Iron, usually as Fe is a common constituent of river waters at very low levels. Higher iron concentrations in acidic springs or an anoxic hyporheic zone may cause visible orange/brown staining or semi-gelatinous precipitates of dense orange iron bacterial floc carpeting the river bed. Such conditions are very deleterious to most organisms and can cause serious damage in a river system.
Coal mining is also a very significant source of Iron both in mine-waters and from stocking yards of coal and from coal processing. Long abandoned mines can be a highly intractable source of high concentrations of Iron. Low levels of iron are common in spring waters emanating from deep-seated aquifers and maybe regarding as health giving springs. Such springs are commonly called Chalybeate springs and have given rise to a number of Spa towns in Europe and the United States.