Scatterscore: A Reconnaissance Method To Evaluate Changes In Water Quality

Abstract

Water quality data collected in periodic monitoring programs are often difficult to evaluate, especially if the number of parameters is large, the sampling schedule varies, and values are of different orders of magnitude. The Scatterscore Water Quality Evaluation was developed to yield a quantitative score, based on all measured variables in periodic water quality reports, indicating positive, negative or random change. This new methodology calculates a reconnaissance score based on the differences between up-gradient (control) versus down-gradient (treatment) water quality data sets. All parameters measured over a period of time at two or more sampling points are compared. The relationship between the ranges of measured values and the ratio of the medians for each parameter produces a data point that falls into one of four sections on a scattergram. The number and average values of positive, negative and random change points is used to calculate a Scatterscore that indicates the magnitude and direction of overall change in water quality. The Scatterscore Water Quality Evaluation, a reconnaissance method to track general changes, has been applied to 20 sites at which coal utilization by-products (CUB) were used to control acid mine drainage (AMD).

Modification of the Water Quality Index (WQI) Process for Simple Calculation Using the Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) Method: A Review

“…This index is based on the geometric means of the standardized values. Kim and Cardone [64] established the "Scatterscore" index to investigate water quality changes over space and time. This index does not depend on standards or guidelines for water quality and may comprise an unlimited set of parameters.…”

Water Quality Indices: Challenges and Application Limits in the Literature

“…In the first decade of the 21st century, new indices appeared, simplifying further the existing formulas and better defining the field of the application of the index. For example, Overall Index of Pollution assesses a number of water quality variables based on the measurement and subsequent classification of each of them [50]; the Index of River Water Quality categorizes the variables following three aspects: "organic", "particulates" and "microorganisms", calculates a geometric average for each category before aggregation in a single index [17]; the Scatterscore index evaluates the water quality around mining sites in USA and identifies the changes of water quality with time and space [51]. Said et al 2004 [38] developed a new WQI, using the logarithmic aggregation.…”

Assessment of Variation in Water Quality Index (WQI) of Groundwater in North Goa, India

“…A water quality index (WQI) numerically summarizes the information easily from multiple water quality parameters into a single value that can be used to assess spatial and temporal variations in overall water quality. The WQI has been developed for surface water by many researchers [1][2][3][4][5] but the efforts are being made to work out these indices for groundwater also in various geographical parts of India like in Indo-Gangetic plains where these indices have been computed for Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, Muzaffarnagar and Shamli districts of Uttar Pradesh [6][7] .…”