
that pollution with heavy metals and hydrocarbons
has its source in the land or in the moored ships
(Western Basin). The area of polluted soil in front of
the Šventoji River mouth might have been generated
 R. Stakėnienė, K. Jokšas, A. Galkus and L. Lagunavičienė

by the inflow of pollutants from the port and Šventoji impact on the polydispersed system fresh water–
River basins and rapid settling on the bottom as a plankton–drift.
result of sea water set-up and physical chemical

Fig 6. Polluted areas of the surface bottom sediments (0–5 cm) of Šventoji Port (according to [8]):
1 – Non-polluted bottom sediments; 2 – Bottom sediments polluted with heavy metals (Zn, Cu, Ni, Pb); 3 – Bottom
sediments polluted with hydrocarbons (HCT); 4 – Sand strongly polluted with hydrocarbons (HCT/MPCHC>20)

4. Conclusions Concentration of total hydrocarbons is in a

1. Concentration of pollutants in the surface
bottom sediments of the Šventoji Port basin
depends mainly on the granular and material
composition of sediments, the distance from
the sources of pollution and sedimentation
patterns in the barrier zone fresh–saline water.
2. Concentrations of heavy metals Cr, Pb, Ni,
Cu, Zn, and Hg and total organic carbon in
bottom sediments are in a strong direct
relationship and concentration of total
hydrocarbons - in a mediocre relationship with
the content of silty-clayey mud fraction (<
0.063 mm).
3. Concentration of heavy metals Cr, Pb, Ni, Cu,
Zn, and Hg in bottom sediments is closely
related to the content of total organic carbon.
mediocre relation with the content of total
organics in the sediments. This is an indication
that the major part of total hydrocarbons is
represented by petroleum hydrocarbons.
4. Total concentration of hydrocarbons in the
bottom sediments of the Šventoji Port basin
ranges from 7.5 mg/kg to 3050 mg/kg. The
lowest average concentration has been
observed in sand soils (44.3 mg/kg), in mud it
is more than 10 times as large (530 mg/kg).
The maximal amounts of hydrocarbons are
accumulated in the mud sediments of the
Western Basin and in the south-western part
of the Eastern Basin.
5. Elevated concentrations of petroleum
hydrocarbons in the total hydrocarbons are
indicated by the rise of the relative

20
 Pollution of Bottom Sediments in Šventoji Port

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10. Vandens ir žemės teršimo naftos produktais Address: T. Ševčenkos str.13,
laboratorinio tyrimo metodiniai nurodymai. 1993. LT-03223 Vilnius, Lithuania
Aplinkos apsaugos departamentas. Vilnius. 43 p. Tel. +370 2104712
11. Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry. Fax +370 2104712
1998. Akbar Montaser (Editor). JOHN-WILEY & E-mail lina@geo.lt
SONS. 1000 p.

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 R. Stakėnienė, K. Jokšas, A. Galkus and L. Lagunavičienė

Šventosios uosto dugno nuosėdų užterštumas

Rimutė Stakėnienė, Kęstutis Jokšas, Arūnas Galkus, Lina Lagunavičienė
Geologijos ir geografijos institutas

(gauta 2008 m. gruodžio mėn.; atiduota spaudai 2009 m. kovo mėn.)

Straipsnyje pateikiama Šventosios uosto dugno nuosėdų užterštumo angliavandeniliais ir

sunkiaisiais metalais Cr, Pb, Cd, Ni, Cu, Zn ir Hg analizė. Būtent šių teršalų koncentracijos yra
naudojamos kaip grunto užterštumo kriterijai daugelio valstybių, taip pat ir Lietuvos, norminiuose
dokumentuose.
Nustatyta, kad Šventosios uosto akvatorijos paviršinėse dugno nuosėdose susikaupusių
teršalų koncentracija labiausiai priklauso nuo šių nuosėdų granulinės ir medžiaginės sudėties,
atstumo nuo taršos šaltinių ir sedimentacijos ypatumų barjerinėje gėlo ir druskingo vandens
zonoje. Didžiausi Šventosios uosto akvatorijos (7,75 ha) paviršinių dugno nuosėdų plotai (33,2 %)
yra užteršti angliavandeniliais. Labiausiai jais užterštas Šventosios upės priežiotinės 0,047 ha
atkarpos (0,6 % uosto akvatorijos ploto) farvaterio dugnas, kur leistinos koncentracijos smėlyje
ribinė vertė viršijama net 21,3 kartus. Šventosios uosto akvatorijos paviršinių dugno nuosėdų tam
tikri arealai yra užteršti šiais sunkiaisiais metalais: Pb (0,054 ha), Ni (0,19 ha), Cu (0,19 ha) ir Zn
(0,36 ha).

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