Concentrations of Al, Fe, Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pb, Li and V in core sediments from the central part of western Lake Chaohu and surface sediments from the mouths of six major rivers entering the lake were determined. Anthropogenic pollution characteristics of Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pb were studied by referring to the historical background levels after the geochemical normalization for the compensation of "grain size effect". Accuracy of the geochemical normalization was evaluated referring to Li and V. The heavy metals show significant spatial differences in the concentrations and pollution levels. The sediments from Nanfei River mouth are of serious pollution for Ni, Cr, Cu, Zn and Pb. Anthropogenic proportions of the five heavy metals are up to 12.2, 32.2, 25.3, 479.9 and 76.0 mg/kg, respectively, which account for 35%, 37%, 64%, 92% and 77% of their total concentrations. It also shows clearly pollution of Cu, Pb and Zn in the sediments of Zhegao River mouth, with anthropogenic contributions of 57.6, 57.0 and 19.5 mg/kg, accounting for 73%, 47% and 36% of their total concentrations, respectively. No obvious pollution by Cr, Ni, Cu, Pb and Zn has been observed in the mouths of Pai River, Baishishan River and Hangbu River. Cu, Zn and Pb are the typical heavy metals caused by the anthropogenic pollution in the center of western Lake Chaohu. Pollution of Cu, Zn and Pb begun in 1950s, and has reached higher levels since 1980 when the anthropogenic proportions were 16.2, 245.6 and 47.8 mg/(m²·a) on average, accounting for 23%, 61% and 37% of their total sedimentation flux, respectively. Anthropogenic pollution of Ni begun in early 1980s, which was 12.6 mg/(m²·a) on average, accounting for 13% of the total sedimentation flux. No obvious pollution could be observed for Cr in the center of western Lake Chaohu. Similar ranks of heavy metals pollution have been revealed in the sediments from Nanfei River mouth and center of western Lake Chaohu, which was Zn > Pb > Cu. More serious heavy metals pollution have been found in Nanfei River than that in the central part of western Lake Chaohu, which, we speculate, should be attributed to the input of Nanfei River which carries the urban swage of Hefei city (the largest urban centre in the region) and other cities.