Water Quality Assessment of Beheshtabad River at the intersection of Shalamzar Spring with Koohrang River

Abstract

Rivers are important as one of the main sources of water supply for uses including agriculture, industry, and human consumption. This study evaluated the water quality of the Beheshtabad River (Shalamzar Spring - Jointing to Koohrang River) located in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province, using the National Sanitation Foundation Water Quality Index (NSFWQI). Using standard methods, this study determined nine water quality parameters: nitrate (NO3), temperature (T), phosphate (PO4), turbidity, dissolved oxygen (DO), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), electrical conductivity (EC), total solids (TS) and pH, at five selected stations along the river for three months, July to September 2015. Results showed that water quality fluctuated between medium and good quality during the investigation. In addition, according to the mean values of WQI, water quality was classified as medium quality for the three months. Water pollution increased from upstream to downstream in the end of summer because of agricultural fertilizers and wastewater discharge from upstream fish farms and recreation service centers.

Keywords

• physicochemical parameters
• chaharmahal and bakhtiari province
• river
• water quality index