Metals are an important component of urban run off and are attributed to water quality degradation.
Detention ponds can act as environmental buffers and impede the downstream transport of these contaminants. The current study examines metal contaminants in the South Creek Watershed which drains the urban area Springfield, Missouri. South Creek is heavily affected by urban landuse, however, an in stream detention pond exists on the creek and may serve to trap sediment bound metals. To test the effectiveness of the detention pond, sediment samples were collected from seven sites upstream of the pond and seven sites downstream. Metal concentrations for lead, zinc, and cadmium generally decrease downstream.