Status and fuzzy comprehensive assessment of metals and arsenic contamination in farmland soils along the Yanghe River, China

Concentrations of metals and arsenic in farmland soils along the Yanghe River, upstream of Guanting Reservoir, were evaluated using fuzzy comprehensive assessment (FCA). FCA is an emerging methodology for assessing environmental status based on fuzzy logic which can model linguistic data and represent chaotic conditions. The ratio of concentrations of metals and arsenic (As) in surface soils of farmland along the Yanghe River to the corresponding reference values decreased in the order Cd>Zn>Cr>Ni>Pb>Cu>As. Based on the FCA, 86% of surface soils along the Yanghe River were classified as grade C, which is suitable for forestry with a greater absorption capacity, suggesting that most farmland along the Yanghe River has to be abandoned as farmland. In order to improve the quality of soil along the Yanghe River and avoid degeneration of water quality in the river and the Guanting Reservoir, remediation of farmland soils along the river is suggested.