Developing an Integrated Modeling Tool for River Water Quality Index Assessment

Abstract

The goal of this study was to establish a modeling tool for river water quality with a direct linkage to the water quality index (WQI5) calculation and the river water quality model, the Water Quality Analysis Simulation Program (WASP), for pollutant transport modeling. The integrated WASP and WQI5 tool was field-tested to assess pollutant loadings and their impacts on river environment. Suspended solid (SS) and electric conductivity (EC) correlation equations and the WQI5 calculation tool were included in the water quality model and direct WQI5 calculation. The SS concentration, which was influenced by river flows, had crucial effects on river water quality and WQI5 values. EC value was controlled by dissolution of soil minerals, which was affected by the watershed drainage area and surface runoff. The integrated system could establish a direct correlation for river water quality, river flow, and WQI5.

Combining Hydrogeochemical Characterization and a Hyperspectral Reflectance Tool for Assessing Quality and Suitability of Two Groundwater Resources for Irrigation in Egypt

“…However, the methods used for assessing water quality should not only accurately reflect spatial variations in water quality, but they should also conveniently monitor water quality levels in an inexpensive and fast manner to provide a real-time estimation of spatial and temporal variations in water quality on a large scale, which is very important for the comprehensive assessment and management of groundwater quality. For instance, although the WQI can be assessed using a simple mathematical instrument, which transforms the large quantity of water characterization data into a single value that represents the water quality level and reflects overall water quality levels [6,[9][10][11], the WQI does not indicate spatial and temporal variations in water quality [12]. In addition, although different geometrical diagrams and mathematical models are frequently applied in groundwater chemistry assessment, they are generally costly and time-inefficient, tedious, and require significant input and model assumptions, which limit estimations to only being reliable at regional or smaller scales [13,14].…”

Evaluation of water quality based on a machine learning algorithm and water quality index for the Ebinur Lake Watershed, China

“…28 . Since then, various methods for the calculation of the water quality index (WQI) have been designed by several authors 29 – 31 . WQI is a mathematical instrument used to transform large quantities of water characterization data into a single value that represents the water quality level and that reflects overall water quality levels 32 .…”

Assessment of the Present State and Future Fate of River Saraswati, India: Water Quality Indices and Forecast Models as Diagnostic and Management Tools

“…On the other hand, in PR-2, the forecast CCMEWQI value (after 25 quarters, i.e., since 2025) always remained below 44, which implicated a perennially "poor" water quality status with a gradually degrading trend irrespective of the seasons. [27,49] Thus, the CCMEWQI projects a bleak future for the river Saraswati facing a looming crisis of an irreversible shift in its degraded water quality from "dying" to "dead" state, which would compromise the structural and functional integrity of the riverine ecosystem, with catastrophic consequences in rendering its ecosystem ser-vices. The degradation of water quality of river Saraswati finds resemblance to Jalangi River, a tributary of the Ganga River, which is primarily impacted by similar agricultural activities, domestic/municipal waste/wastewater discharges, and land use and land cover (LULC) changes.…”

“…[24] The WQI has now become state-of-the-art metric for investigating water quality in polluted aquatic ecosystems. [26][27][28][29][30][31] Measuring WQI is a critical concern for environmentalists and policymakers to design intervention plans for river management, reduce the adverse effects of water pollution in rivers, and control anthropogenic activities. [32,33] Since the individual WQI method suffers from several weaknesses, it may not be sufficient to identify the impacts of pollution on the water quality status of the freshwater system under study, which calls for a multi-WQI approach.…”