Abstract:
Urban soils is a term with no very precise
definition, used to designate soils of areas covered with
streets and buildings or occupied by parks, gardens,
recreation areas, sport grounds and industrial
production activities. The original soil of such areas has
been strongly modified or even completely removed or
replaced with other materials. In the Romanian Soil
Taxonomy System (S.R.T.S-2012), “Urban Soils” are
included in the Class “Antrisols”, as soil types –
Tehnosol and Antrosol. Because of their diversified
origin, urban soils may contain pollutants in special
heavy metals, like Pb, Cd, Ni, Zn. In the suburban area,
the main soil types are Chernozems, in the N-NW part of
Timisoara, Cambisols and Fluvisols, in the central part
of Timisoara and Vertisols in the south part of the
periurban zone. The greatest content of heavy metals of
the parks are in the “Cathedral Park” and “Justice
Park”, with 1,63-1,77 ppm Cd, and 105-132 ppm Pb.
Heavy metals tend to accumulate, also, in garden soils,
and in general their concentration is on average twice
that in agricultural soils, probably because of the input
of various amendments and pesticides. The use at
burning of the inferior fuel inside the thermo-electric
power station (CET), as well as the powders dissipated
from the waste dumps loaded with heavy metals, has a
great impact upon soils, waters and vegetation
(cultivated and spontaneous). Heavy metals are found
except a few cases, in the interval that don’t indicate a
risk of pollution, above the “admissible limit”.