Identification of critical source areas for non-point source pollution in Miyun reservoir watershed near Beijing, China

Abstract

Miyun Reservoir is the major water source for Bijing, China. Currently, the water quality of Miyun reservoir is meso-trophic, mainly due to the non-point source pollution (NPS) in the watershed. Phosphorus (P) is the limited factor. In this paper, Chaohe River basin, upstream of the Miyun Reservoir, is chosen as the study area, A modified P Index was developed to identify critical source areas (CSAs) of non-point source pollution by analyzing local hydrological and meteorological data, land use, soil, soil conservation, farmland management, population density, and livestock. The factors of livestock and population density are new factors added to the P Index system based on the actual local characteristics. It was found that the loss P from high-risk area accounts for only 7.95%. These areas are located mainly along streams. Livestock factor and the population density factor are most closely related to the CSAs downstream of Chaohe River basin. The management strategies are outlined according to the distribution characteristics of the critical source areas.