Assessment of stream quality and health risk in a subtropical Turkey river system: A combined approach using statistical analysis and water quality index

Abstract

Abstract The effect of agricultural activities and domestic pollution on water quality in the Turnasuyu Basin was evaluated. Sampling was performed during the period of a hydrological year (February 2017–January 2018) in the surface water on the selected three sampling points to represent the upstream, midstream and downstream basin of the Turnasuyu Stream. General conditions of water quality parameters (temperature, pH, conductivity, total dissolved solids, suspended solids, turbidity, salinity, oxidation reduction potential, alkalinity, total hardness), oxygenation parameters (dissolved oxygen, oxygen saturation, biological oxygen demand), nutrient parameters (ammonium-N, nitrite-N, nitrate-N, total phosphate, total phosphorus), trace elements, inorganic pollution parameters and suspended chlorophyll a content from biological parameters were examined. Analyzes were performed using standard methods. Multiple statistical methods such as principal component analysis (PCA), Pearson correlation index (PCI) and clustering analysis (CA) were applied to the results. Water Quality Index (WQI) was used to determine the water quality of the stream and hazard quotient (HQ) and hazard index (HI) was used for the evaluation of trace elements in terms of public health risk. The results showed that the Turnasuyu Stream has a very good water quality characteristic, and that the trace elements identified were not in dangerous limits for public health. Turnasuyu Stream has an oligotrophic structure with low Chlorophyll a levels.