Survey on monthly variations of water quality in the Tajan River (Sari, Iran)

Abstract

The aims of the study were to evaluate water quality of Tajan River in Sari in terms of chemical pollution and the impact of pollutant sources near the river by considering the climate, hydrological and hydraulic condition on it. In this study, 10 critical points of river were selected as sampling stations from dam to sea. Sampling was randomly done monthly from Apr 2009 to Mar 2010. Samples were analyzed in terms of chemical parameters after transferring to the laboratory according to standard methods. The results showed that the pH and temperature were within acceptable ranges of 6.5 to 8.5 and < 20°C, respectively. The minimum dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations were above 6 mg/L along the river. Fish can survive because DO content was high. The maximum levels of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), phosphate (PO4) and nitrate (NO3) were at or below 30, 17, 0.5 and 0.7 mg/L, respectively. In general, the results showed that the physical and chemical qualities of water from Tajan River were within the acceptable limits for agricultural consumptions. In addition, Tajan River water can be classified in Class II.

Keywords: Water quality, Tajan River, river pollution, water pollution.

African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(25), pp. 3984-3991