Abstract
Abstract This work aims to study the seasonal fluctuation in physicochemical characteristics, trophic status, and some pollutants influencing phytoplankton diversity, and water quality at a compact Kafr El-Shinawy drinking-water treatment plant, Damietta – Egypt seasonally during 2018. Phytoplankton distribution was affected by the trophic status of water, level of pollutants, and physicochemical treatment processes of water. The predominance of phytoplankton species, especially Aphanizomenon flos aquae (Cyanophyta), Gomphosphaeria lacustris (Cyanophyta), Microcystis aeruginosa (Cyanophyta), Nostoc punctiforme (Cyanophyta), Oscillatoria limnetica (Cyanophyta), Pediastrum simplex (Chlorophyta), and Melosira granulata (Bacillariophyta) in treated water was much less than that in raw water. Trihalomethanes (THMs) levels in treated waters were higher than in raw water, while lower concentrations of heavy metals were recorded in treated water. Intracellular levels of microcystins were lower, whereas the extracellular levels were higher in treated water than raw water, and the former recorded the highest level in raw water during summer. Hence, the levels of dissolved microcystins and THMs in treated water were higher especially during summer, the season of luxurious growth of Microcystis species. Trophic state index (TSI) was relatively high in raw water compared with treated water due to high concentrations of nutrients (total-P, total-N, nitrite, nitrate, and ammonia) in raw water.
Highlights
Water pollution has become one of the most important environmental problems worldwide
Phytoplankton cells control the levels of heavy metals in water
Water temperature ranged from 17.9 ± 2.48 to 31.0 ± 2.44 C in raw water with a relative decrease in treated water ranging from 16.1 ± 1.59 to 29.4 ± 1.79 C
Summary
Water pollution has become one of the most important environmental problems worldwide. The assessment of water quality essentially requires information about the physicochemical and biological properties of water. Temperature, acidity, hardness, pH, sulfate, chloride, dissolved oxygen (DO), biological oxygen demand, and alkalinity are physicochemical properties used for determining water quality (Swarnakar & Choubey ). Water quality can be assessed through natural bio-indicators; phytoplankton due to their sensitivity to nutrient availability and environmental conditions (e.g. water temperature and level of salinity; Manickam et al ). Cyanobacterial growth adversely affects odor, taste, and color of water as some of these cyanobacteria produce potent toxins called cyanotoxins. Cyanobacterial cells can survive in water for long periods due to their ability to form thick-walled resting cells, the production of cyanotoxins is affected by several environmental conditions such as temperature, salinity, irradiance, and nutrients (Zhang et al )
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