Characteristics of water quality and estimation of pollution loads in the main rivers surrounding Erhai Lake

Mingyu Huang

Article ID: 2068
Vol 4, Issue 2, 2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.54517/ps.v4i2.2068
Received: 03 July 2023; Accepted: 30 July 2023; Available online: 09 August 2023;
Issue release: 12 December 2023

VIEWS - 8658 (Abstract)

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Abstract

To uncover the pollution characteristics of the main rivers flowing into Erhai Lake, a study was conducted from January 2014 to December 2016, monitoring the water quality and quantity of 27 major rivers using total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N), and chemical oxygen demand (CODcr) as pollution indicators. Additionally, this study combined an analysis of precipitation data during the same period with water quality monitoring data from the lake area, detailing the water quantity and quality characteristics of the rivers entering the lake, estimating the pollution load entering the lake, and assessing the impact of this pollution load on the lake's water quality. The results indicate that: a) from 2014 to 2016, the total water inflow from the 27 main rivers into the lake ranged from 287 million to 474 million m³, with the inflow during the flood season accounting for 79.17%, 74.90%, and 61.96% of the annual total, respectively. The water inflow into the lake was positively correlated with the basin's precipitation; b) over time, pollutant concentrations exhibited a fluctuating trend, initially increasing and then decreasing throughout the year. Generally, water quality during the rainy season was good, and the spatial variation in pollutant concentrations was less pronounced than the temporal variation, with a significant negative correlation between pollutant concentrations and basin rainfall; c) the pollution load entering Erhai Lake initially decreased, then increased, and subsequently decreased again over the year. The pollution load was primarily influenced by water volume, with contribution rates ranked as north bank > west bank > southeast bank. The total nitrogen input from the rivers was positively correlated with the total nitrogen concentration in the lake area, while total phosphorus input was positively correlated with the total phosphorus concentration in the lake area, indicating that these rivers are significant sources of nitrogen and phosphorus for Erhai Lake.


Keywords

Rivers entering the lake; Water quantity and quality; Pollution load; Erhai


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