Spatial and temporal variations of nitrogen pollution in Wen-Rui Tang River watershed, Zhejiang, China

Abstract

Water quality has degraded dramatically in Wen-Rui Tang River watershed, Zhejiang, China, especially due to rapid economic development since 1995. This paper aims to assess spatial and temporal variations of the main pollutants (NH 4+-N, TN, BOD5, CODMn, DO) of water quality in Wen-Rui Tang River watershed, using the geographic information system, cluster analysis (CA) and principal component analysis (PCA). Results showed that concentrations of BOD5, CODMn, NH 4+-N, and TN were significantly higher in tertiary rivers than in primary and secondary rivers. From April 2006 to March 2007, the concentrations of NH 4+-N (2.25-57.9 mg/L) and TN (3.78-70.4 mg/L) in all samples exceeded Type V national water quality standards (≥2 mg/L), while 5.3% of all CODMn (1.83-27.5 mg/L) and 33.6% of all BOD5 (0.34-50.4 mg/L) samples exceeded Type V national water quality standards (CODMn≥ 15 mg/L, BOD5≥ 10 mg/L). Monthly changes of pollutant concentrations did not show a clear pattern, but correlation analysis indicated that NH4+-N and TN in tertiary rivers had a significant negative correlation with 5-day cumulative rainfall and monthly rainfall, while there were no significant correlations in primary and secondary rivers. The results of CA and spatial analysis showed that the northern part of Wen-Rui Tang River watershed was the most seriously polluted. This region is characterized by the high population density and industrial and commercial activities. The PCA and spatial analysis indicated that the degraded water quality is caused by anthropogenic activities and poor wastewater management. © 2010 The Author(s).