Biological Assessment Of Water Quality Research Articles

Monitoring and assessment of water quality in the Haraz River of Iran, using benthic macroinvertebrates indices

The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between river water quality and the distribution of benthic macroinvertebrate communities in the Haraz River in Iran. Using a surber net sampler, benthic macroinvertebrate communities along the stream was sampled in wet and dry seasons of 2015 at nine stations with three replications. The physicochemical water quality parameters were measured in the field by water checker. Hilsenhoff biotic Indices, Shannon Wiener Diversity Indices, Average Score per Taxon (ASPT) Index and Pielou Evenness Index were applied to carry out a biological assessment of water quality. A total of 3781 (spring 769, summer 1092, autumn 1095 and winter 825) benthic macroinvertebrate specimens belonging to 4 orders, 11 classes and 16 families were identified. The lowest number of taxa was recorded in spring while the highest was recorded in autumn. Station 9 had the lowest number of taxa while the highest number of taxa was recorded at station 3. The average values (±SD) of the water quality parameters were temperature 14.75 ± 4.38 °C, pH 7.93 ± 0.62, water flow 14.11 ± 9.04 m3 s−1, electric conductivity 532.75 ± 161.35 μmohs cm−1, total dissolved solids 296.61 ± 76.21 mg L−1, salinity 0.28 ± 0.07 mg L−1, turbidity 580.77 ± 149.92 NTU and dissolved oxygen 8.08 ± 0.75 mg L−1. The assessment of stations 1 to 6 indicated that water quality conditions were suitable. In addition, substantial level of organic pollution was observed in stations 7 and 8. In station 9 water quality was fairly poor, requiring a more favourable management based on the capacity of the self-purification of the Haraz River.

Macroinvertebrates and its impact in assessing water quality of riverine system: A case study of Mahanadi river, Cuttack, India

The aim of this study was to identify the diverse macroinvertebrates present in river Mahanadi, Cuttack in India and to evaluate the role of macroinvertebrates in assessing river water quality and pollution level. We conducted field study of the river at Cuttack (85°46’21.29” E 20°28’15.81” N & 85°49’45.23” E 20°30’50.00” N) during 2013-2014 and collected aquatic invertebrate samples from 12 stations on river basin. The samples were analysed to explore the various families of Macroinvertebrates communities present in river Mahanadi, to examine the status of water quality of the river using biological indicators, to determine whether there are relationships between water chemistry and presence of typical macroinvertebrates and to develop a Macroinvertebrates based index to bio-assessment of Mahanadi River. A total of 484 taxa were identified and about 244 taxa of bivalves and 184 taxa of gastropods were collected. Presence of high number of pollution tolerant taxa and pollution sensitive taxa (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Tricoptera and Chironomidae) indicated increased risk of water pollution and calculated biotic score (8), biological monitoring working party (BMWP) score (52), average score per taxa (ASPT) score (4) and macroinvertebrate-based index (MBI) value indicated moderate pollution level in the river. We recorded pH, total hardness, dissolved oxygen (DO), biological oxygen demand (BOD), total nitrite, chloride and total phosphate of water and physico-chemical parameters supported the values of biological assessment of water quality. Studying macaroinvertebrates helped to gain knowledge about aquatic faunal biodiversity in river Mahanadi and to develop a method for diagnosis of the health of river ecosystem and for measuring water pollution level.

Long‐term trends in biological indicators and water quality in rivers and streams of New York State (1972–2012)

AbstractGovernment‐operated water quality monitoring programmes and their long‐term datasets are crucial to documenting improvements in water resource condition in response to changes in pollutant regulation. We present trends in the biological assessment of water quality (benthic macroinvertebrates) and water chemistry, to determine how these indicators of water quality have responded to shifts in pollutants and regulation in streams and rivers of NY between 1972 and 2012. Change in the results of NYS's multimetric index of biological integrity, the Biological Assessment Profile (BAP) score, was compared between four, 10‐year periods at 30 large river and 138 wadeable stream sites. Water Chemistry trends were analysed through calculation of Weighted Regression on Time, Discharge, and Season from 11 long‐term, large river locations from across NYS. Overall, results suggest small, incremental improvements in biological indicators and a shift from point source dominated pollution to nonpoint sources. From 1972 to 2012, 33% of large river sites sampled improved and 13% declined in biological assessment of water quality, 58% of wadeable stream sites sampled showed no change. Macroinvertebrate community models suggest that impact sources are now dominated by nonpoint nutrient sources. Trends in water chemistry concentrations suggest that ammonia, chloride, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, and total phosphorus had the strongest correlations with time. Total phosphorus and total Kjeldahl nitrogen decreased at base flow and increased during high flows, whereas ammonia decreased across a range of discharges, indicating the shift to nonpoint sources of nutrients and supporting the trends observed in biological indicators.

Temporal and spatial changes of macrobenthos community in the regions frequently occurring black water aggregation in Lake Taihu

Seasonal survey was performed from August 2015 to May 2016 at 50 sampling sites in Lake Taihu to determine the spatial and temporal changes in macrobenthos community and their relationships with environmental variables. A total of 58 macrobenthos species were collected and identified, including 28 species of annelids, 17 species of molluscs, and 12 species of arthropods. Both the community composition and the dominant species changed temporally and spatially. Correspondingly, the macrobenthos biodiversity differed among regions and seasons. The macrobenthos density decreased with increased sediment depth, which is the first report about the vertical distribution of macrobenthos in Lake Taihu. The majority of benthic animals were located within the sediment depth of 0–5 cm and 5–10 cm, accounting for 39.25% and 24.87% of the total abundance respectively. Redundancy discriminate analysis revealed that the main environmental factors affecting the most contributing macrobenthos species were temperature in summer, transparency, dissolved oxygen and pH in autumn, and water depth and dissolved oxygen in winter. Particularly, salinity and conductivity showed high correlation with the macrobenthos community through the whole sampling period. The investigation reveals the inherent spatiotemporal variation of macrobenthos community, and provides references for the biological assessment of water quality in Lake Taihu.

Biological Water Quality Assessment of Shallow Urban Streams Based on Abundance and Diversity of Benthic Macroinvertebrate Communities: The Case of Nima Creek in Ghana

The phenomenon of water pollution constitutes a massive threat to the very existence of freshwater bodies and can potentially eliminate vital benefits otherwise associated with these resources. In several countries such as Ghana, initial steps to salvage existing freshwater bodies have given rise to the need for effective water quality assessment and biological monitoring. This study was conducted with the aim of assessing the abundance, composition, and diversity of benthic macroinvertebrate fauna in the Nima Creek, situated in Accra, Ghana. On the basis of findings in relation to identified macroinvertebrate types, we further determine the quality of water in the creek. Samples were collected at 8 different riffles with a Surber sampler. The benthic macroinvertebrates sampled consisted of 6 taxa and 5891 individuals belonging to Nematoda, Oligochaeta, Gastropoda, and Insecta classes. Chironomini were the predominant group with 99.04% on the average, followed by Psychoda sp (0.44%), Rhabitidae (0.26%), and Tubifex (0.26%) at the upstream stretch of the creek. The downstream was dominated by Chironomini forming 97.30% on the average, followed by Tubifex (1.52%), Rhabitidae (1.08%), and Psychoda sp (0.05%). The estimated diversity of the sampling area for both upstream and downstream was assessed by using the Simpson Diversity Index and was found to be 0.53, indicative of a fairly diversified community structure. Family Biotic Index (FBI) was used to determine the water quality of the creek and found to be 9.92, which indicates severely polluted water. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed no significant differences between upstream and downstream abundances at both 95% and 99% confidence levels. However, Melanoides tuberculata was found only at the downstream reach due to low current, the formation of rocky substratum, and the absence of riparian vegetation making it a suitable habitat.

Biological Assessment of Water Quality: Ecological Status of Three Aegean Reservoirs Based on Phytoplankton Metrics

Avrupa Birligi Su Cerceve Direktifi’nin uygulanmasiyla birlikte su kalitesinin degerlendirilmesi buyuk onem kazanmistir. Bu calismada, Turkiye’nin Kuzey Ege Nehir Havzasi’nda bulunan uc barajin su kalitesi Akdeniz Fitoplankton Trofik Indeksi (Med-PTI) ve Fitoplankton Trofik Indeksi (PTI) kullanilarak degerlendirilmistir. Veriler uc barajdan 2014 ve 2015 yaz donemi arasinda mevsimsel olarak toplanmistir. Uc baraj alkali su ozelligi gostermistir. En yuksek nutrient degerleri olarak TP ( 203,5 µg L -1 ) Bayramic Baraj Golu’nde ve TN ( 1012,0 µg L -1 ) Sevisler Baraji’nde kaydedilmistir. Toplamda 120 tur teshis edilmis ve turlerin cogunlugu Bacillariophyta ile temsil edilmistir. Fitoplankton turleri ve cevresel degiskenler arasindaki iliski multivaryete analizler ile incelenmistir. Fitoplankton kompozisyonu ve dagilimi cevresel degiskenler yonetmistir. Toplam fosfor, ortofosfat, toplam Kjeldahl azotu, biyolojik oksijen ihtiyaci, toplam organik karbon ve sicaklik en onemli faktorler olmustur. Ilk iki CCA ekseni tur verisinin kumulatif yuzde varyansinin %31’ini %97,7 tur-cevre korelasyonu ile aciklamis ve durum Monte Carlo testi (p= 0,002 ve F = 1,157) ile dogrulanmistir. Med-PTI, Ayvacik ve Bayramic Barajlari icin iyi su kalitesini gosterirken Sevisler Baraji’ni orta su kalitesinde indike etmistir. PTI’ye gore Bayramic ve Sevisler Barajlari orta ekolojik durumda siniflandirilmisken Ayvacik Baraji iyi su kalitesinde indike edilmistir. Sonuclara gore, Med-PTI ve PTI’nin Kuzey Ege Havzasi’nda bulunan barajlarin su kalitesinin degerlendirilmesinde uygun metrikler oldugu gorulmustur.

The Epilithic Diatom Community and Biological Water Quality Assessment of Naeseongcheon Located at the Upper Region of Nakdong River.

The Epilithic Diatom Community and Biological Water Quality Assessment of Naeseongcheon Located at the Upper Region of Nakdong River.

Bio-assessment of River Ujh using benthic macro-invertebrates as bioindicators, India

ABSTRACTRapid bio-assessment of River Ujh has been carried out using benthic macro-invertebrates based on the Hindu-Kush Himalayan (HKH) rapid field bio-assessment protocol. Meanwhile, the assessment of water quality in the river was performed using the weighted arithmetic water quality index (WA-WQI), based on physiochemical parameters. Furthermore, the biotic indices (such as Nepalese Biotic Score (NEPBIOS), modified NEPBIOS, HKHBIOS, Stream Invertebrate Grade Number-Average Level (SIGNAL), SIGNAL 2, biological monitoring working party and biological water quality class criteria) were used for biological assessment of water quality. The water samples were collected from eight sampling stations during the month of February in year 2015. The results indicate that the overall water quality in the river was poor (i.e. not suitable for drinking), as average WA-WQI was 78.65 in the sampling month. During the analysis of micro-invertebrate occurrence, a total of 10 taxonomic groups, 36 families and 2193 individual organisms were identified. Among all organisms, the members of taxonomic groups Ephemeroptera and Trichoptera were found in abundance at all sampling stations. However, the NEPBIO score was found to be decreasing from 6.1 at first sampling stations (S1, located in upstream) to 4.8 at last (S8, located in downstream), which indicate the decline in abundance of organisms due to deterioration of water quality in the river. Therefore, it has been suggested the river water must be treated prior to use for drinking. It is recommended that biotic indices developed for bio-assessment of water bodies in the central Himalayan region can also be applied suitably to assess the water quality status in River Ujh.

Оценка качества вод и «здоровья» экосистем с позиций экологической парадигмы

Methodological approach to the water quality and ecosystem health from the ecological paradigm position has been vindicated. Critical analysis of the currently existing methods of water quality assessment has been performed. It has been shown that biological criteria of the ecosystems’ status diagnostics (in-situ) based on studying of laws of aquatic organisms and communities organization levels variability adequately reflect water quality and ecosystem health. New methodical solutions on hydro/chemical information compression to the unified indicator of the impact doze and vindication of informative biological water quality assessment criteria are depicted. Results of practical testing of the developed methods on a number of water bodies of Russia are presented. The methods are based on revealing of the cause-effect relations that are developed on the basis of doze-effect dependencies between the water quality chemical composition integral indicator and fish physiological status indicators.

Biomonitoring with macroinvertebrate communities in Italy: What happened to our past and what is the future?

This paper reviews the history and development of biological water quality assessment using macroinvertebrates in Italy. Italy was one of the first European countries to officially adopt a biomonitoring system based on benthic invertebrates, the Indice Biotico Esteso (IBE). After the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) 2000/60/EC, this method was replaced by the “Standardisation of River Classifications_Intercalibration Common Metrics” (STAR_ICM) index, which met the new requirements. As this method has been employed for some years, it could be useful to take a provisional stock and to provide some suggestions to ameliorate the current biomonitoring approach, also trying to minimize the break with past practices and better harmonize the history of biomonitoring in Italy. One of the most evident difference between past and current approach is related to the amount of time and effort required in the application of the two methods. STAR_ICMi is a scientifically rigorous and modern method, but much more time-consuming and challenging in both field and laboratory efforts. This fact has various disturbing practical repercussions, i.e., the environmental agencies have generally reduced the number of sampling stations routinely monitored during the year. The aim of our work is to propose some operational changes that would help to simplify and expedite the monitoring process. In particular, regarding fieldwork, we focus on the time and effort required for macroinvertebrate collection, while for laboratory activity we suggest a reshaping of the requested taxonomic detail. Moreover, in this way the data provided by the new approach could be compared with the long time series available from the previous application of IBE.

Co-occurrence of Helicobacter pylori with faecal bacteria in Nairobi river basin: public health implications.

Overwhelming evidence implicates Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) as an etiologic agent of gastrointestinal diseases including gastric cancer. The mode of transmission of this pathogen remains poorly understood. This investigation is to establish the presence of H. pylori in the waters of the Nairobi river basin and the predictive value the presence of fecal indicator bacteria would have for H. pylori. Physical, chemical and biological assessment of water quality of rivers in Nairobi were carried out using standard methods. H. pylori DNA in water was detected using highly specific primers of glmM gene (294pb). There was high presence of faecal bacteria in the waters sampled. H. pylori DNA was detected in two domestic wells and one river. The wells were located in two different regions of the water basin but influenced by similar human activities. The high presence of faecal bacteria in the waters sampled did not parallel the H. pylori detection in the same waters. H. pylori was detected in the Nairobi river basin, but there was no relationship between the numerical levels of fecal bacteria and H. pylori.

Biological assessment of water quality and biodiversity in Rwandan rivers draining into Lake Kivu

This study aimed at assessing the biological water quality and biodiversity of Rwandan rivers draining into Lake Kivu using benthic macroinvertebrates as indicator organisms. We tested the hypothesis that biological water quality and biodiversity are negatively affected by direct human perturbations and land-use changes in the surrounding habitat. Fifty-three rivers from 29 catchment areas were investigated using the ‘Average Score Per Taxon’ and the ‘Baur Biotic Score’ as indices for assessing water quality. The Shannon index and the Pielou’s evenness index were used to measure biodiversity and evenness, respectively. Multiple linear regressions were applied to test the impact of hydromorphology, physical parameters, direct human perturbations and land-use change in the surrounding habitat on water quality and biodiversity. Baur Biotic Score and Average Score per Taxon indicated strong variation in the water quality of the investigated rivers. Best biological water quality was found in the rivers south of Kibuye/Karongi. Diversity was found to be moderate, but slightly increased south of Kibuye/Karongi. Evenness was also lowest south of Kibuye/Karongi. Multiple linear regression analyses indicated that the biodiversity estimations might be affected by the sampling time, but that the assessment of water quality was not. Water velocity significantly influenced water quality as well as biodiversity. Together with pH, it has also the strongest effect on the composition of macrozoobenthos assemblages. We showed that discharge of industrial waste water in the Burehe River resulted in an alarming deterioration of water quality that demonstrates the necessity of effective wastewater treatment for a sustainable usage of water resources. Long-term water quality monitoring is highly recommended to be established in Rwanda using a combination of physicochemical, bacteriological and biomonitoring data.

Benthic macroinvertebrates as indicators of water quality: a case-study of urban Funa Stream (in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo)

Macroinvertebrates ability to indicate various types of anthropogenic stressors is widely recognized as an integral component of freshwater biomonitoring. In case of pollution, biodiversity of the aquatic community can be affected and the species composition changes from natural species to tolerant species. In this study, macroinvertebrates were sampled using Surber sampler at 5 locations from October 2007 to September 2008 to determine the environmental quality of Funa water body and to analyze fauna structure assemblages. Water physical chemical data were explored using multivariate analysis of Canonical Component to detect environmental trends. Ten biodiversity indices: specific richness S, abundance A, Shannon-Weiner diversity H’, maximum diversity Hmax, evenness J’, McNaughton ID, Redundancy R, Capacite Biogenique Secondaire (Cb2), Indice Biologique Global Normalise (IBGN) and Biologic Monitoring Working Party (BMWP) were used for biological assessment of water quality. Forty-seven species were collected from 3624 specimen dominated by Odonata, Achaeta and Diptera. Four taxa displayed higher relative abundances: Glossiphonidae (20 %), Chironomidae (9 %), Lumbriculidae (9 %) and Hirudidae (8 %). DIMO model splits up sites into two groups in function of H’, Hmax, and J’. In addition, rank-frequency diagrams characterized stage 1 and middle between stages 1 and 2 structured curves. In overall, indices showed low values, which expressed the inhospitable character of habitat structure. However, BMWP and IBGN scores of water quality worsened from upstream to downstream.

남한강 3개 인공보의 식물플랑크톤 군집 변동과 생물학적 수질평가

남한강 3개 인공보의 식물플랑크톤 군집 변동과 생물학적 수질평가

Comparison on free-living nematode compositions of the Cau, Day, Cam and Nhue rivers

Free-living nematodes in fresh water habitats in Vietnam were studied recently. In connection with the creation of new database for the biological monitoring assessment of water quality from the watercourse surface of all rivers and the wetland ecosystems, during 2002-2005 years, the aquatic nematodes fauna of the Cau, Day, Cam and Nhue rivers had been investigated. 144 free living nematode species belonging to 51 families of 9 orders were identified from samples collected in these four rivers. The level of species diversity has been shown in all most sampling habitats with 85 species in Cau river; 76 species in Day river; 52 species in Nhue river. In the Cam river, only 22 species have been found. These nematode species could be divided into three principal ecological groups: fresh-water group, saline-water group and terrestrial-phytoparasitic group. Five nematode species were found in all these four river ecosystems: Eucephalobus oxyuroides, Rhabdolaimus terrestric, Daptonema dihystera, Terschellingia elegans and Tylenchus sp. The Cau river had the greatest nematode species number and nematode individual number. The species Paraplectonema vietnammicum dominated in samples from the Cau and Day rivers. The rhabditid species Panagrolaimus paetzoldi was numerously occurred in the collecting samples from the Nhue river and the reason was caused by the waste domestic and industrial discharge from population centers and manufactures in the riverbank into the river flow. The Cam river was very poor in species and specimens.

Application of the new multimetric MMI_PL index for biological water quality assessment in reference and human-impacted streams (Poland, the Slovak Republic)

A new multimetric MMI_PL index, which is based on the macroinvertebrate composition and combines six single key metrics, has already been implemented in Poland according to the requirements of the EU Water Framework Directive. The objectives of our survey were to assess the biological water quality using the new multimetric MMI_PL index in both reference and human-impacted streams, to analyze whether the values of the new multimetric index properly reflect the ecological status of the water in upland and mountain streams as well as to determine which environmental factors influence the distribution of benthic macroinvertebrates and the values of the metrics. The study was carried out from 2007 to 2010 in three Ecoregions that were established by the EU WFD. A total of 60 sampling sites: 36 reference sites that were situated in the headwaters of mountain streams at mid- and high-altitudes and 24, human-impacted sampling sites were selected. The benthic macroinvertebrate surveys were supported by both a hydromorphological and macrophyte assessment according to the River Habitat Survey (RHS) and to the Macrophyte Methods for Rivers. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) showed that the values of the Habitat Quality Assessment (HQA) index, conductivity, pH and altitude were the parameters most associated (statistically significant) with the distribution of benthic macroinvertebrate taxa and the values of the metrics in both the reference and human-impacted (impaired) sections of the streams in Ecoregions 9, 10 and 14. The new MMI_PL index was useful for biological water quality assessment and was also important for separating both the reference and impaired sections of streams. The MMI_PL index and some key metrics performed contrary to what was expected in relation to the reference high-altitude siliceous streams (the High Tatra Mts., Ecoregion 10). Low values of multimetric index and key metrics did not properly reflect their high ecological status and pristine character as reflected by the hydromorphological (RHS) and macrophyte surveys or the physical and chemical parameters of the water.

Diatom indices in the biological assessment of the water quality based on the example of a small lowland river

Abstract The aim of the study was to compare the biological analyzes of the Linda River (Central Poland), which were based on three diatom indices: IO, GDI and IPS in order to select the best diatom index for the biological assessment of the lotic water quality. Additionally, the summary of the selected results of the biological and chemical analyzes was presented to show how precise the biological analyzes are as a basic tool in the assessment of the ecological status of the lotic waters. The results showed that each of the indices assessed the water in the Linda River to a specific but different quality class. The IO index showed class II of the water quality, while the IPS and GDI — class III. Statistical analysis conducted with the nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis test for independent samples (Kruskal, Wallis 1952) showed that differences in the values of individual indices at different sites were not statistically significant. It should be noticed that the IPS and GDI indices gave values that classify the water in the Linda River at least one class below. The obtained results confirmed that the biological methods are most reliable in the assessment of the water quality. These methods are less sensitive to a single impact of the environmental factors, therefore they permit accurate determination of the ecological status of the water ecosystems.

Chironomid distribution along a pollution gradient in Ethiopian rivers, and their potential for biological water quality monitoring

Water pollution resulting from the rapidly intensifying use of freshwater resources in Ethiopia is increasing the need for continuous follow-up and monitoring of the country's aquatic ecosystems, in order to maintain their biological diversity and water quality. Chironomids (non-biting dipteran midges) are often used for biological water quality assessment because their larvae tend to respond rapidly and sensitively to changes in the aquatic environment. Larval chironomid assemblages from 37 sites in 20 Ethiopian rivers were analysed in 2010 to assess the relationship between species composition and water quality. Cluster analysis of local physical and chemical variables was used to classify sites into three different water quality classes: 15 sites were classified as not or slightly polluted, 16 as moderately polluted and six as heavily polluted. We recovered 21 chironomid taxa, representing three subfamilies, with Chironominae (13 taxa) making the largest contribution, followed by Tanypodinae and Orthocladinae (four taxa each). Polypedilum nubifer, P. wittei, Polypedilum type Wabe, Cryptochironomus sp. and Conchapelopia sp. were the dominant species in unpolluted or slightly polluted sites. Chironomus alluaudi and C. imicola were indicators of heavily polluted sites, typified by low (<2 mg l−1) concentrations of dissolved oxygen. Heavily polluted sites, such as the Modjo and Sebata rivers, also held a lower number of species and genera than less-impacted sites. Larval chironomid assemblages proved useful as indicators of river water quality in Ethiopia when taxa are identified at the species and/or genus level.

Effects of pollution on macroinvertebrates and water quality bio-assessment

Many large rivers in China have an inflow of contaminated water. Water pollution caused by urban sewage and agriculture, and occasionally pollution events from industries have become a significant stress on aquatic ecology. Pollution affects the biodiversity of the aquatic community and the species composition changes from natural species to tolerant species. The species composition of aquatic animals may reflect water pollution level. Extremely non-uniform distributions of functional feeding groups occurred as a result of high nutrient levels. A combination of chemical and biological methods constitutes the best approach for biological monitoring studies that measure water quality. Macroinvertebrates were used as bio-assessment indicator to determine the environmental quality of given water body. In this study, samples of water and macroinvertebrates were taken from several dozen sites in 14 rivers in China with different pollution levels, including the Yangtze, East, Weihe, Songhua, Yongding, and Panlong rivers. Macroinvertebrates were identified to genus or family level. Water samples were classified into different water quality grades according to the concentration of different substances. Five biological indices: taxa richness (S), density (D), total BMWQ score (t-BMWQ), average BMWQ score (a-BMWQ), and the family biotic index (FBI) were used for biological assessment of water quality. Analyzing macroinvertebrates’ occurrence in different water quality levels, taxa-specific indicators, which are defined as the taxa of macroinvertebrates that live in a certain water quality level but do not exist in other water quality levels were proposed for water quality bio-assessment. Leptophlebiidae, Siphlonuridae, Arctopsychidae, Perlidae, and Antocha sp. are the taxa-specific indicators for very good or good water quality; Chironomidae, Lymnaeidae, Tubifex sp., Limnodrilus sp., Limnoperna lacustris, Corbicula sp., Macrobrachium sp., Planorbidae, Glossiphoniidae, and Branchiura sp. are the taxa-specific indicators for very poor water quality; and Psychomyiidae and Hydroptilidae are the taxa-specific indicators for moderate water quality.

Biological Assessment of Water Quality: A Study of Challawa River Water Kano, Nigeria

This study was carried out to survey the biotic community of Challawa river water in Kano, Nigeria, using Biological Monitoring Working Party Score (BMWP) and Average Score Per Taxa (ASPT) assessment tools to evaluate the water quality in the field. Using standardized sampling technique insects, insects&rsquo; larvae, benthic invertebrates, fresh water vivalve, prosobranch and Pulmonate Gastropods of the river were collected, indentified using identifications keys and BMWP score table. BMWP performances and ASPT values obtained were recorded for each selected site A, B, C and D during sampling period between February to October. The results revealed that Site A, close to water treatment plant, had a total of 63 species count, the total performance of 53 BMWP score; was (high)10 in March but fell sharply to 2(low) in May and the ASPT value obtained was 0.84 as the less sensitive species dominate the sample size and indicating water of B-class quality. Site B, the water intake Station of the Challawa water works had 37 species count, 44 BMWP performances and 1.19 ASPT value assessed A-class. Site C, industrial effluent discharge point, had 51 counts, 28 BMWP performances with 0.55 ASPT value assessed D-class. Site D, the confluent point between River Challawa and River Kano had 67count, 58 BMWP performances and 0.87 ASPT value assessed B-class. The implications of the findings were discussed and recommendations for possible abatement of the situation made.Key words: Macro invertebrates, quality, assessment, Challawa River, ASPT, BMWP