Monitoring and evaluation of the water quality of the Lower Neches River, Texas, USA

Increasing bacteria levels in the Lower Neches River caused by Hurricane Harvey has been of a serious concern.This study is to analyze the historical water sampling measurements and real-time water quality data collected with wireless sensors to monitor and evaluate water quality under different hydrological and hydraulic conditions.The statistical and Pearson correlation analysis on historical water samples determines that alkalinity,chloride,hardness,conductivity,and pH are highly correlated,and they decrease with increasing flow rate due to dilution.The flow rate has positive correlations with Escherichia coli,total suspended solids,and turbidity,which demonstrates that runoff is one of the causes of the elevated bacteria and sediment loadings in the river.The correlation between E.coli and turbidity indicates that turbidity greater than 45 nephelometric turbidity units in the Neches River can serve as a proxy for E.coli to indicate the bacterial outbreak.A series of statistical tools and an innovative two-layer data smoothing filter are developed to detect outliers,fill missing values,and filter spikes of the sensor measurements.The correlation analysis on the sensor data illustrates that the elevated sediment/bacteria/algae in the river is either caused by the first flush rain and heavy rain events in December to March or practices of land use and land cover.Therefore,utilizing sensor measurements along with rainfall and discharge data is recommended to monitor and evaluate water quality,then in turn to provide early alerts on water resources management decisions.

Exploring groundwater quality in semi-arid areas of Algeria:Impacts on potable water supply and agricultural sustainability

Groundwater quality assessment is important to assure safe and durable water use.In semi-arid areas of Algeria,groundwater represents the main water resource for drinking water supply of the rural population as well as for irrigation of agricultural lands.Groundwater samples from wells and springs were collected from the Gargaat Tarf and Annk Djemel sub-watersheds of the Oum El Bouaghi,Algeria,and were analyzed and compared with the World Health Organization(WHO)standards.Results showed that most of the measured physical and chemical parameters exceeded the quality limits according to the WHO standards.Groundwater had a slightly alkaline water pH(7.00-7.79),electrical conductivity>1500μS/cm,chloride>500 mg/L,calcium>250 mg/L,and magnesium>155 mg/L.Water quality index(WQI)results showed that 68%of the area had excellent water quality,24%of the samples fell into good category,and only 8%were of poor quality and unsuitable for human consumption.Six wells in the area showed bacterial contamination.Total coliforms(453.9(±180.3)CFU(colony-forming units)/100 mL),fecal coliforms(243.2(±99.2)CFU/100 mL),and fecal streptococci(77.9(±32.0)CFU/100 mL)loads were above the standard limits set by the WHO.These results confirmed that water resources in the study area were strongly influenced by anthropogenic activities and were not recommended for consumption as drinking water.

Riparian habitat quality as an indicator of land use/land cover effects on riverine water quality

Riparian land use/land cover(LULC)plays a crucial role in maintaining riverine water quality by altering the transport of pollutants and nutrients.Nevertheless,establishing a direct relationship between water quality and LULC is challenging due to the multi-indicator nature of both factors.Water quality encompasses a multitude of physical,chemical,and biological parameters,while LULC represents a diverse array of land use types.Riparian habitat quality(RHQ)serves as an indicator of LULC.Yet,it remains to be seen whether RHQ can act as a proxy of LULC for assessing the impact of LULC on riverine water quality.This study examines the interplay between RHQ,LULC and water quality,and develops a comprehensive indicator to predict water quality.We measured several water quality parameters,including pH(potential of hydrogen),TN(total nitrogen),TP(total phosphorus),T_(water)(water temperature),DO(dissolved oxygen),and EC(electrical conductivity)of the Yue and Jinshui Rivers draining to the Han River during 2016,2017 and 2018.The water quality index(WQI)was further calculated.RHQ is assessed by the InVEST(Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs)model.Our study found noticeable seasonal differences in water quality,with a higher WQI observed in the dry season.The RHQ was strongly correlated with LULC compositions.RHQ positively correlated with WQI,and DO concentration and vegetation land were negatively correlated with T_(water),TN,TP,EC,cropland,and construction land.These correlations were stronger in the rainy season.Human-dominated land,such as construction land and cropland,significantly contributed to water quality degradation,whereas vegetation promoted water quality.Regression models showed that the RHQ explained variations in WQI better than LULC types.Our study concludes that RHQ is a new and comprehensive indicator for predicting the dynamics of riverine water quality.

Assessment of Water Quality in High-Pressure Peruvian Anthropic Sectors of Lake Titicaca Using a Calibrated Index

The world’s lakes are in the process of degradation, with loss of water quality as a result of anthropic influences. This research aimed to evaluate water quality in high-pressure Peruvian anthropic sectors of Lake Titicaca using a calibrated index. The study considered ten important bays with influence from urban sectors. In each bay, surface waters were monitored for six years, considering physical, chemical and microbiological parameters. Water quality was assessed using the NSF Water Quality Index (NSF-WQI) and the one calibrated for Lake Titicaca (WQIT). Comparing the efficiency of these two indices, the WQIT showed a variation from moderately polluted bays to bad quality bays, such as Desaguadero and Yunguyo. These two bays were classified as hypereutrophic, therefore, the uses attributable to this condition are only irrigation and energy production. Applying the NSF-WQI, the results were not able to identify this significative difference, as all bays were classified as moderate quality waters. This result indicates that the WQIT calibration was adequate, as it allows inferring and estimating the water quality of Lake Titicaca with greater precision. According to Peru’s water quality standard for category 4, established for the conservation of the country’s lakes, the parameters that exceeded the standard values were PO4-P (0.035 mg∙L−1) and BOD5 (5 mg∙L−1) in all bays, and TC (1000 MPN mL−1) in Yunguyo bay. These high values indicate eutrophication processes, one of the main problems in the study area. The WQIT calibrated for Lake Titicaca can be used as an efficient tool to assess water quality in high Andean lentic waterbodies in South America.

DYNAMIC VARIATIONS OF WATER QUALITY IN TAIHU LAKE AND MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF ITS INFLUENTIAL FACTORS

Dynamic variation of water quality in Meiliang Bay and part of West Taihu Lake has been analysed based on data from 1991 to 1992. Principal Component Analysis is used to reveal the mutual relationships of various factors. It is shown that there existis an obvious spatial and temporal variation in the main factors of water quality. Annual values of TP, CON, TN, Chl-a and conductivity decrease evidently from inner Meiliang Bay to the outer from north to south. TP and TN fluctuate seasonally with much higher value in winter. This is particularly true for the mouth of Liangxi River. In addition, the Chl-1 has a synchronous variation with water temperature, although being lagged a little, and closely relates to TP and TN. Finally, the results from Principal Component Analysis show that TP, TN, SS (or SD), water temperature and Chl-a are the most influential factors to water qualuty in this area, and both suspensions and algae can contribute to transparency to Taihu Lake.

Three-Dimensional Tidal Model and Its Application to Numerical Simulation of Water Quality in Coastal Waters

The turbulence mechanism plays an important part in the mixing process and momentum transfer of turbulence. A three-dimensional Prandtl mixing length tidal model has been developed to simulate tidal flows and water quality. The eddy viscosities and diffusivities are computed from the Prandtl mixing length model. In order to model the water quality of an estuary or coastal area many interdependent processes need to be simulated. These may be conveniently separated into three main groups: transport and mixing processes, biochemical interaction of water quality variables and the utilization and re-cycling of nutrients by living matter. The model simulates full oxygen and nutrient balance, primary productivity and the transport, reaction mechanism and fate of pollutants over tidal time-scales. The model is applied to numerical simulation of tidal flows and water quality in Dalian Bay. The model has been calibrated against a limited data set of historical water quality observations and in general demonstrates excellent agreement with all available data.

Introduction to the airborne marine surveillance platform and its application to water quality monitoring in China

China Marine Surveillance Force was equipped with modern aerial equipments for marine lawexecute with the advantage of functioning agilely at a large scale of surveillance coverage, providing powerful all-round safeguard, which is of benefit to the harmonious and sustainable development of coastal economy. Onboard the planes, three kinds of remote sensing sensors have been installed, including a marine airborne multi-spectrum scanner （MAMS）, an optical-electronic platform, and an airborne hyper-spectral system AISA＋. The specifications of remote sensing platforms were introduced briefly first, then examples of water quality monitoring by airborne remote sensing were presented, including the monitoring in coastal suspended material, oil-spill and abnormal warm water, etc.

DYNAMIC VARIATIONS OF WATER QUALITY IN TAIHU LAKE AND MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF ITS INFLUENTIAL FACTORS

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A Three-Dimensional Water Quality Model and Its Application to Jiaozhou Bay, China

A three-dimensional coupled physical and water quality model was developed and applied to the Jiaozhou Bay to study water quality involving nutrients, biochemical oxygen demand, dissolved oxygen, and phytoplankton that are closely related to eutrophication process. The physical model is a modified ECOM-si version with inclusion of flooding/draining processes over the intertidal zone. The water quality model is based on WASP5 which quantifies processes governing internal nutrients cycling, dissolved oxygen balance and phytoplankton growth. The model was used to simulate the spatial distribution and the temporal variation of water quality in the Jiaozhou Bay for the period of May 2005 to May 2006. In addition, the effect of reduction of riverine nutrients load was simulated and evaluated. The simulated results show that under the influence of nutrients discharged from river, the concentrations of nutrients and phytoplankton were higher in the northwest and northeast of the bay, and decreased from the inner bay to the outer. Affected by strong tidal mixing, the concentrations of all state variables were vertically homogeneous except in the deeper regions where a small gradient was found. Obvious seasonal variation of phytoplankton biomass was found, which exhibited two peaks in March and July, respectively. The variation of riverine waste loads had remarkable impact on nutrients concentration in coastal areas, but slightly altered the distribution in the center of the bay.

Design of environmental decision support system and its application to water quality management

EDSS is a comprehensive software system for water quality management in tidal river networks in general and for the Pearl River Delta in particular. Its purpose is to provide a practical tool that could assist government agencies in decision making for the efficient management of water resources in terms of both quantity and quality. By combining the capabilities of geographical information system (GIS), database management system (DBMS), model base management system (MBMS) and expert system, the aim is to improve the quality of decision making in what is becoming an increasingly complex area. This paper first outlines the basic concepts and philosophy adopted in developing EDSS, the system architecture, design features, implementation techniques and facilities provided. Thereafter, the core part of the system—the hydrodynamic and water quality models are described briefly. The final contribution in this paper describes the application of EDSS to the Pearl River Delta, which has the most complicated tidal river network patterns as well as the fastest economic development in the world. Examples are given of the real-world problems that can be addressed using the system, including cross-boundary water pollution analysis, regional drinking water take-up site selection, screening of important polluters, environmental impact assessment, and water quality zoning and planning. It is illustrated that EDSS can provide efficient and scientific analytical tools for planning and decision-making purposes in the information era.

Stream water quality and its influencing factor in lower order streams in upriver sections of Ashihe River

For understanding the reasons that caused the degradation of water quality in lower order streams, systematic sampling was conducted at different spatial locations aiong the low order streams （1 st-5th） of Ashihe River continuum in Maoershan Experimental Forest of Northeast Forestry University, Sharlgzhi City, Heilongjiang Province, China. The indexes of stream water quality, i.e., the pH, dissolved oxygen（DO）, turbidity, temperature, PO43-P, NO3-N and NH4^＋-N concentrations, total dissolved inorganic nitrogen （TDIN-N, including concentrations of NO3^＋-N and NH4^＋-N）, and total phosphorus （inorganic and organic phosphorous, TP） were measured and analyzed. The stream order, related environmental settings and land-use type were recorded for each sampling location. The indexes of stream water quality at different locations with different stream orders and land use types were compared by ANOVA analysis. The indexes of stream water quality at different sampling locations were analyzed by Hierarchical cluster analysis. Result showed that water quality had significant difference in different stream orders and land use types; some locations with different stream features （stream order and land use type） were grouped into same clusters, indicating that random disturbances produced the variations in water quality, which made the spatial variances of stream water quality inconsistent with the general rules.

Evaluation of Spatial-Temporal Variations of Water Quality and Plankton Assemblages and Its Relationship to Water Use in Kulekhani Multipurpose Reservoir, Nepal

Spatial and temporal variation in planktons and water quality parameters were investigated in order to determine the effects of seasonal water use on reservoir water quality and planktons’ diversity in Kulekhani Multipurpose Reservoir, Nepal. This study also focuses on interactions among various water quality parameters with planktons and how such interactions can affect the second major utility, the fish farming in the reservoir. The analyses of seasonal water samples collected from three different sampling locations in the reservoir showed that select water quality parameters varied significantly (P < 0.05) with sampling seasons (transparency: 30 - 250 cm, pH: 7 - 7.5, alkalinity: 30 - 120 mg/L, DO: 6 - 11.5 mg/L, CO2: 0.1 - 1.1 mg/L) and sampling locations (phosphate: 0.1 - 0.25 mg/L, nitrate 0.01 - 0.19 mg/L) in the reservoir. Three groups of zooplankton and four classes of phytoplankton, respectively with eleven and twelve genera, were identified and quantified in the reservoir. Among them, Cyclops, Asplanchana, and Keratella were most dominant zooplanktons while Synedra, Melosira and Peridinum were the most dominant phytoplankton in the reservoir water. The abundance of select zooplanktons (Cyclops, Keratella, Polyanthra), and phytoplankton (Navicula, Melosira, Amphora, Chroococcus, Staurastrum, Scendesmus) showed significant interaction between sampling sites and sampling seasons, while the other varied only with sampling seasons and/or sites. These results showed that seasonal water level fluctuations, along with the variation of water quality parameters, change the abundance and diversity of planktons’ in the reservoir. Such changes can negatively impact the fish in cage culture, affecting the livelihood of people extensively relying on these fish farming.

Integrating Lithostratigraphic Units and GIS-Analysis Techniques to Modified Surface Water Quality Index

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of using Bicarbonate and Calcium parameters as alternatives to the lithostratigraphic units covered the catchment area, on water quality index (WQI) values that have been implemented with GIS technique at Wadi Al-Arab Dam. The analyzed results (by WQI method) have been used to depict water quality for the two approaches. Based on physico-chemical parameters, the calculated values for WQI over the 3-year for study period were 169, 168, and 157, respectively. While the WQI values were 184, 183 and 172, respectively, as a result of incorporated Bicarbonate and Calcium parameters in WQI calculations that significantly contributed to increasing the WQI. The elevated values may be attributed to the influence of carbonate stone dissolution and mechanical erosion under weathering conditions that are prevalent during winter season in the catchment area. As a consequence of lithostratigraphic unites product and GIS technique integration and normalization processes, most of water quality ranks are good and only autumn season has poor water quality in the 2012 and 2013, while in 2014 it has good water quality in the same season. The WQI values increase in general trend from winter to autumn seasons during the study period that may be referred to outflow by daily consumption, evaporation rising, and seepage water. The analysis shows that the modified water quality values of the Wadi Al-Arab Dam Reservoir (WADR) vary after using Bicarbonate and Calcium parameters by constant value. Generally, the results signify that the WADR is not polluted based on the physical and chemical characteristics of water.

Adequate Advance Provided by a Familiar Fluid Dynamic Balance Principle to Tools and Techniques for Water Quality Interpretation: Experienced in Yaoundé(Cameroun) 2^ndSupply Dam

In a fluid (liquid or gas) at rest, the isobars are horizontal surface. This fluid dynamic balance theorem provides adequate advance to tools and techniques for Water Quality Interpretation. We deal in this paper, with an effective way of exploiting the familiar communicating containers’ principle. That formally consists on providing water samples from desired depths of rivers, oceans, retention dams, etc. The prevailing limiting factor to achieve this feat is the length of our sampling pipes named Mbane Bathymetric Tube (MBT) designed for this purpose when rivers or retention dams are very deep. Providing drinking water to urban growing populations is a challenge that no government can escape. Therefore, improving the tools and techniques for water quality interpretation is an adequate advance for drinking water managerial techniques because this allows the recovery of contaminated water which abounds on the earth by acquiring appropriate wastewater treatment stations. The aim of the manuscript is to provide a brief theoretical description of our designed sampling equipment to allow everyone who is going to use it to solve in advance problems brought by Archimedes’ pressure force when experiencing the sampling pipes. Archimedes’ pressure force acts mainly when moving the sampling pipes to water lower levels and then opening its protective cover which allows the communication with the supply dam.

Clusterization of Surface Water Quality and Its Relation to Climate and Land Use/Cover

The quality of surface water is rapidly changing due to climatic variations, natural processes, and anthropogenic activities. The objectives of this study were to classify and analyze the surface water quality of 12 major rivers of Alberta on the basis of 17 parameters during the period of five years (i.e., 2004-2008) using principal component analysis (PCA), total exceedance model and clustering technique. Seven major principal components (PCs) with variability of about 89% were identified. These PCs were the indicators of watershed geology, mineralization and anthropogenic activities related to land use/cover. The seven dominant parameters revealed from the seven PCs were total dissolved solids (TDS), true color (TC), pH, iron (Fe), fecal coliform (FC), dissolved oxygen (DO), and turbidity (TUR). The normalized data of dominant parameters were used to develop a model for obtaining total exceedance. The exceedance values acquired from the total exceedance model were used to determine the patterns for the development of five clusters. The performance of the clusters was compared with the classes obtained in Canadian Water Quality Index (CWQI). Cluster 1, cluster 2, cluster 3, cluster 4 and cluster 5 showed agreements of 85.71%, 83.54%, 90.22%, 80.74%, and 83.40% with their respective CWQI classes on the basis of the data for all rivers during 2004-2008. The water quality was deteriorated in growing season due to snow melting. This methodology could be applied to classify the raw surface water quality, analyze the spatio-temporal trends and study the impacts of the factors affecting the water quality anywhere in the world.

Groundwater Quality Assessment Based on WQI and Its Vulnerability to Saltwater Intrusion in a Coastal City, Iran

The purpose of this paper was to assess the quality of groundwater in Behshahr (Iran) based on water quality index (WQI). Sixteen water samples from this coastal aquifer were collected and analyzed to study physico-chemical parameters such as pH, hardness, chloride (Cl), electrical conductivity (EC) and total dissolved solids (TDS). The results showed that the annual average of TDS value increased by 343 mg/l between 1999 and 2015 due to anthropogenic activities. According to WQI, it was concluded that the groundwater quality degraded over the last sixteen-year period so that the percentage of samples identified as “good water” decreased by 18.5% and on the other hand, alas, the percentage of “poor water” quality soared by nearly 12.5%. Correspondence of WQI distribution diagram with that of chloride-bicarbonate ratio attests to the significant contribution of saltwater intrusion to groundwater quality deterioration in this area.

Water Quality Assessment of Jose Antonio Alzate Dam, the Lerma River and Its Tributaries in the State of Mexico, Mexico

Water quality was evaluated at sites of the Jose Antonio Alzate Dam, the rivers Lerma, Tejalpa and Temoaya in the State of Mexico, Mexico. The variables measured included pH, conductivity, temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO), ammonia, nitrates, sulfates, sulfides and metal concentrations (Cu and Pb). Chemical speciation for dissolved metals in the aqueous phase was obtained using measured concentrations and the software MINEQL+ (4.5);metal partition coefficients was also obtained using dissolved and particulate concentrations of metals. Hydraulic behavior of the studied water bodies was investigated and the fate of Cu and Pb ions was simulated. The simulation results indicate that the Lerma River provides the majority of organic matter and metal contaminants as a result of a poor oxygen saturation velocity, and showed a slight improvement when the Lerma River is subjected to its tributaries Tejalapa and Temoaya Rivers. Under the reducing conditions predominating along the dam and from the results of aqueous phase chemical speciation, it was found that sulfide metal-associated species are the ones that predominate. It was demonstrated that in general, the rivers Tejalapa and Temoaya presented the best water quality. The Lerma River oxygen saturation improves after the rainy season, but it worsens during the dry season. Due to irregular topography, the small slope prevailing in the Lerma River, and the almost nonexisting water flow, zones with different characteristics are formed within the dam. The sedimentation contributes in the generation of local eddies causing the existence of a small diffusive flow. The order of partition coefficient was Pb > Cu. Cu presented the highest risk levels in the dissolved phase.

Effects of Stocking Density on Water Quality,Growth and Economic Benefits of Chinese Softshelled Turtle Pelodiscus sinensis in Ponds

The Chinese soft-shelled turtle Pelodiscus sinensis is a high-valued freshwater species cultured in China.This study investigated the effects of stocking density on water quality,growth performance and economic return of Pelodiscus sinensis cultured in ponds.P.sinensis were stocked at densities of 1 ind./m^2(LD:low stocking density) and 2 ind./m^2(HD:high stocking density) in 3 000-m^2 ponds,with three replicate ponds for each density.P.sinensis juveniles were fed with a commercial dry pellet feed of 46% crude protein and minced fillet of silver carp ans cultured for 122 days.The results showed that the levels of total nitrogen(TN),total phosphorous(TP),Chlorophyll-a(Chl.a) and turbidity in LD treatment were significantly lower than those in HD treatment(P<0.05).The mean TN and TP concentration in LD treatment was 29.3% and 35.7% lower compared to the HD treatment at the end of the experiment,respectively.Mean survival rates,final weight,average growth rates and PER were significantly higher in LD treatment compared with the HD treatment(P<0.05),respectively.Production was significantly affected by stocking density,which was higher in HD treatment,but the net income was higher in LD treatment.The results suggest that turtles with mean weight 55.6 g rearing at a low stocking density(1 ind./m^2) in ponds had a positive effect on overall economic return and was effective at improving turtle growth performance and water quality.

Water Quality, Climatic and Plant Traits as Predictors on Abundance of Insects in Paddy Field, Tanjung Karang, Selangor, Malaysia

The abundance of beneficial insects in the paddy field can be influenced by the abundance of insect pests, water parameters, climatic factors and plant traits. This study was conducted to determine effects of water parameters, climatic factors and plant traits on abundant insects. Findings of the studies showed that there were significant correlations between all beneficial insects in paddy field and water parameters tested, namely, water temperature, salinity, turbidity, pH, dissolved oxygen, biological oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, ammonia and total suspended solids. Moreover, the selected water parameters of water temperature, dissolved oxygen, biological oxygen demand and chemical oxygen demand were good predictors for abundant beneficial insects in paddy field at Sungai Burong, specifically for insects of sub-orders Anisoptera and Zygoptera, and insects from families Gerridae and Coccinellidae. The plant height, insect pest, temperature, rainfall and humidity were found to be good predictors on the abundance of beneficial insects; nevertheless, the R2 value of multiple regression models was relatively low due to significant relationship between water parameters and insects. Consideration factors of water parameters, climatic factors and plant traits were strongly correlated with those parameters and abundance of insects in the paddy field at Sungai Burong, Tanjung Karang, Selangor.

Research on Factors Affecting Boiler Feedwater Quality and Its Improvement

Nowadays, with the rapid progress and development of the Chinese society, people’s material level has been continuously improved, and the demand for electricity has also been increasing year by year. For thermal power plants, it is of great importance to strictly control the feedwater quality and to conduct real-time tracking and supervision, as well as to ensure the safety of the production process. In this paper, we take the boiler feedwater quality in the production process as the research object. First of all, the cause-and-effect diagram is used to find out the reasons for the deviation of feedwater quality;Secondly, each index of feedwater is analyzed by multiple linear regression method to find out the key variables affecting the change of its pH value, so as to develop and implement improvement measures;Finally, the pH value is compared and verified by control chart and process capability analysis, and relevant improvement suggestions and countermeasures are proposed.