River Water Quality Assessment Research Articles

The impact of spatial development on water pollution: a comparative assessment of river water quality in two municipalities in Malaysia

This study is aimed at understanding different level of pollution of the river water in two municipalities in Malaysia as a result of spatial development activities. Both municipalities represent the central and southern zones of Peninsular Malaysia which are prone to river water quality problems due to logging, land clearing and livestock farming. Frequency and trend analysis are applied to the data obtained from the Department of Environment (DOE) and measurement of the water quality in the field is conducted in both areas. The results show that the rivers in both municipalities are experiencing deterioration of water quality. The decline in the river water quality is closely related to human activities and the ineffective environmental management system by the government. The apparent environmental problems indicate that the present management system should be improved to create an urban ecosystem which is really capable of addressing the issues of river water pollution.

The impact of spatial development on water pollution: a comparative assessment of river water quality in two municipalities in Malaysia

This study is aimed at understanding different level of pollution of the river water in two municipalities in Malaysia as a result of spatial development activities. Both municipalities represent the central and southern zones of Peninsular Malaysia which are prone to river water quality problems due to logging, land clearing and livestock farming. Frequency and trend analysis are applied to the data obtained from the Department of Environment (DOE) and measurement of the water quality in the field is conducted in both areas. The results show that the rivers in both municipalities are experiencing deterioration of water quality. The decline in the river water quality is closely related to human activities and the ineffective environmental management system by the government. The apparent environmental problems indicate that the present management system should be improved to create an urban ecosystem which is really capable of addressing the issues of river water pollution.

ВОДООХОРОННЕ АРЕАЛУВАННЯ ТЕРИТОРІЇ СУМСЬКОЇ ОБЛАСТІ

Water-protecting arealing of the region and development of water conservation measures aimed at minimizing the negative effects of anthropogenic impact and improving the geo-ecological situation in the region. The main tasks of the study are: disclosure of methodological aspects of water-protecting arealing of the region; allocation of areas requiring different water protection measures depending on the severity of the situation; development of water protection measures for each specific area. Water-protecting arealing is carried out taking into account the landscape-hydrological organization of the territory, as well as the degree of anthropogenic load on the river basins and the quality of river water. 7 areals are identified: crisis, pre-crisis, adverse, conditionally satisfactory, satisfactory, conditionally natural and natural, requiring different water-protecting measures with different intensity of their application. The selection criteria for these areals are: the level of anthropogenic load on river basins, the assessment of river water quality and the natural features of the territory. The names of the selected areals mainly depend from the status of the river basins. Common water-protecting measures that can be recommended for improving the geo-ecological situation in the region, first of all, are rational organization of the territory (optimal ratio of areas of arable, meadow, forest and other types of land on eaсh specific basin), introduction of soil-protective contour meliorative territorial organization and the establishment of water protection zones and the restoration and creation of coastal protection strips also. In addition to general water-protecting measures, each area requires the application of specific measures: agrotechnical, phytomeliorative, hydrotechnical, anti-erosion, anti-deflation and others. In conclusion, the authors note that the developed complexes of water protection measures in general reflect the directions of improvement of the status of river basins of Sumy region, but each river, each river basin requires specific actions, characteristic for the given catchment area.

Quality Assessment of Some Freshwater Resources Located in Bucharest and Surrounding Areas II. Water quality assessment of Arges and Dambovita rivers

The water quality assessment of Arges River and its tributary Dambovita River is presented in this paper as second part of an extended study on the evaluation of some freshwater resources quality located in Bucharest and surrounding areas [1]. This case study was carried out mainly for the water in the confluence area of Arges and Dambovita rivers, where a water and sediment sampling campaign was organized in June 2018. 21 quality parameters were determined for water samples and for the sediment samples the heavy metals content was evaluated. The results of the water samples analysis allowed the framing in quality classes, and for sediment samples the values obtained were compared with the chemical quality standards for sediments, according to the current national regulations. Following the assessment, it was established that the freshwaters in both Arge� River and Dambovita River, downstream the confluence with the Dambovita River are loaded with different pollutants, such as organic substances and nutrients leading to a lower water quality classification.

Quality Assessment of Some Freshwater Resources Located in Bucharest and Surrounding Areas II. Water quality assessment of Arges and Dambovita rivers

The water quality assessment of Arges River and its tributary Dambovita River is presented in this paper as second part of an extended study on the evaluation of some freshwater resources quality located in Bucharest and surrounding areas <1>. This case study was carried out mainly for the water in the confluence area of Arges and Dambovita rivers, where a water and sediment sampling campaign was organized in June 2018. 21 quality parameters were determined for water samples and for the sediment samples the heavy metals content was evaluated. The results of the water samples analysis allowed the framing in quality classes, and for sediment samples the values obtained were compared with the chemical quality standards for sediments, according to the current national regulations. Following the assessment, it was established that the freshwaters in both Argeş River and Dambovita River, downstream the confluence with the Dambovita River are loaded with different pollutants, such as organic substances and nutrients leading to a lower water quality classification. Keywords: freshwater, water quality, pollution, Arges River, Dambovita River

River Water Quality Assessment Model and Application Based on OWA Operator

River Water Quality Assessment Model and Application Based on OWA Operator

Water quality assessment of a tropical river using water quality index (WQI), multivariate statistical techniques and GIS

Mahananda River is an important river in India and Bangladesh, as the people of both the countries use the water extensively, without sufficient and reliable information about water qualities and pollution status. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the water quality of the river and to analyse the suitability for drinking, agricultural and industrial uses. This is why this study on the Mahananda River is extremely important for the region. For this study, samples from fourteen sampling stations were collected in pre-monsoon and post-monsoon seasons in 2016 and water quality index (WQI), agriculture and industry-related indices were computed. WQI values designated two sampling stations out of fourteen sampling stations as ‘very bad’ category and another two sampling stations as ‘bad’ category. The pH values of some sampling stations slightly exceeded the upper permissible limit. USSL diagram analysis classified two samples of pre-monsoon season in C2S1 category which indicates a medium salinity and low sodium water. Magnesium hazard values of four sampling stations are above 50% suggesting not suitable for irrigation. However, some indices like sodium per cent, residual sodium carbonate and residual sodium bicarbonate, Kelly’s index, permeability index and potential salinity allow the water for use in irrigation purposes. Langelier Saturation Index and aggressive index values designate the water as moderately aggressive or non-aggressive. Ryznar Stability Index values designate the water as ‘aggressive’ or ‘very aggressive’ indicating unsuitability for industrial uses. Sampling stations S-1, S-2, S-8 and S-14 need special attention.

‘River Water DO Mechanics & New DO-Sag Equation’

DO modeling by Streeter Phelps equation [1] is most popular method to determine the water quality of a River. To compute DO by Streeter Phelps equation River coefficients k1 and k2 (de-oxidation and re-oxygenation) are required. Determination of these coefficients is tedious because it requires field observation of river velocity and depth over a long period of time at river site. To avoid maximum field work in calculating DO of River water DO Modeling approach is developed by combining Lab analysis of water samples DO with field data, e.g. river velocity and depth. Streeter Phelps (1925) developed the 1st important water quality model describing the BOD-DO relationship in a stream. In their pioneering work the simplest system was considered, in which biodegradable waste is discharged to the stream and consumes oxygen, atmospheric re-aeration being the only source of oxygen. The model is based on complicated solution of differential equation for above process. The equation is derived assuming River coefficients k1 and k2 as exponential function of time variation. The authors have simplified the derivation of DO-Sag equation [4] by replacing the exponential function with a quadratic polynomial. To explain the use of new equation, authors have defined the geometry of DO curve known as ‘River Water DO Mechanics’. Also in this paper, new equation is applied to make ‘Shivnath River water DO Model’ with data taken by the author as part of his Ph. D. research work. The results justify the acceptance of new modified equation for River Water Quality Assessment.

Water quality assessment of river using RBF and MLP methods of artificial network analysis (case study: Karoon River Southwest of Iran)

Karoon River as water supply provider of 16 cities, several villages, and thousands of hectares agricultural land is a very important river in Iran. The present research was conducted at the Mollasani hydrometer station in Karoon River using statistical data of a 49-year period. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the quality of the Karoon River using artificial neural network analysis of multilayer perceptron (MLP), radial basis function (RBF), and regression methods. The studied parameters included: TDS, pH, HCO3, Cl, SO4, Ca, Mg, Na, K, total anions and cations, sodium absorption ratio (SAR), total hardness (TH), and electrical conductivity (EC). The study results showed that the MLP neural network with a hidden layer and R2 = 0.903 gives a more accurate estimation of SAR compared to the RBF model and regression method. Based on these parameters, the water quality was classified as good. In general, with due regard to the precautions currently in place, the basis of the Kendall test, in recent years, despite decreasing the pH of water, the amount of salts in the water has increased, which indicates a decrease in river water quality.

Assessment of River Water Quality Based on an Improved Fuzzy Matter-Element Model.

In this paper, an improved fuzzy matter-element (IFME) method was proposed, which integrates the classical matter-element (ME) method, set pair analysis (SPA), and variable coefficient method (VCM). The method was applied to evaluate water quality of five monitor stations along Caoqiao River in Yixing city, Jiangsu Province, China. The levels of river water quality were determined according to fuzzy closeness degree. Compared with the traditional evaluation methods, the IFME method has several characteristics as follows: (i) weights were determined by the VCM method, which can reduce workload and overcome the adverse effects of abnormal values, (ii) membership degrees were defined by SPA, which can utilize monitored data more scientifically and comprehensively, and (iii) IFME is more suitable for seriously polluted rivers. Overall, these findings reinforce the notion that an integrated approach is essential for attaining scientific and objective assessment of river water quality.

Transitions in diatom assemblages and pigments through dry and wet season conditions in the Red River, Hanoi (Vietnam)

Background and aims – Biomonitoring is an important tool for assessing river water quality, but is not routinely applied in tropical rivers. Marked hydrological changes can occur between wet and dry season conditions in the tropics. Thus, a prerequisite for ecological assessment is that the influence of ‘natural’ hydrological change on biota can be distinguished from variability driven by water quality parameters of interest. Here we aimed to (a) assess seasonal changes in water quality, diatoms and algal assemblages from river phytoplankton and artificial substrates through the dry-wet season transition (February–July 2018) in the Red River close to Hanoi and (b) evaluate the potential for microscopic counts and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of chlorophyll and carotenoid pigments for biomonitoring in large tropical rivers.
 Methods – River water (phytoplankton) and biofilms grown on artificial glass substrates were sampled monthly through the dry (February–April) to wet (May–August) season transition and analysed via microscopic and HPLC techniques.
 Key results – All phototrophic communities shifted markedly between the dry and wet seasons. Phytoplankton concentrations were low (c. thousands of cells/mL) and declined as the wet season progressed. The dominant phytoplankton taxa were centric diatoms (Aulacoseira granulata and Aulacoseira distans) and chlorophytes (Scenedesmus and Pediastrum spp.), with chlorophytes becoming more dominant in the wet season. Biofilm diatoms were dominated by Melosira varians, and areal densities declined in the wet season when fast-growing pioneer diatom taxa (e.g. Achnanthidium minutissimum, Planothidium lanceolatum) and non-degraded Chlorophyll a concentrations increased, suggesting active phytobenthos growth in response to scour damage. Otherwise, a-phorbins were very abundant in river seston and biofilms indicating in situ Chlorophyll a degradation which may be typical of tropical river environments. The very large range of total suspended solids (reaching > 120 mg/L) and turbidity appears to be a key driver of photoautotrophs through control of light availability.
 Conclusions – Hydrological change and associated turbidity conditions exceed nutrient influences on photoautotrophs at inter-seasonal scales in this part of the Red River. Inter-seasonal differences might be a useful measure for biomonitoring to help track how changes in suspended solids, a major water quality issue in tropical rivers, interact with other variables of interest.

Anglers’ Riverfly Monitoring Initiative (ARMI): A UK-wide citizen science project for water quality assessment

AbstractThe Anglers’ Riverfly Monitoring Initiative (ARMI) is a UK-wide citizen science project focused on river water quality assessment. There are currently >2000 ARMI volunteers monitoring >1600...

DINAMISASI DAN PRODUKTIVITAS PRIMER SUNGAI CITARUM PROVINSI JAWA BARAT

Monitoring the quality of the river is essentially to know the status of the periodic quality of the river. Good assessment of river water quality should use a combination of physical, chemical and biological parameters. One way that can be done to describe water quality in an area is the primary productivity in the water. Primary productivity is the amount of organic material produced by autotrophic organisms with the help of sunlight. Perifiton as a river microorganism, will provide dissolved oxygen (DO) through photosynthesis to maintain most of the life of the surrounding water, then Periphyton can respond quickly to environmental changes, this is an indicator of changing conditions (Gaiser 2008 and Lakewatch, 2000) in Brown and Wright (2016) Chemical reactions that occur in the aquatic environment also involve interactions between ions and other phases. Some important interactions in the waters are the occurrence of photosynthesis by algae and the exchange of dissolved solids with dissolved gases in water. The same exchange occurs when bacteria degrade organic matter (often in the form of particles) in water. Some important elements move around in aquatic systems as colloidal chemical compounds or are absorbed into soil particles. The equilibrium of physical chemical reactions in waters involves sediment, gas, and water. Sediment is a layer of material or material that covers the bottom of small rivers, lakes, reservoirs, bays, and oceans. Sediments contain fine mixtures and subtle minerals, including clay, silt, and sand, which mix with organic materials. These materials may experience changes in composition from pure mineral ingredients to main organic ingredients. Sediments contain biological ingredients, chemicals, and pollutants in water.
 Keywords: Primary Productivity; citarum river ; sediment; water test parameter

Incorporating In-Stream Nutrient Uptake into River Management: Gipuzkoa Rivers (Basque Country, North Spain) as a Case Study

Gipuzkoa (Basque Country, North Spain) is an industrial region where investments in sanitation and wastewater treatment have improved water quality and partially recovered river biological communities. However, further technological improvements are unlikely. Our objective was to assess whether in-stream self-purification may contribute to improvement of the trophic state of rivers. We propose an integrative approach to assessing river water quality, which diagnoses problems, identifies likely causes and prescribes solutions. We first analysed the loads of nutrients transported by Gipuzkoa rivers and compared them with the potential nutrient uptake rates (estimated from published empirical regressions). In reaches where both of them were within one order of magnitude, we considered that the self-purification capacity of river channels may influence nutrient concentrations. Then, we selected some river reaches where no other water quality problems beyond nutrient concentrations occurred and ran the expert system STREAMES 1.0 to diagnose the problems and detect their causes. The studied reaches differed in their problems and in their potential solutions. We empirically determined nutrient retention in two streams by means of mass balances and slug nutrient additions. We detected large differences in retention capacity between reaches and siltation as one of the main problems affecting the self-purification capacity of the study streams. Finally, we used STREAMES 1.0 to identify potential solutions to specific river sections. The results obtained so far point towards an important potential of in-stream bioreactive capacity to reduce nutrient loads and to specific restoration activities that may improve the functionality and trophic status of the streams in Gipuzkoa.

Chemical and microbiological risk assessment of urban river water quality in Vietnam.

The contamination and risk by nutrients (NH4+, NO2-, NO3- and PO43-), COD, BOD5, coliform and potentially toxic elements (PTEs)of As, Cd, Ni, Hg, Cu, Pb, Zn and Cr were investigated in urban river (Nhue River), Vietnam during 2010-2017. The extensive results demonstrated that concentrations of these contaminants showed significant spatial and temporal variations. The Nhue River was seriously polluted by NH4+ (0.025-11.28mg/L), PO43- (0.17-1.72mg/L), BOD5 (5.8-179.6mg/L), COD (1.4-239.8mg/L) and coliform (1540-326,470CFU/100mL); moderately polluted by As (0.2-131.15μg/L) and Hg (0.11-4.1μg/L); and slightly polluted by NO2- (0.003-0.33mg/L) and Cd (2.1-18.2μg/L). The concentrations of NH4+, PO43-, COD, BOD5 and coliform frequently exceeded both drinking water guidelines and irrigation water standards. Regarding PTEs, As, Cd and Hg concentrations were frequently higher than the regulatory limits. Human health risks of PTEs were evaluated by estimating hazard index (HI) and cancer risk through ingestion and dermal contacts for adults and children. The findings indicated that As was the most important pollutant causing both non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic concerns. The non-carcinogenic risks of As were higher than 1.0 at all sites for both adults (HI=1.83-7.4) and children (HI=2.6-10.5), while As posed significant carcinogenic risks for adults (1×10-4-4.96 × 10-4). A management strategy for controlling wastewater discharge and protecting human health is urgently needed.

2008–2017 Bogota River Water Quality Assessment Based on the Water Quality Index

This article provides a deep analysis of the water quality at the upper basin of the Bogota River (Colombia) between 2008 and 2017. The Water Quality Index has been the indicator employed to determine the ecological status of the river. This index was chosen in order to normalize the analysis, given that it is commonly used by the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies, a government agency of the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of Colombia, to determine the state of surface effluents. The results obtained were organized in a double-entry matrix in order to relate the variables of the sample period and the sampling station. The research revealed an insufficient quality of water, demonstrating that the high stretch of the Bogota River basin has, in general, regular or acceptable water quality, while only five stations showed an acceptable status. Surprisingly, the stations located close to the wastewater treatment plants of the municipalities of Choconta, Suesca, Gachancipa, and Tocancipa, as well as Rio Negro, have a poor water quality, discharging a high load of contaminants into the river. Although great efforts have been made by Colombian authorities to restore the critical state of the majority of their aquatic ecosystems, recent implementation of policies and instruments have not shown significant achievements yet. For this reason, this study aims to present a powerful decision-tool for the monitoring and evaluation of correction measures implemented on this river basin. The data used in this research were provided by the Regional Autonomous Corporation of Cundinamarca.

Physicochemical and Microbiological Water Quality Assessment of Aba Waterside River, Aba, Nigeria

The indiscriminate disposal of industrial effluents and solid wastes in surface water bodies is detrimental to humans and aquatic organisms. Water quality monitoring is critical to identify pollutants of concern and develop effective management strategies. Hence, this study was conducted to assess the impact of waste disposal on the water quality of Aba Waterside River, Ogbor hill, Aba. Grab samples were collected upstream, midstream and downstream and some physicochemical and microbiological parameters were analyzed in accordance with standard methods for the analysis of water and wastewater. The results were compared with the Nigerian standard for drinking water quality and the national environmental effluent limitation regulations. Turbidity levels (10 -31mg/l) exceeded the maximum permissible levels for drinking water (5mg/l) and may be associated with higher levels of embedded disease-causing microbes and potentially harmful organic and inorganic substances. The biological oxygen demand midstream (1960mg/l) was remarkably high due to the effluent discharged from the abattoirs at that point. Fecal coliforms (3-198MPN/100ml) were detected in all samples, indicating the presence of other potentially harmful microorganisms. The findings of this study indicate that the water is unsuitable for direct drinking water purposes and stringent water quality control measures should be implemented.

Chemometric analysis for river water quality assessment at the intake of drinking water treatment plants

Most of the Mediterranean rivers are suffering the effects of industrial, urban and mining discharges, as well as a reduction in water quantity and quality. Additionally, due to the Mediterranean climate, the natural water resource availability is periodically lower than the water demand in the area. Operation of drinking water plants in these geographical areas needs advanced process control systems where real-time and in-line water quality monitoring tools are key components. Data sets with parameters generated by monitoring sensors and from laboratory analysis are used to reveal the main factors that characterize water quality. Chemometric tools like Principal Component Analysis (PCA) can be used to explore and analyze correlations among different physicochemical and microbiological parameters with the aim to assess the river water quality at the water intake of drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs). Strong seasonal trends in the organic and inorganic matter contents and unusual events in the raw river water quality at the DWTP water intake are revealed. Organic and inorganic patterns are then associated with climatological, meteorological and industrial pollution circumstances typical for the geographical region under study. In addition, microbiological events can be detected at the water intake of DWTP which may occur simultaneously with increasing water contents of organic matter, especially at the beginning of rainfall episodes. The application of PCA on sensors data in the water intake at DWTPs offers new possibilities for improved quality assurance and control procedures for DWTP management and its strategy.

Сучасний екологічний стан малих річок Західного Полісся України (на прикладі річок Луга та Гапа)

The purpose. To assess modern ecological state of small rivers of Western Polissia of Ukraine (on an instance of rivers Luga and Ghapa). Methods. Research was carried out according to regular observation on the basis of ecological classification of quality of surface waters of land and firths of Ukraine which includes a panel of hydrophysical, hydrochemical, hydrobiological and other parameters reflecting features of components of aquatic ecosystems. Results. Analysis of modern ecological state of small rivers of Western Polissia of Ukraine was carried out, and also assessment of quality of their waters on conforming classes is made. Findings of investigation were grouped in 3 blocks of parameters: salt compound of water, trophic-saprobiological (ecological-sanitary) block, specific matters of toxic effect. Integrated (ecological) index is determined, which values establish class and category of quality of surface waters. Results of observation over quality of surface waters of rivers Luga and Ghapa testifies to their satisfactory state. Surface waters match to IInd class of quality of water (river Luga — waters, transient on quality from “very good” up to “good”, from “clean” up to «enough clean» on purity; river Ghapa — waters with a trend from “good” up to “satisfactory” on quality, from «enough clean» up to “poorly polluted” on purity). Excess of maximum-permissible concentration is fixed according to trophic-saprobiological parameters. It is caused by high anthropogenic load in basins of the rivers, first of all, waste interceptions of not enough cleaned waste waters. Conclusions. For assessment of ecological situation of water objects of Western Polissia and determination of main directions of water-security activity on improvement of ecological state of each water object the great value has water quality assessment of small rivers.

Water Quality Assessment of Tributaries of Batang Baleh in Sarawak Using Cluster Analysis.

Assessment of river water quality is essential as it provides the knowledge required to make informed decisions. Therefore, water quality was determined at 15 tributary stations located along the Batang Baleh, Sarawak. Results of the study indicate that all tributaries were well-aerated (≈ 7.7 mg/L) with pH (≈ 7.3) and conductivity (≈ 37.3 μS/cm) values falling within acceptable ranges. However, there were tributaries that showed very high turbidity (> 1000 NTU) and suspended solids (> 800 mg/L) which were contributed by the soil erosion from logging activities in the watershed. Tributary stations associated with logging activities also showed significantly higher total phosphorus and organic nitrogen. Cluster analysis demonstrated that water quality at tributary stations along the Batang Baleh exhibited a longitudinal variation from upstream to downstream regions, particularly, dissolved oxygen, five-day biochemical oxygen demand, and nitrite-nitrate nitrogen, which were found higher in upstream region and steadily decreased towards the downstream region. Two stations located at Sg. Serani and Sg. Melatai were distinct from the other stations with the highest concentrations of turbidity, total suspended solids, organic nitrogen, and total phosphorus. Thus, there is an urgent need to reduce the pollutants in the tributaries of Batang Baleh for the health of the sensitive aquatic organisms.