Freshwater Quality Research Articles

A comprehensive DNA barcoding reference database for Plecoptera of Switzerland

DNA barcoding is an essential tool in modern biodiversity sciences. Despite considerable work to barcode the tree of life, many groups, including insects, remain partially or totally unreferenced, preventing barcoding from reaching its full potential. Aquatic insects, especially the three orders Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera (EPT), are key freshwater quality indicators worldwide. Among them, Plecoptera (stoneflies), which are among the most sensitive aquatic insects to habitat modification, play a central role in river monitoring surveys. Here, we present an update of the Plecoptera reference database for (meta)barcoding in Switzerland, now covering all 118 species known from this country. Fresh specimens, mostly from rare or localized species, were collected, and 151 new CO1 barcodes were generated. These were merged with the 422 previously published sequences, resulting in a dataset of 573 barcoded specimens. Our CO1 dataset was delimited in 115 CO1 clusters based on a priori morphological identifications, of which 17% are newly reported for Switzerland, and 4% are newly reported globally. Among the 115 CO1 clusters, 85% showed complete congruence with morphology. Distance-based analysis indicated local barcoding gaps in 97% of the CO1 clusters. This study significantly improves the Swiss reference database for stoneflies, enhancing future species identification accuracy and biodiversity monitoring. Additionally, this work reveals cryptic diversity and incongruence between morphology and barcodes, both presenting valuable opportunities for future integrative taxonomic studies. Voucher specimens, DNA extractions and reference barcodes are available for future developments, including metabarcoding and environmental DNA surveys.

Peatland aquifer zone modeling via Wenner and Schlumberger configuration geoelectric strategies in Tarai Bangun Village, Riau Province, Indonesia

The quality of freshwater in peatland areas poses significant concerns for both governmental bodies and local communities. Challenges arise during well drilling activities, where individuals often encounter difficulties in accessing fresh water, either due to its absence or contamination with peat-infused water. Tarai Bangun Village, situated in the Kampar Regency of Riau, represents a critical peatland region warranting thorough investigation, particularly along street of Sarana Utama. Despite lacking social amenities such as markets, the area is equipped with essential facilities like schools and places of worship. This study aims to assess the efficacy of Wenner and Schlumberger configuration modeling in horizontal and vertical soil mapping, thereby facilitating a comprehensive understanding of groundwater distribution and aquifer zoning within the peatland areas under examination. Analysis conducted utilizing Res2DInv software for horizontal modeling revealed significant findings. In track 1, groundwater layers were identified at depths of 6.50 meters and 19 meters, comprising gravel, sandstone, and limestone. Track 2 exhibited an aquifer layer spanning depths from 2.50 meters to 24.9 meters, consisting of alluvium, gravel, and limestone. Furthermore, interpretation of 1D geoelectric vertical model cross-sections using Progress software unveiled additional insights. Path 1 delineated depths of 0.12 meters, 19.30 meters, and beyond 41.28 meters, featuring a lithological composition of sandstone, limestone, and dry gravel. Path 2 showcased depths of 0.14 meters, 9.43 meters, and exceeding 12.02 meters, characterized by dry sand and gravel formations.

A perceptual approach to address complex water management issues in lowland permeable catchments

Water quality management is a pressing global concern, and an increasingly complex issue due to climate and land-use change, legacy pollution, and the persistent release of well-known and emerging contaminants from diffuse and point sources. The increasing availability of high-frequency monitoring data is leading existing, often heuristic approaches, to be judged inadequate. Water managers frequently rely on simple qualitative and/or quantitative approaches for decision-making, but a lack of tangible improvement in freshwater quality outcomes is demanding new and innovative approaches that rely more on physical process understanding, rather than precedent. In this study, we drew upon local geological, hydrogeological, and hydrological data to infer a high-level perceptual model of surface/groundwater interactions in a chalk stream in Dorset, UK. We used the perceptual model to interrogate spatial and temporal trends in historical water quality data and to construct reach-scale nutrient mass balances. Through novel representation with Sankey diagrams, the perceptual model highlighted the relative importance of different hydrological features. Surface/groundwater interactions were found to occur predominantly by spring flow. We demonstrate that river flow accretion was dominated by the Chalk aquifer despite only occupying ca. 15 % of the surface bedrock area, and that spring sources, whilst vital to dilute treated sewage inputs in baseflow conditions, were also major sources of legacy nitrate. Nutrient mass balances showed that sewage treatment works contributed ca. 13 % to soluble reactive phosphorus load, with groundwater accounting for ca. 48 %. Thus, a determinand often associated with point-source pollution was shown to be diffuse dominated in this river. The study demonstrated how a multi-disciplinary approach to water management, based on a comprehensive perceptual modelling approach, could identify hitherto unknown sources and relative contributors to freshwater pollution and allow flow and load apportionment studies to provide useful decision-support to manage nutrient pollution. The novel application of perceptual modelling tools, such as the Sankey diagram, allows different source attributions to be presented in an accessible manner, and can be readily transferred to other study areas.

Water Resource Management in India: Problems and Prospects

Water resource management is one of the most intractable challenges for planners and policymakers today. Given the limited supply, continuously growing demand and declining quality of freshwater, it is imperative to safeguard and effectively manage this resource. In order to effectively address significant challenges to human health and environmental deterioration, it is necessary to adopt a comprehensive strategy for managing freshwater and wastewater. This approach should include inventive and context-specific methods, as well as active involvement from local communities. To attain better development outcomes, water must be made an integral part of all planning and management. Water had its impact on a wide range of aspects impinging on human wellbeing, from agricultural sustainability to food security, and further, environmental security. Therefore, it calls for a systematic thorough management.

Literature Review on Circular Economy Development in Agriculture with Bibliometrics Method

This paper uses 382 researchs from web of science to review on the topic circular economy development in agriculture. The author uses the bibliometrics method to find out the results, methodology for 23 years and the trend of this topic in the future. In the 336 articles, research methods were classified into three main categories: qualitative research, quantitative research, and mixed research with the qualitative research is much more numerous than quantitative and mixed research. The trend of this topic includes: (1) integrated approaches to reduce CO2 to stabilize climate change and related impacts, (2) Reasonable use of water: many studies show that good quality fresh water is an increasingly rare resource. (3) Seasonal, locally produced, environmentally friendly foods (organic, ecological, with limited energy and chemical inputs) will become increasingly important and utilized. (4) Environmental improvements in SMEs in local industrial zones (“industrial clusters”) can be achieved.

FeCl3-Induced Oxidation of POME for Efficient Treatment: An Experimental Study

POME is a biomass waste product from cooking oil in the food industry which requires well treatment before discharge to the main stream. It becomes problematic cause POME contains a lot of organic compounds, suspended solids, lipids, and others which is hazard. Proper treatment is necessary in order to avoid adverse effects on the aquatic and fresh water quality. As that concerned, FeCl3 was introduced to initiate the oxidation reaction and indirectly to degrade the organic compounds in the POME. Throughout the experiment, 0.005 M of FeCl3 solution was mixed into each untreated POME. Besides POME, Glucose and lignin has been used for comparative study. Since POME is biomass waste, UV-Vis Spectroscopy instrumentation is the best to characterize the degradation behavior of organic compounds contained in POME, as well as in glucose and lignin. Based on Lamda, λ Max, the absorbance value as the indicator to measure the degradation level. The experiment done in room temperature (±25 °C) and catalyst optimization was done by Cyclic Voltammetry, CV with potential window from -0.1 to 1.5 V and for UV-Vis spectroscopy, the wavelength(nm) range between 200-600 nm was set throughout the analysis.

Heating effect on chromium speciation and mobility in Cr-rich soils: A snapshot from New Caledonia

In the context of global warming, wildfires are expected to increase in both frequency and intensity in the forthcoming decades. Among the environmental and ecological wildfires-induced impacts, the risk of freshwater pollution by soilborne trace metals deserves a more extensive and accurate assessment because of its potential threat to human health. This study aims to contribute to this evaluation by investigating the influence of laboratory soil heating on chromium solid speciation (including redox state) and mobility in Ferralsols, Cambisols, Vertisols and Regosols holding varying amounts of this trace metal in New Caledonia (South Pacific). A first result is that soil heating from 400 °C induces a partial Cr(III) oxidation to Cr(VI) in all the studied soils, confirming recent findings and extending them to a wider range of soil types. A second result is that the rate of heat-induced Cr(III) oxidation to Cr(VI) appears to depend on chromium speciation. This latter parameter might thus represent the primary driver of chromium reactivity in burned soils. Finally, a third result is the confirmation that most of the Cr(VI) formed in the heated soils is highly mobile. Heat-induced Cr(III) oxidation to Cr(VI) in burned soils thus represents a significant risk towards freshwater quality. At the local scale, this risk might concern a large range of drinking water catchments since the soils investigated in this study encompass a wide portion of the pedological diversity in New Caledonia. At a broader scale, considering the wide occurrence of Cr-bearing pedological settings worldwide, the potential threats to freshwater systems resulting from the occurrence of highly toxic Cr(VI) in burned soils should be considered as a global emerging risk towards water quality that requires further assessment.

Advances in Water in Agroscience

Worldwide, water is essential for maintaining an adequate agricultural production and fostering a sustainable ecosystem for humanity alongside diverse flora, fauna, and microbial life. However, the intensification of anthropogenic activities, the occurrence of climate variability, and the presence of environmental issues are still threatening the quantity and quality of fresh water. Therefore, integrated water management is critical for the sustainable development of a region. This Agrociencia Uruguay Special Issue on “Advances in Water in Agroscience” is designed to draw attention to new concepts, approaches, methodologies, and novel applications aiming to improve sustainable and integrated water resource management. This Special Issue contains fifteen publications sorted into the following macro fields: irrigation and water management, integrated catchment management, and water quality and environmental sustainability.

The value of improving freshwater ecosystem services: South Carolina residents’ willingness to pay for improved water quality

Riverine ecosystems play a crucial role in providing essential services such as drinking water, food, recreation, and other aquatic resources. Yet, their capacity to deliver ecosystem services is threatened by rapid land use which modifies their ecological functions. While freshwater monitoring and restoration programs became more robust with technological advancement, the technical ecosystem indicators monitored by experts do not typically resonate with the public. Since public sentiments and preferences are crucial in conservation planning, we quantified households' mean willingness to pay (WTP) for riverine ecosystem services in South Carolina (SC) using a payment card approach. This technique in conducting a contingent valuation method allowed us to estimate mean WTP for five aquatic indicators. Findings revealed that households’ monthly mean WTP is higher for indicators that can enhance recreational benefits, such as fish catch ($5.89- $6.58), species richness ($6.28- $6.72) and access ($6.75) compared to IBI ($5.74- $6.26) and instream flow quality ($5.34–6.06). When extrapolated to entire SC, the improvement of each indicator would translate to total benefits ranging between $131 to $165 million annually. The values computed from this study could serve as inputs for the computation of benefit-cost ratios of proposed freshwater programs. By incorporating households' WTP in the policy analysis, decision makers can prioritize programs that offer the greatest public benefit, while enhancing freshwater quality across the state.

Assessment of the quality of freshwater based on the use/non of reverse osmosis water treatment technology in commercial plants in Egypt

Assessment of the quality of freshwater based on the use/non of reverse osmosis water treatment technology in commercial plants in Egypt

Impacts of Climate Change on Global Freshwater Quality and Availability: A Comprehensive Review

Impacts of Climate Change on Global Freshwater Quality and Availability: A Comprehensive Review

Effective removal of iron, nutrients, micropollutants, and faecal bacteria in constructed wetlands cotreating mine water and sewage treatment plant effluent.

Regulators in England and Wales have set new targets under the Environment Act 2021 for freshwater quality by 2038 that include halving the length of rivers polluted by harmful metals from abandoned mines and reducing phosphorus loadings from treated wastewater by 80%. In this context, an intriguing win-win opportunity exists in the removal of iron from abandoned mines and phosphate from small sewage treatment plants by coprecipitation in constructed wetlands (CWs). We investigated such a CW located at Lamesley, Northeast England, which cotreats abandoned coal mine and secondary-treated sewage treatment plant effluents. We assessed the removal of nutrients, heavy metals, organic micropollutants, and faecal coliforms by the CW, and characterized changes in the water bacteriology comprehensively using environmental DNA. The CW effectively removed ammonium-nitrogen, phosphorus, iron, and faecal coliforms by an average of 86, 74, 98, and 75%, respectively, to levels below or insignificantly different from those in the receiving river. The CW also effectively removed micropollutants such as acetaminophen, caffeine, and sulpiride by 70-100%. Molecular microbiology methods showed successful conversion of sewage and mine water microbiomes into a freshwater microbiome. Overall, the CW significantly reduced impacts on the rural water environment with minimal operational requirements.

Fresh water management in coastal Bangladesh: preparedness and adaptation

Water management is very significant because of changing the pattern of rainfall, seasonal variation of rainfall, sea level rising, water consumption pattern, acceleration of water quality and unavailability of fresh water in the coastal areas of Bangladesh due to adverse impacts of natural calamities. The aims were to investigate fresh water management with preparedness and adaptation strategies. Household data were collected from respective union parisad and total 338 households (out of 2789) were determined considering 95% significance level from three shoreline (Bagerhat), interim (Khulna) and inland (Satkhira) coastal regions of Bangladesh which distributed proportionately. Data were collected with self-administrated semi-structured questionnaire and three FGDs and analyzed with SPSS. Map was drawn by Arc GIS software. The study resulted that plastic bottle was dominantly used as conservation system for drinking (58.28%) and rainwater (44.08%). Besides, plastic drum, silver pots, earthen and ferro cement container were also used to conserve water. The mean weighted average index of preparedness of household and homestead agriculture is moderate (0.332) in inland and poor in shoreline (0.313) and interim (0.309) area. About 25.15% households satisfied with current water supply system. Individually, about 65.76% respondents adopted pond sand filter technology in the shoreline, followed by 16.90% (interim) and 37.35% (inland) area. Other adaptation strategies (rainwater harvesting, pond water conservation, potable jar water use, re-excavation of pond, boiling pond/canal water) were adopted by households and institutions with seasonal variations. Proper adaptation strategies should be taken with involving the local stakeholders for better performance in the study area.

Valorization of acid mine drainage into potable water and valuable minerals through membrane distillation crystallization

Owing to the rise in population growth and demands for the current living standards, mineral and water resources are depleting at the alarming rate. Also, the mineral–water-energy nexus raises a concern of high-quality water and mineral production at low costs. Membrane distillation crystallization (MDC) has emerged as a promising technology capable of simultaneous water and mineral recovery from wastewater or industrially discharged brines. Herein, the MDC was evaluated for recovery of water and precious minerals from acid mine drainage discharged from the mine tailings. High quality fresh water with 99.9 % salt rejection and permeate flux of 2.32 kg·m−2·h−1 was recovered at 52 °C feed inlet temperature. Also, feed temperatures were varied to determine their impact on mineral crystal morphology, size distribution and growth rate. Predominantly recovered minerals were gypsum, manganese fluoride, potassium iron oxide, nickel oxide hydroxide, sodium sulphate and dihydrogen sulphate. Orthorhombic crystal structure of mineral salts was attained at low feed inlet temperature (34 °C). Higher feed inlet temperatures (i.e. 41° C and 52° C) promoted co-crystallization giving rise to orthorhombic polymorph structures. Narrow crystal size distribution was reported at low water recovery factor (initial growth) for all temperatures. However, the particle size distribution broadened as the recovery factor increased. The crystal sizes ranged from 3.91 ± 0.97 µm to 14.04 ± 3.31. Remarkably, crystal growth rate increased with an increase in feed inlet temperature. These findings open a research direction towards economic recovery of mineral and water to supplement the existing shortages. With a myriad of crystals obtained from the MDC process, an additional operational unit is required to selectively recover high economic minerals.

Provision of Clean Water Facilities with the Insidence of Diarrhea in the Ujung Pandang Baru Health Center Working Area

The quality of fresh water found in several areas varies greatly depending on the geographical conditions of the region, in mountainous areas most of it contains limestone, in lowland or coastal areas generally the total dissolved solids (TDS) exceeds 500 mg/l while according to Minister of Health Decree no. : 416 of 1990 the maximum limit for TDS in clean water is 500 mg/l so this can be a health problem for residents living in the surrounding area. The aim is to determine the relationship between the provision of clean water facilities and the incidence of diarrhea in the work area of the Health Center. This type of research is analytical observational research, namely to determine the factors related to the provision of clean water and the incidence of diarrhea in the Puskesmas Work Area. Based on the results of the analysis using the chi-square formula, it was found that the value of P = 0.000 < α = 0.05 so it can be concluded that there is a relationship between water quality conditions from a physical aspect and the incidence of diarrhea in the work area of the Health Center. The conclusion is that there is a relationship between the physical quality of water and the incidence of diarrhea in the work area of the Health Center.

Freshwater quality: It’s not only the cows you need to watch

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Machine learning approach for determining the water quality of freshwater lakes: A case study on selected lakes of Chennai, India

AbstractMonitoring freshwater quality in urban like Chennai is indispensable as the chief drinking water source for the city originates from freshwater lakes. This study portrays an economical, user‐friendly, economical method to detect water quality. A machine learning‐based portable water quality check test kit was developed along with a user interface. To validate the efficiency of the portable kit, this study focussed on the ten major freshwater lakes of Chennai City. Basic quality parameters of water, such as the potential of hydrogen (pH), level of ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and total phosphate (T.P.), were considered when designing this mobile phone‐compatible user interface application. The experiment used and tested water samples from ten different lakes with the commercially available freshwater master test kit. The images of color developed during the test were captured, and corresponding Red, Green, Blue (RGB) values were calculated. These values were used in Igray, Iavg, and Euclidean distance algorithms to predict the pollution level of the samples. Based on the models, the Euclidean model fitted well with the calibration data with a correlation value of more than 0.98 for all the parameters. Percent accuracy values of the methods used in this study were compared, and the Euclidean model showed more than 98% accuracy for all parameters. The result of this study is alarming that all the ten freshwater lakes considered in this study were hypereutrophic.

An integrated approach for water quality assessment in African catchments based on physico-chemical and biological indicators

Rapid urbanization, industrialization and population growth pose major threats to the ambient water quality, indicator 6.3.2 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6, in African catchments. One example is the catchment of the Akaki Rivers that flow through Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa. The objective of this study was to demonstrate a monitoring approach for assessing the physico-chemical and ecological health status of African Rivers using locally available expertise and analytical capabilities. Representative water samples were collected from twenty-three different sampling locations in the Akaki catchment for various physico-chemical measurements. A biological assessment was conducted using the mini-stream assessment scoring system (miniSASS) tool. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to assess variations in water quality. The study revealed notable differences in water quality between the Little Akaki River, which flows through the city center of Addis Ababa, and the Big Akaki River, which flows mostly through the peri-urban fringe of Addis Ababa. PCA revealed higher levels of water quality parameters in the Little than in the Big Akaki River. For the Little Akaki River, except for pH, all of the measured parameters had significant seasonal variation. In contrast, for the Big Akaki River, no significant seasonal variation was observed in the measured parameters. Downstream of Addis Ababa, improvement in water quality was observed to most of the measured parameters and during all of the seasons where the Akaki Rivers pass through rural areas. There were no significant correlations between physico-chemical measurements and miniSASS scores. The study thus showed that monitoring physico-chemical parameters alone may be insufficient and biological monitoring should be included. Application of these methods and analysis of the results can help catchment scale monitoring of freshwater quality on the African continent.

The Assessment of Freshwater Quality in the Sungai Semantan Based on the Malaysian‘s Index of Freshwater Quality

Sungai Semantan is important for fish aquaculture industry in Malaysia. Therefore, the aimed of this article is to assess the index of freshwater quality (WQI) of the Sungai Semantan, Pahang during the rainy season (February to April 2018). The Sungai Semantan WQI was monitored at three stations by assessing six freshwater quality parameters, i.e., DO, BOD, COD, NH3-N, pH, and TSS. The Semantan River’s WQI was assessed using the Malaysian Department of Environment’s WQI classification. The results showed that three freshwater quality parameters, namely DO (6.32 mg/l), COD (46.8 mg/l), and TSS (104.4 mg/l), exceeded the standard at certain stations and classified as Class IV. However, on average, all parameters showed Classes I to III for all stations, and WQI indicated the Semantan River was slightly polluted (WQI 78.2), and classified as Class II. Changes in land use in the Temerloh district for agricultural and urbanisation have exacerbated the Semantan River’s WQI. Contradict to perception that the aquaculture is the main source of freshwater pollution for the Semantan River. Consequently, the Semantan River’s WQI must be monitored regularly, as the river is critical not only for domestic freshwater supply but also for freshwater fish aquaculture and ecotourism.

A GIS Based Study to Investigate of the Ecological Impacts of Successive Dams on Surface Water Quality: A Review of the Sakarya Basin, Türkiye

The present study aimed to assess the status of successive dams on surface water quality, especially in reducing organic pollution levels, and their effects on the ecological life were investigated. Water samples were collected seasonally from three dam’s monitoring stations. Temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, electrical conductivity, turbidity, ammonium nitrogen, nitrite nitrogen, nitrate-nitrogen, sulfate, total phosphorus, chemical oxygen demand, biochemical oxygen demand and total hardness parameters were measured in surface waters. The Geographic Information System (GIS) was used to produce thematic maps of the investigated parameters. Stations used as point feature layers were mapped using quantitative labeling via symbology. The results were compared with Turkish Regulation, 2015 and EC Directive on the quality of fresh waters needing protection or improvement to support fish life (2006) guidelines. According to the results of the analysis, Dams that are located one after the other contribute to the partial cleaning of the water by resting. Sarıyar, Gökçekaya, and Yenice Dams were built on the Sakarya River, which is one of Türkiye’s biggest and most significant river systems, for electric supply and utility of water for irrigation and fishery activities. Gökçekaya Dam Lake was built between Sarıyar Dam and Yenice Dam, which are situated in the same line of Sakarya River. Gökçekaya and Yenice Dams are fed by Sarıyar Dam Lake and do not receive fresh water. The fact that the three dams are established one after the other aids in the water’s resting and the aids in removing the suspended solids/suspended load. But, this research show that domestic, industrial, agricultural wastes carried by the branches of the rivers caused algal blooms in Dam lakes, especially which are not fed with fresh water. Due to organic pollution the decrease in dissolved oxygen, especially from time to time, negatively affects the ecological life in the lakes.