Concentration of heavy metals in some springs in the Shaqlawa district, Erbil Governorate, Kurdistan Region of Iraq

The study deals with determining the concentrations of heavy metals—silver (Ag), aluminum (Al), arsenic (As), barium (Ba), cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), lithium (Li), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), selenium (Se) and zinc (Zn)—in 8 springs within the Shaqlawa district in the Erbil Governorate, Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The samples were collected during two seasons: the first in summer 15-8-2024 and the other in winter 15-1-2025. The values of Ag, Al, As, Ba, Cd, CO, Cr, Cu, Fe, Li, Mn, Ni, Cr, Pb, Se and Zn as µg/L ranged between 0.617 and 0.843, 4.92 and 10.70, 0.305 and 1.01, 30.20 and 49.30, 0.10 and 0.324, 0.13 and 1.49, 3.97 and 9.85, 0.992 and 1.35, 0.43 and 1.100, 57.4 and 73.30, 1.00 and 1.00, 0.20 and 1.140, 1.63 and 2.69, 1.26 and 2.30, and 54.5 and 123.0 µg/L, respectively. The results indicated that, according to WHO guidelines, the concentrations of all heavy metals were within allowable levels for drinking water, except for lithium, which was recorded at high levels at all sites. The heavy metal pollution index (HPI) ranged from 76.455 to 88.213 in the summer season and 77.045 to 96.585, below the critical limit of 100, indicating that the water sources were generally not contaminated with heavy metals. Nevertheless, the single-factor contamination index (SFPI) indicated a high lithium concentration at all sites and considered them contaminated. At the same time, other metals recorded low levels at all sites, indicating that they were not contaminated.