The Rosetta Branch is one of Egypt’s most important Nile River branches, providing freshwater to multiple cities. However, its water quality has been deteriorating, with various wastes containing high loads of heavy metals being discharged into its body of water. Seasonally, water and sediment samples and two native aquatic plants (Ceratophyllum demersum and Eichhornia crassipes) were collected and analyzed from the Rosetta Branch to assess the level of metal contamination (Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Pb, Ni, Cd, Cr, and Co) using different metal indices. The levels of some metals in the branch water overstepped those suitable for drinking water and aquatic life. In increasing order, the means of the heavy metal concentrations in branch water (µg/L) were Cd (1.8–4.9) < Co (7.18–28.1) ≈ Ni (9.0–25.1) < Cr (8.56–27.4) < Cu (14–75) < Pb (9.3–67.9) < Zn (22–133) < Mn (68–220) < Fe (396–1640). All the metal indices measured in the sediment confirmed the Ni and Cd contamination, where Ni and Cd in the sediment surpass the sediment quality guidelines in 80% and 53% of samples, respectively, reflecting frequent adverse effects on aquatic organisms. According to the bioconcentration factor, C. demersum and E. crassipes have higher accumulation capacities mainly for Cd than those for other metals considered as major pollutants in the water and sediment of Rosetta Branch, reflecting the role of hydrophytes in the biological treatment of polluted water in aquatic environments.

罗塞塔支流是埃及最重要的尼罗河支流之一，为多个城市提供淡水。然而，其水质一直在恶化，各种含有大量重金属的废物被排放到其水体中。季节性地，水和沉积物样品和两种本地水生植物（Ceratophyllum demersum和Eichhornia crassipes) 从 Rosetta Branch 收集和分析，以使用不同的金属指数评估金属污染水平（Fe、Mn、Zn、Cu、Pb、Ni、Cd、Cr 和 Co）。支流水中的某些金属含量超过了适合饮用水和水生生物的水平。支流水中重金属浓度（μg/L）的平均值为Cd（1.8-4.9）<Co（7.18-28.1）≈Ni（9.0-25.1）<Cr（8.56-27.4）<Cu（ 14–75) < Pb (9.3–67.9) < Zn (22–133) < Mn (68–220) < Fe (396–1640)。沉积物中测得的所有金属指数均证实了镍和镉的污染，其中沉积物中的镍和镉分别在 80% 和 53% 的样品中超过了沉积物质量标准，反映了对水生生物的频繁不利影响。根据生物浓缩系数，C.和E. crassipes主要对 Cd 的积累能力高于 Rosetta Branch 水和沉积物中被认为是主要污染物的其他金属的积累能力，反映了水生植物在水生环境污染水的生物处理中的作用。