Water Level Decline in a Reservoir: Implications for Water Quality Variation and Pollution Source Identification

Zixiong Wang, Tianxiang Wang, Xiaoli Liu, Suduan Hu, Lingxiao Ma and Xinguo Sun
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Zixiong Wang: China Water Resources Pearl River Planning Surveying & Designing Co, Ltd., Guangzhou 510610, China
Tianxiang Wang: China Water Resources Pearl River Planning Surveying & Designing Co, Ltd., Guangzhou 510610, China
Xiaoli Liu: School of Engineering, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
Suduan Hu: Dalian University of Technology, Institution of Water and Environment Research, Dalian 116024, China
Lingxiao Ma: Dalian University of Technology, Institution of Water and Environment Research, Dalian 116024, China
Xinguo Sun: Huaiyin Institute of Technology, Jiangsu Smart Factory Engineering Research Center, Huaian 223003, China

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 7, 1-18

Abstract: Continuous water-level decline makes the changes of water quality in reservoirs more complicated. This paper uses trend analyses, wavelet analysis and principal component analysis-multiple linear regression to explore the changes and pollution sources affecting water quality during a period of continuous reservoir water level decline (from 65.37 m to 54.15 m), taking the Biliuhe reservoir as an example. The results showed that the change of water level of Biliuhe reservoir has a significant 13-year periodicity. The unusual water quality changes during the low water level period were as follows: total nitrogen continued to decrease. And iron was lower than its historical level. pH, total phosphorus, and ammonia nitrogen were higher than historical levels and fluctuated seasonally. Permanganate index increased as water level decreased after initial fluctuations. Dissolved oxygen was characterized by high content in winter and relatively low content in summer. The pollutant sources of non-point source pollution (PC1), sediment and groundwater pollution (PC2), atmospheric and production & domestic sewage (PC3), other sources of pollution (PC4) were identified. The main source of DO, pH, TP, TN, NH 4 -N, Fe and COD Mn were respectively PC3 (42.13%), PC1 (47.67%), PC3 (47.62%), PC1 (29.75%), PC2 (47.01%), PC1 (56.97%) and PC2 (50%). It is concluded that the continuous decline of water level has a significant impact on the changes and pollution sources affecting water quality. Detailed experiments focusing on sediment pollution release flux, and biological action will be explored next.

Keywords: low water level; Biliuhe reservoir; water quality; change; identification of pollution sources (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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