Assessment of Surface Water Quality of King Abdullah Canal, Using Physico-Chemical Characteristics and Water Quality Index, Jordan

Atef Faleh Al-Mashagbah^*

Institute of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Al al-Bayt University, Al-Mafraq, Jordan.

DOI: 10.4236/jwarp.2015.74027                

Abstract

The main aim of this research is to evaluate the water quality of King Abdullah Canal (KAC) using the water quality index method (WQI). For this purpose, nine different sampling sites were used in the calculation of WQI during the period of January to December 2012. The samples were analyzed for various physico-chemical parameters such as pH, electrical conductivity, total suspended solids, ions of Sodium, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, Fluorite, Chloride, Sulfate, Bicarbonate, and Nitrate in different seasons (winter, spring, summer and autumn). The analyzed results (by WQI method) have been used to suggest models for predicting water quality. The relative weight assigned to each parameter has a range from 1 to 5, based on the important parameters for drinking purposes. The computed WQI for the nine samples has a range from 46.66 to 542.08. The analysis reveals that the water quality status of the study area is varying from excellent to good in the upper part of the canal and from poor to very poor in the lower part of the canal. Comparing with the World Health Organization (WHO) and Jordan Standard (JS), the results indicate that the lower part of the canal is polluted. Therefore, the water is not safe for domestic use and needs further treatment, especially in the lower part of the canal.

Keywords

Water Quality Index, King Abdullah Canal, Physico-Chemical Characteristics, Jordan

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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