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Comparison of index systems for rating water quality in intermittent rivers

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Abstract

Water quality indexes (WQI) are a practical way to evaluate and compare the level of chemical contamination of different water bodies and to spatially and temporally compare levels of pollution. The purpose of this study was to check if these indexes are appropriate for intermittent rivers under arid and semi-arid climates. A literature review enabled the comparison of 25 water quality indexes to discern their capability to evaluate spatial (inter and intra catchment) and temporal (high and low water flow conditions) variations in water quality in three Mediterranean intermittent rivers: the River Vène (France) and the Oued Fez and the River Sebou (Morocco). Hierarchical cluster analysis identified groups of WQI with similar behavior and brought to light the 6 most distinguishing indexes. Whatever the hydrological conditions at the two sites, both the ME-MCATUHE and NCS indexes, which were developed for Morocco and Greece, and the CCMEWQI and BCWQI indexes, which were developed for non-arid or semi-arid zones, gave appropriate water quality evaluations.

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Abbreviations

%DO:

oxygen saturation

ABS:

acrylonitrile butadiene styrene

BOD5 :

biochemical oxygen demand

Ca:

calcium

CCE:

carbon chloroform extract

Cl:

chlorides

COD:

chemical organic demand

Colif:

coliform count

DO:

dissolved oxygen

DS:

dissolved solids

EC:

electrical conductivity

Fe:

iron

H:

hardness

KMnO4 :

potassium permanganate

Mg:

magnesium

Mn:

manganese

NH3 :

ammonia

NO3 :

nitrates

NO2 :

nitrites

oP:

orthophosphates

Q:

discharge

S:

sulfates

T:

temperature

TN:

total nitrogen

TOC:

total organic carbon

TP:

total phosphorus

TSS:

total suspended solids

Turb:

turbidity

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Funding

This study was funded by the FP7 EU MIRAGE project (Mediterranean Intermittent River man-AGEment, FP7-ENV-2007-1-211732) and by the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD) France.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. HydroSciences Montpellier (UMR 5569, CNRS, IRD, UM), Université Montpellier, CC 57, 163 rue Auguste Broussonnet, 34090, Montpellier, France

    Jean-Louis Perrin, Christian Salles, Chrystelle Bancon-Montigny, Nanée Chahinian, Lauryan Dowse, Claire Rodier & Marie-George Tournoud

  2. Faculté des Sciences et Techniques de Fès, Université Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah, Route d’Imouzzer BP 2202, 30000, Fez, Morocco

    Naoual Raïs

Authors
  1. Jean-Louis Perrin
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  2. Christian Salles
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  3. Chrystelle Bancon-Montigny
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  4. Naoual Raïs
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  5. Nanée Chahinian
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  6. Lauryan Dowse
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  7. Claire Rodier
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  8. Marie-George Tournoud
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jean-Louis Perrin.

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Highlights

• Water quality indexes evaluate levels of chemical contamination of rivers

• We identified the most distinguishing indexes for intermittent Mediterranean rivers

• WQIs pertinence was tested on one intermittent river in France and two in Morocco.

• WQIs developed for Mediterranean countries are suitable for all hydrological conditions

• Indexes for non-arid and semi-arid zones are also suitable for intermittent rivers

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Perrin, JL., Salles, C., Bancon-Montigny, C. et al. Comparison of index systems for rating water quality in intermittent rivers. Environ Monit Assess 190, 70 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-017-6396-2

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