Abstract
ABSTRACT This study evaluated the efficiency of the water quality monitoring network of the Sergipe river basin, using multivariate data analysis, such as principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA). The PCA was applied to a data matrix consisting of 12 sampling stations and mean concentrations of 23 water quality parameters, obtained in four sampling campaigns from June/2013 to November/2015. All 12 sampling stations were considered as main (weight>0.7) and therefore should remain in the monitoring program. The PCA pointed out that of the 23 measured parameters, only 16 are essential for water quality assessment, in the dry period and 17 in the rainy season. The HCA separated the stations of the monitoring network in 4 groups according to the water quality characteristics, considering the natural and anthropogenic impacts. The main impacts were originated from natural sources (mineral constituents) and the anthropogenic contributions were associated with urban input, sewage, industrial dumps and surface runoff from agricultural areas.
Highlights
The increasing pressure upon water resources, leading to deterioration of water quality in rivers, lakes, reservoirs and groundwater, has become a global issue, and many countries started to adopt in water governance an integrated approach, as recommended by Agenda 21 in 1992 (UNEP, 2012)
One of the main challenges for Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM) is the water quality assessment in a particular river basin, by means of a monitoring program that generates relevant and reliable information and which can be used by managers in the decisions related to river basins protection and pollution control (BEHMEL et al, 2016)
This study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of the water quality monitoring network of the Sergipe river basin, using principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA)
Summary
The increasing pressure upon water resources, leading to deterioration of water quality in rivers, lakes, reservoirs and groundwater, has become a global issue, and many countries started to adopt in water governance an integrated approach, as recommended by Agenda 21 in 1992 (UNEP, 2012). Such approach has been called Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM) and implies the joint management of human activities and natural resources inserted in areas drained by a river and its tributaries. A good planning of the local sampling network is indispensable, in order to enable the acquisition of required basic values to carry out an analysis of short and long-term trends (STROBL; ROBILLARD, 2008)
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