Water Quality Criteria Research Articles

Riparian vegetation shade restoration and loss effects on recent and future stream temperatures.

River temperatures are expected to increase this century harming species requiring cold-water habitat unless restoration activities protect or improve habitat availability. Local shading by riparian vegetation can cool water temperatures, but uncertainty exists over the scaling of this local effect to larger spatial extents. We evaluate this issue using a regional spatial stream network temperature model with covariates representing shade effects to predict mean August stream temperatures across 78,195 km of tributaries flowing into the Columbia River in the northwestern US. We evaluate nine scenarios predicting stream temperatures for three riparian shade conditions (current, restored, and no riparian vegetation) within three different climate periods (2000s, 2040s, and 2080s). Results suggest riparian shade restoration (2000s climate) could decrease mean August stream temperatures by 0.62°C across the study network. Under the same restored shade conditions, temperature predictions for tributaries at their confluence with the Columbia River range from 0.02-2.08°C cooler than under current shade conditions. The climate warming effect predicted for the 2040s and 2080s, however, is greater than the cooling effect from restoring riparian shade. Streams less than 10m bankfull width cooled more frequently with riparian shade restoration. In Oregon, the proportion of fish habitat for salmon and trout rearing and migration that meet temperature numeric water quality criteria could be increased by 20% under restored shade conditions although net habitat declines may still occur in the future. We conclude riparian vegetation restoration could partially mitigate future warming and help maintain cold-water habitats that function as thermal refuges if implemented strategically.

Comparing normative and descriptive methods for multi-criteria decision analysis: A case study evaluating wetland restoration opportunities in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, USA

Normative and descriptive multi-criteria decision analysis methods were compared to understand their differences in providing decision insights, with a wetland restoration planning study, Chesapeake Bay watershed, USA. Excessive nutrient and sediment runoff is causing impaired water quality and degradation of aquatic habitat in the Chesapeake Bay. A team at The Nature Conservancy evaluated a decision to prioritize large-scale wetland restoration opportunities. A total of 964 potentially restorable wetland alternatives were delineated using spatial analysis. The alternatives were evaluated on seven water quality and climate resilience criteria. Normative methods included ranking the alternatives based on scaling and averaging criteria values per alternative using value and distance functions. Descriptive methods included grouping the alternatives based on their statistical similarities and dissimilarities using principal component analysis. Sensitivity analysis incorporated different data transformations based on risk and riskless decision contexts, different criteria weighting scenarios, and two formats for grouping alternatives. The descriptive method provided inherent information about tradeoffs that normative methods did not, whereas the normative methods provided a similar type of information about tradeoffs. Inherent tradeoff information can provide useful decision insights without complicated criteria scaling and weighting methods, which can be favorable to researchers that desire a more objective analysis. However, descriptive methods do not guarantee favorable results and should be considered along with preferences and judgments. Multiple methods can guide a more comprehensive approach to thinking about tradeoffs in other similar contexts. Data AvailabilitySupporting data are available on request: David.Martin@tnc.org.

A Review on the Water Quality Criteria of Nonylphenol and the Methodological Construction for Reproduction Toxicity Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) can adversely impact the hormonal control, sexual differentiation, reproductive success, and community structure of aquatic organisms. Nonylphenol is one kind of typical EDCs which has attracted increasing attention in recent years. The water quality criteria (WQC) of nonylphenol have been established in several countries/institutions according to the water quality guidelines. However, the reproduction toxicity characteristic of EDCs was excluded in the previous WQC study. In this study, the current research progress on WQC for nonylphenol in different countries/institutions is summarized. In addition, the methodology for deriving the WQC based on reproduction toxicity of EDCs, such as selecting a sensitive test species with a hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis or an endocrine-like system, selecting the appropriate endpoint effects for reproduction toxicity, and collecting the chronic toxicity data are discussed. Finally, the predicted no-effect concentration (PNEC) of nonylphenol derived based on the reproduction toxicity endpoint data was 0.38 μg/L. This result indicated that the PNEC based on reproductive fitness occurred at significantly lower concentrations than that of the other derived toxicity endpoints. The results of this study would provide data support for WQC research and risk assessment of endocrine disruptors.

Major Ion Toxicity to Glochidia of Common and Imperiled Freshwater Mussel Species

Freshwater mussel taxa are severely imperiled and among the most sensitive to several contaminants, including chloride. Relatively little is known of the toxicity of major ions to glochidia (larvae), particularly for rare species, or the effects of hardness on major ion toxicity to glochidia. Therefore, the primary objectives of this work were to: (1) determine the acute toxicity of major ion salts to glochidia, (2) compare chloride sensitivity of glochidia from common and rare species, and (3) evaluate the relationship between water hardness and chloride toxicity to glochidia. We assessed 24 h EC50s for fatmucket (Lampsilis siliquoidea) glochidia exposed to NaCl, KCl, MgCl2, CaCl2, Na2SO4, MgSO4, CaSO4, and NaHCO3 in moderately hard water. We determined NaCl EC50s for four species and KCl EC50s for glochidia of three species. Toxicity of chloride was generally consistent among the various chloride salts except for KCl, which was more toxic than all others by 1–2 orders of magnitude. Our results suggest that commonly tested species may be generally representative of rare species. Water hardness ameliorated the toxicity of chloride for all species to varying degrees. Results of this work indicate that some existing water quality criteria that do not include mussel toxicity data may not be protective of freshwater mussels.

Ecological risk assessment for organophosphate esters in the surface water from the Bohai Sea of China using multimodal species sensitivity distributions

Organophosphate esters (OPEs) as the foremost substitutes of brominated flame retardants have been ubiquitously found in the aquatic environment around the world. However, the information on the community-level risks induced by OPEs to the marine ecosystem remains scarce. This study adopted ten commonly used species sensitivity distribution (SSD) parametric statistical approaches coupled with the acute-to-chronic transformation for the toxicity data to fit the sensitivity distributions of different species to four major OPE congeners including triethyl phosphate (TEP), tri-n-butyl phosphate (TnBP), tri(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP), and tris(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TCPP) in the surface water of the Bohai Sea. All SSD models except Exponential for TnBP, TCEP, and TCPP fitted well the chronic toxicity data for the four OPE congeners. Discrepancies appeared among the best fitting models for different congeners, which also happened to the fitting results from the multiple SSD models for each congener. Based on the best fitting models, the hazard concentrations corresponding to the cumulative probability of 5% were 3.58 mg/L, 0.116 mg/L, 1.30 mg/L, and 1.44 mg/L for TEP, TnBP, TCEP, and TCPP, respectively. The risks induced by the four OPE congeners to the Bohai Sea ecosystem were negligible during the monitoring period because of both the risk quotients and the hazard indexes far <0.1. This study drew a clear picture of the joint ecological risks of TEP, TnBP, TCEP, and TCPP to the Bohai Sea environment. The application of multimodal SSD statistical methods will benefit the accurate derivation of water quality criteria and the community-level ecological risk assessment for pollutants.

Use of power analysis to determine the number of samples needed to assess water quality in lakes and flowing waters.

The Clean Water Act requires states to develop methods for assessing water quality. Assessment methods serve as decision-making procedures for including waterbodies on the Section 303(d) List of Impaired Waters. We used 17 years of ambient water quality data to explore statistical analyses for assessment methods that represent New York's waterbodies. Power analyses were performed to determine how many samples are needed to evaluate exceedances of water quality criteria using one-sample t-tests in lakes and flowing waters. Results suggest six samples for lakes and eight samples for flowing waters are needed to obtain at least 80% power, which is fewer samples than most other types of statistical assessment methodologies. This smaller number was possible because the power analysis was applied to the actual variability found in monitoring data to calculate the effect size as opposed to more conservative statistical estimates based on random data. Water quality criteria can have different analysis requirements such as single samples or means above the threshold, so we compared how many impairments would occur in the dataset if the six or eight samples were assessed as two single exceedances or a mean above the water quality criteria. Because the power analysis gives no indication of the time frame of when samples should be collected, the intra- and interannual variability of the data was assessed to determine whether sampling over a growing season in one year or sampling over multiple years is more representative of the water quality status. Results demonstrated that data collected over the growing season captured more variability in water quality data than data collected over multiple years in both waterbody types. With the prevalence of regulatory agencies having large, historical datasets rising, it would be possible for other agencies to apply these types of analyses to their assessment methodologies. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2022;18:1621-1628. © 2021 SETAC.

Using a Probabilistic Model and Local Parameters to Improve the Reliability of Ambient Water Quality Criteria for the Protection of Human Health: A Case Study of Organophosphate Esters in China

Water quality criteria for the protection of human health (HHWQC) are crucial for the management of aquatic environmental quality. However, previous studies derived HHWQC using only deterministic approaches, which may under/overprotect target populations. This paper improved the methodology for criteria development and applied it to organophosphate esters (OPEs). Missing model parameters, including the trophic level-specific fish consumption rate (FIn) and lipid fraction (fl(TL,n)), were derived according to China’s conditions. The trophic level-specific national bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) for OPEs (5.05–14,281 L/kg) were calculated based on field-measured BAFs in surface freshwater across China and were dominated by the hydrophobicity of compounds. Then, the probabilistic approach was introduced to HHWQC derivation (0.1120–400.5 μg/L), and the results were compared with those derived by the deterministic method (0.1024–664.5 μg/L), which demonstrated that the probabilistic approach derived HHWQC more accurately. The contributions of organism ingestion to the HHWQC for OPEs were steady (<10%) with log Kow<3.5, increased linearly (10–90%) within a log Kow of 3.5–5.5, and then leveled off. Regarding the effects of carcinogenic OPEs, approximately 10% of the studied freshwater in China displays significant risks to human health. This study is significant for the scientific development of HHWQC worldwide and the management of pollutants in water.

Combined effects of copper, nickel, and zinc on growth of a freshwater mussel (Villosa iris) in an environmentally relevant context.

Trace metals rarely contaminate freshwaters independently, hence regulatory limits based on single-metal toxicity may be underprotective of aquatic life. This could be especially the case for rare and sensitive fauna like freshwater mussels, such as those suppressed in the Clinch and Powell Rivers in eastern USA where trace metals are long-term contaminants but at concentrations below regulatory limits. We hypothesized metal mixtures may be exerting combined effects on mussels, resulting in greater toxicity than would be predicted based on single-metal exposures. To test that hypothesis, we conducted two experiments exposing juvenile rainbow mussels (Villosa iris) for 42 days to dissolved copper, nickel, and zinc, individually and in three-metal mixtures, in an environmentally-relevant context of water with chemistry (hardness 155mg/L as CaCO3, dissolved organic carbon 1.7-2.3mg/L, pH 8.4) similar to that of the Clinch River, which receives alkaline mine drainage. We used a toxic unit approach, selecting test concentrations based on literature values for the lower of 28-day survival or growth (length) effect concentrations for Villosa iris or Lampsilis siliquoidea (fatmucket). Our first experiment confirmed survival and growth effects when acute and chronic water quality criteria, respectively, are approached and/or exceeded. Our second experiment, at lower concentrations, showed no effects on survival but combined effects on growth were evident: a mixture of Cu, Ni, and Zn (7.2±1.2, 65.3±6.1, 183±32μg/L, respectively) inhibited growth (dry weight) by 95% versus 73%, 74%, and 83% inhibition for single-metal exposures to Cu, Ni, and Zn of similar concentration (8.0±1.1, 63.5±4.8, 193±31μg/L, respectively). Furthermore, a mixture of Cu, Ni, and Zn with individual concentrations 21%, 29%, and 37% of their water quality criteria (3.4±1.2, 21.8±1.8, and 62.1±8.4µg/L, respectively) inhibited growth (dry weight) by 61% relative to controls. Our observation of combined effects suggests that regulatory limits based on single-metal toxicity may be underprotective of freshwater mussels when multiple metals are present.

Derivation of Water Quality Criteria and the Ecological Risk Assessment for Copper in Bohai Bay after Environmental Improvements

Derivation of Water Quality Criteria and the Ecological Risk Assessment for Copper in Bohai Bay after Environmental Improvements

Evaluation of silver nanoparticle acute and chronic effects on freshwater amphipod (Hyalella azteca).

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are known to cause ecotoxic effects, but there are no existing derived ambient water quality criteria (AWQC) for these nanomaterials to protect freshwater aquatic life due to insufficient toxicological data. We exposed Hyalella azteca to silver nitrate, citrate-coated AgNPs (citrate-AgNPs), and polyvinylpyrrolidone-coated AgNPs (PVP-AgNPs) in a 10-day and 28-day water-only static renewal system with clean sand as a substrate for the amphipods and compared their point estimates with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) AWQC for silver. We observed that all treatments decreased the survival, growth, and biomass of H. azteca, and the order of toxicity was AgNO3 > citrate-AgNPs > PVP-AgNPs. The LC50s of AgNO3, citrate-AgNPs, and PVP-AgNPs were 3.0, 9.6, and 296.0µg total Ag L-1, respectively, for the acute exposure and 2.4, 3.2, and 61.4µg total Ag L-1, respectively, for the chronic exposure. Acute and chronic EC20s of citrate-AgNPs ranged from 0.5 to 3.5µg total Ag L-1 while that of PVP-AgNPs ranged from 31.2 to 175µg total Ag L-1 for growth and biomass. Both Ag+ released from AgNPs and the nanoparticles contributed to the observed toxicity. The dissolution and toxicity of AgNPs were influenced by surface coating agents, particle size, and surface charge. Most point estimates for AgNPs were above AWQC for silver (4.1µg L-1) and the lowest concentration (0.12µg/L) at which Ag is expected to cause chronic adverse effects to freshwater aquatic life. Our study demonstrates that the current AWQC for silver, in general, is protective of freshwater aquatic life against AgNPs tested in the present study.

Derivation and Comparison of Copper Water Quality Criteria for Bohai Bay Under Different Toxicity Endpoint Frameworks and its Preliminary Application

Derivation and Comparison of Copper Water Quality Criteria for Bohai Bay Under Different Toxicity Endpoint Frameworks and its Preliminary Application

A short review on landfill leachate treatment technologies

The solid waste disposal problem is a well-known global environmental issue, wherein landfilling and open dumping are the most widely followed practices. The production of toxic liquid, leachate, is a significant issue with landfilling practices. This leachate needs to be treated carefully before its disposal in the environment. Landfill leachate is characterized by very high chemical oxygen demand (COD) and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) consisting of unappealing constituents like toxic organic and inorganic pollutants. In general, leachate parameters such as landfill age, COD/BOD ratio, and COD are the decisive factors in the selection of appropriate treatment methods. The various adopted technologies for leachate treatment are assessed and summarized under heads like biological, physicochemical, and hybrid methods. The purpose of this research is to look at the technological improvements used for landfill leachate treatment, taking into account the lessons learnt over time and the solutions that have been implemented. It was observed that, when the treatment techniques are employed in standalone mode, they are unable to meet the acceptable water quality criteria, nevertheless when the treatment techniques are used in combination, then it meets the stringent criteria for disposal. The integrated biological and physicochemical treatment methods are viewed as critical for adhering to sustainable release limits and ensuring environmental protection by achieving satisfactory COD, BOD, and ammonia nitrogen removal efficiencies. The evaluation includes state-of-the-art research outputs as well as potential combined applications of various treatment strategies covered in previous works.

Derivation of Water Quality Criteria of Copper for Protecting the Aquatic Organism in Bohai Sea, China

Derivation of Water Quality Criteria of Copper for Protecting the Aquatic Organism in Bohai Sea, China

Water quality in three potential drought refuges in an arid-land river: assessing habitat suitability for at-risk fish species

Drought is a common disturbance in arid-land streams and rivers. The survival of aquatic species depends on access to refuge habitats where water quality remains high. Over the past century, modified flow regimes and altered watershed and instream characteristics have led to the extinction and endangerment of numerous fish species endemic to the southwestern United States. We assessed the water quality of potential drought refuges in the Middle Rio Grande (MRG), with an emphasis on suitability for the endangered Rio Grande Silvery Minnow (RGSM). We examined three types of potential drought refuges: three agricultural return drain outfalls; three isolated pools that remained during streamflow intermittency; and a reach with perennial flow below an agricultural diversion dam. All potential refuges are known to contain RGSM and other fishes. Two out of three drain outfalls, one out of three isolated pools, and three out of ten kilometers of perennially wetted stream below a dam met basic water quality criteria necessary to support RGSM populations. These findings suggest that refuge habitability is context dependent, that generalizations regarding the suitability of a specific refuge type should be avoided, and that careful assessment is required to determine if a specific location will support fish assemblages. Although some areas may contain water, they may represent ecological traps if fish are exposed to poor water quality conditions compared to other potential refuge habitats.

Study of Monitoring Water Quality as Impact of Steam Power Plant (SPP) 3 x 10 MW Tanjung Enim Banko Operational Activities

The construction of power plants is very necessary to anticipate the crisis of electricity resources and always increases every year. Tanjung Enim city has Steam Power Plant (SPP), one of them is Banko SPP which has 3 x 10 MW capacity. It was built to meet the demand for society electrical energy. The existence of this SPP construction can cause environmental degradation such as a decrease in water quality that does not meet environmental quality standards. The decline in environmental quality can also have a direct impact on the community around the Tanjung Enim SPP location. This is due to the existence of SPP operational activities that can produce liquid waste such as boiler blowdown, airheater blowdown, cooling system and domestic waste waterfrom the manufacturing process. This research study aims to analyze water quality around Banko SPP based on the physical and chemical parameters by testing in the laboratory. The approach employed in this study was an experimental method that included laboratory sample and testing. The water quality pollution index (PI) which refers to the Ministerial Decree No. 115/2003 (Environmental Decree) was used to analyze the result of laboratory testing. The water quality samples examined in this study were wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) outlet, river water, and groundwater nearest to the SPP's location. The phenol and chlorine parameters exceeded the quality requirements referred to in the South Sumatra Governor Regulation No. 16 of 2005, according to the findings of laboratory testing of river water samples. The mercury (Hg) parameter in the WWTP outlet samples surpassed the South Sumatra Governor Regulation No. 16 of 2005 quality criteria. Meanwhile, the manganese (Mn) parameter in groundwater samples surpasses the quality requirement established by the Government of South Sumatra Regulation No. 82/ 2001 as Class I clean water quality criteria. The water quality pollution index (PI) method achieves a score of 1.52 with the category of Lightly Polluted. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that the influence of SPP Banko's operations on water contamination is minor.

Evaluating the source and Quality of River and Groundwater using hydrochemistry and stable isotopesin Tawi Watershed, Jammu District, Jammu and Kashmir, India

Hydrogeochemical and isotopic composition of river and groundwater in Kandi and Sirowal belts of Jammu District in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir was carried out to understand the recharge source and chemical nature of these waters for drinking water quality criteria. Physical parameters (temperature, pH, Total dissolved solids, total hardness and electrical conductivity), major cations and anions (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, HCO3-, Cl-, SO42-, NO3-) and stable isotopes (d18O and d2H) inTawi river and groundwater samples from hand pumps and tube wells were measured. The dominant cation is Ca2+ and the dominant anion HCO3- implyingCaHCO3type water in both river and groundwater. To assess the quality of water for drinking purposes, Groundwater Quality Index (GWQI) has been calculated. The GWQI indicates that Kandi and Sirowal belts are showing “Excellent” to “Good” category for drinking purposes. The stable isotopic composition of river water and groundwater is indicative of meteoric origin and enrichment before groundwater recharge. The stable isotopes in water suggest that the active canals in Sirowal belt,and rainfall and river water near the banks in Kandi belt contribute to ground water recharge.

Physical-Chemical Characteristic and Trophic Status of Some Small Lakes in Ciliwung Watershed, West Java Indonesia

Small lakes are important freshwater resources to support the quality of human life. However, small lakes in the watershed are becoming threatened ecosystems because of increasing land-use changes and anthropogenic activity. The study aimed to determine characteristic physical-chemical parameters and trophic status some small lake in Ciliwung Watershed to support the sustainable management of small lakes in the Ciliwung watershed in preventing eutrophication effects. The data was collected in April and June 2021. Measurement and analysis of water quality parameters were conducted by insitu and Laboratory. Some parameters were not in accordance with the Government Regulation number 22/2021 for class II water quality criteria (WQC), including TSS (&gt;50 mg.L-1)., TP (&gt;0.03 mg.L-1), COD (&gt;25 mg.L-1) and DO (&lt;3 mg.L-1), especially for Lake Sunter and Lake Cincin.There are two groups of lakes based on water quality and trophic status. Lake Telaga Warna Lake Cikaret, and Lake Cilodong were classified as eutrophic while lake Sunter and Lake Cincin were classified as hypereutrophic lake Lake Telaga Warna, Lake Cikaret, and Lake Cilodong, located at the upper and middle watershed, are eutrophic, characterized by deeper bottom and higher Secchi depth. At the lower watershed, Lake Sunter and Lake Cincin are hypereutrophic characterized by higher nutrients (TN and TP), COD, temperature, conductivity, salinity, and TDS. The downstream area was a densely populated area that contributed high pollution from upstream and middle of Ciliwung watershed.

Sustainable groundwater treatment technologies for underserved rural communities in emerging economies

Worldwide, about one out of two people depend on groundwater resources to satisfy their drinking water needs. While groundwater typically is of higher quality than surface water, pollution and geologic conditions may require treating groundwater to meet safe water quality criteria. Herein, a critical overview is presented of water treatment technologies for rural and underserved communities in emerging economies that depend on groundwater. Given that small to medium sized rural communities in emerging economies often lack the financial resources to support technologically complex and expensive centralized public water treatment systems, the focus is on proven technologies that are sustainable and acceptable by the rural population. After an overview of the underlying treatment mechanisms and the principal groundwater contaminants targeted by the traditional, advanced, and experimental water treatment technologies, we identify the groundwater quality parameters that may impact or interfere with the technology performance. We also introduce enabling environmental factors that might govern the implementation of water treatment technologies in the target communities and a brief discussion of safe storage of water after treatment to underline the importance of protecting the water from re-contamination. Our overview is further supported by tabulated summaries of the principal (dis)advantages of each technology covered herein, including cost considerations and social acceptance. Overall, our review suggests that underserved rural communities have sustainable and affordable options for cases where the quality of local groundwater resources requires treatment.

Deriving convincing human health ambient water quality criteria for benzo[a]pyrene and providing basis for the water quality management: The impacts of national bioaccumulation factors and probabilistic modeling

Science-based water quality criteria are the cornerstone of water quality standards. This paper improved the methodology for the derivation of human health water quality criteria (HHWQC) and applied it for benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) to provide a scientific basis for the management of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in surface waters. First, the national bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) for BaP were derived using field-measured BAFs and field-measured biota-sediment accumulation factors (BSAFs) across China, respectively, which results were comparable and demonstrated the reliability of the obtained national BAFs for BaP. The HHWQC for BaP derived using the probabilistic approach were 3.98–4.70 ng/L and were comparable with those derived by the deterministic approach, suggesting the accuracy of derived HHWQC for BaP. Through the probabilistic approach, the probability distributions of lifetime incremental cancer risk from BaP in water were provided and the consumption rates of aquatic products at trophic level 2 and 3 were identified as factors influencing risks of BaP significantly. The derived HHWQC for BaP in China are approximately 33–36 times higher than those in the United States because of the high national BAFs and cancer slope factor of BaP used for the United States. In addition, the recommended HHWQC for BaP conform to the situation in China and are approximately 1.5 times higher than the standard value of BaP in the current National Surface Water Quality Standard (GB 3838-2002) in China (2.80 ng/L), which will play an important role in the amendment of National Surface Water Quality Standard in the future. Approximately 36% of the studied surface freshwater in China contains BaP with levels exceeding the recommended HHWQC, suggesting the pollution of BaP in surface freshwater is severe and needs to be given more attention. This study is significant for the scientific development of HHWQC worldwide and the management of pollutants in water.

BARKODE DNA DAN KEKERABATAN IKAN LAIS TIMAH (Kryptopterus apogon) BERDASARKAN GEN SITOKROM C OXIDASE SUBUNIT I (SOI)

Lais (Krypyoterus apogon) is highly economic important catfish in South Sumatera. Investigating fish diversity of catfish is of importance for species conservation. Many species or subspecies extincted due to environment decreasing caused by habitat loss, pollution and over fishing. Cytochrome C Oxidase subunit I (COI) is one of mitochondrial DNA markers used for species barcoding in freshwater, brackishwater and marine fish. This research aim to explore the use of COI gene for species barcoding in investigating the diversity of COI nucleotide, constructing phylogenetic tree of lais, and knowing physical and chemistry characteristic of habitat at Musi and Kelekar River, South Sumatera. The methods used in the research consisted of DNA extraction, PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) amplification and sequencing mtDNA COI gene of Kryptopterus apogon obtained from Musi and Kelekar River (South Sumatera). A 615 bp (sample code CM1) and 693 bp sequences (sample code CK1 and CK2) of parsial coding were sequenced from this fish. Nucleotide BLAST analyzes showed COI gen can distinguish lais at Musi and Kelekar River from others fish at GenBank database with high identity (92.29% and 92.21%) to Phalacronotus bleekeri (Thailand) and Phalacronotus apogon (Australia).Phylogenetic analyzes indicated that obviously, lais was at the same cluster with others genus in Siluridae family, but different cluster from Hemibagrus nemurus (Bagridae), Chanidae and Oreochomis niloticus (Cichlidae). Water quality criteria (water tranparancy, temperature, ammonia, pH and alkalinity) at Musi and Kelekar River were still in tolerance for maintainning survival rate of lais. Further study using more species in Siluridae family and various habitat are needed to investigate the diversity of DNA of Siluridae at South Sumatera water resources.Keywords: Catfish, DNA barcode, COI gene, Musi River, Kelekar River