An Approach to Riverine Pollutants and Water Quality of China Lake

Abstract

Economic growth and urbanization in the past decades have resulted in large quantity of riverine pollutants transferring to the significant lakes worldwide, giving rise to serious contamination of the water system and posing significantly harmful effects on the human environment health around the region. Hereinto, as one of the most eutrophic lakes in China, Chaohu lake riverine pollutants influenced greatly the quality of Chaohu Lake water, though it is still playing a critical role in potable water supply and environmental regulation. In this study, three rivers contaminated by agricultural rounoff (Fengle River and Hangbu River) and by urban wastewater (Nanfei River) in the Lake Chaohu watershed were selected to study the discrepancy of dissolved N2O concentrations and emissions from different types of polluted rivers. The environmental effects exploration of riverine pollutants transported by tributaries might provide useful quantitative information for policy debating to improve pollution measures for the similar lakes.