Ecological quality assessment of Eastern Black Sea streams of Turkey: a case study of Firti na, İkizdere and Çağlayan

Abstract

The main aim of this study is to understand the seasonal changes in the selected rivers of the Eastern Black Sea water quality by using physico-chemical parameters (temperature °C, pH, conductivity), Dissolved Oxygen, Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and Chlorophyll-a, nutrients (Nitrate: NO3-N, Nitrite: NO2-N; Ammonia: NH3-N), o-Phosphate (o-PO4), Total Phosphorus (TP), Total Suspended Solid (TSS), Organic Matter, Detergent (LAS), Total Hardness, Ca+2 and Mg+2at Fırtına, İkizdere and Çağlayan streams. The highest average values for temperature (°C), electrical conductivity (EC), total suspended solid (TSS) and reactive phosphate (o-PO4) were determinate as 12.1±4.04 °C in Çağlayan stream, 45.3±13.3 µs/cm and 32.5±30.2 mg/L in İkizdere stream and 0.24±0.24 mg/L in Fırtına stream, respectively. Water samples were collected at seosanaly during one year of monitoring from Çağlayan, Fırtına and İkizdere river basin to determine physicochemical characteristics and nutrient levels, their spatial and seasonal variations. The results were classified regarding the criteria’s of European Council Directive 98/83/EC (1998), National Recommended Water Quality Criteria (US EPA, 2009) and World Health Organisation (WHO, 2004). Results obtained from three streams show that the values of the studied parameters are lower than legal limits proposed by Euorpean Council 98/83/EC (1998),US EPA 2009 and WHO 2004, indicating that the water quality of the streams studied is well beyond the drinking waters.

Keywords

• Eastern Black Sea
• river
• nutrient
• fresh water