Characterizing the river water quality in China: Recent progress and on-going challenges

Huang, Jiacong; Zhang, Yinjun; Bing, Haijian; Peng, Jian; Dong, Feifei; Gao, Junfeng; Arhonditsis, George B.

doi:10.1016/j.watres.2021.117309

Cited by 208 publications

(77 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Rivers are created by natural water sources that are susceptible to anthropological, biological, and chemical impacts, and are important indicators for sustainable development in terms of human well-being and ecological and economic development [3]. In general, the water quality of rivers is greatly affected by natural process factors, such as soil erosion and weathering [4], oxidation of rock minerals [5], and seawater intrusion [6], and by currently unsustainable anthropogenic factors such as domestic and municipal sewage [7], livestock fertilizers [8], and agricultural and industrial wastewater [9]. In particular, anthropogenic factors influencing surface water can cause surface water quality changes because pollutants are discharged through particular locations (point sources) such as wastewater treatment plants or through surface flows (nonpoint sources) [10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identification and Apportionment of Potential Pollution Sources Using Multivariate Statistical Techniques and APCS-MLR Model to Assess Surface Water Quality in Imjin River Watershed, South Korea

Cho

Choi

Lee

et al. 2022

Water

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Reliable water quality monitoring data, identifying potential pollution sources, and quantifying the corresponding potential pollution source apportionment are essential for future water resource management and pollution control. Here, we collected water quality data from seven monitoring sites to identify spatiotemporal changes in surface water in the Imjin River Watershed (IRW), South Korea, distinguish potential pollution sources, and quantify the source apportionment from 2018–2020. An analysis was performed based on multivariate statistical techniques (MST) and the absolute principal component score-multiple linear regression (APCS-MLR) model. Statistically significant groups were created based on spatiotemporally similar physicochemical water quality characteristics and anthropogenic activities: low-pollution (LP) and high-pollution (HP) regions, and dry season (DS) and wet season (WS). There were statistically significant mean differences in water quality parameters between spatial clusters, rather than between temporal clusters. We identified four and three potential factors that could explain 80.75% and 71.99% in the LP and HP regions, respectively. Identification and quantitative evaluation of potential pollution sources using MST and the APCS-MLR model for the IRW may be useful for policymakers to improve the water quality of target watersheds and establish future management policies.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identification and Apportionment of Potential Pollution Sources Using Multivariate Statistical Techniques and APCS-MLR Model to Assess Surface Water Quality in Imjin River Watershed, South Korea

Cho

Choi

Lee

et al. 2022

Water

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“…Following the the 'reform and opening-up' policy implemented by the national government in 1978 to vigorously develop the economy, China's extensive socioeconomic development over the past several decades has taken place at the expense of the natural environment (Liu and Yang 2012, Liu et al 2013, Zhou et al 2017, Ma et al 2020b. The general deterioration of river water quality has become one of the most serious environmental threats to human health and ecosystem services nationwide (Zhou et al 2017, Ma et al 2020b, Huang et al 2021. This situation is more serious in North China, where deficient water resources increasingly impede the control of water pollution and the improvement of water quality (Wang et al 2019, Ma et al 2020a, Huang et al 2021, Sun et al 2021, leading to water-pollution-induced severe water scarcity, for which this area has become a hot spot on a worldwide scale (Liu and Raven 2010, Guan et al 2014, Zhao et al 2015, Sun et al 2021.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The general deterioration of river water quality has become one of the most serious environmental threats to human health and ecosystem services nationwide (Zhou et al 2017, Ma et al 2020b, Huang et al 2021. This situation is more serious in North China, where deficient water resources increasingly impede the control of water pollution and the improvement of water quality (Wang et al 2019, Ma et al 2020a, Huang et al 2021, Sun et al 2021, leading to water-pollution-induced severe water scarcity, for which this area has become a hot spot on a worldwide scale (Liu and Raven 2010, Guan et al 2014, Zhao et al 2015, Sun et al 2021. The increased demand for water to support irrigation, industry, and domestic life has nearly dried up all the natural runoff of the Hai River Basin (HRB) in North China, an area that accounts for 10% and 12% of the national population and the GDP, respectively , Xia et al 2012, and failed to eliminate the accumulated water pollutants (Guan et al 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, from 2006 to 2010, more than 500 water pollution control projects were built, and in 2015 (MEE 2008), the water pollution control action plan (10-point water plan) demanded increased investment to ensure acceptable water quality and a reclaimed water utilization rate of up to 30% in the HRB by 2020 (TSC 2015). Although these efforts have yielded notable results (Liu and Yang 2012, Tong et al 2017, Huang et al 2021, the current water pollution situation is relatively severe compared to that in other regions due to a chronic water shortage (Zhou et al 2017, Wang et al 2019, Ma et al 2020b. Considering that inadequate water quality can cause significant limitations to water availability (van Vliet et al 2017, Ma et al 2020a), the HRB is still facing increasing pressures on water security due to the scarcity of the available water resources (Zhang et al 2016, Sun et al 2021.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evaluation of river restoration efforts and a sharp decrease in surface runoff for water quality improvement in North China

Dai

Lei

Wang

et al. 2022

Environ. Res. Lett.

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Rapid urbanization, population growth, and other intensive human activities have greatly altered the natural hydrological conditions and matter cycling, which are the main causes of water quality deterioration in North China’s rivers. With the help of a 15-year (2005-2019) dataset of river water quality (1043 records from 9 sites), this study investigated the spatiotemporal water quality patterns in Yongding River Basin (YRB) in North China based on a new water quality index (WQI-DET), which has been considered to be customized for China’s water quality classification scheme. Our results showed that the river water quality of YRB has significantly improved under the decreased surface runoff and the abrupt change of WQI-DET has been observed in 2011. Due to the construction of wastewater treatment plants and the improvement of the treatment capacity, the elimination of anoxic conditions and the mitigation of nitrogen and phosphorus are the main reasons for the improvement of river water quality. We also found that eutrophication is still not completely eradicated because of the high concentrations of NH4+ and TP. Our study suggests that for rivers in which runoff has decreased sharply, the water quality could be improved significantly by wastewater treatment facilities. At present, for YRB, more efforts are needed to eliminate the eutrophication and the dried-up river sections, and finally improve the river ecosystem services. We concluded that more attention and efforts should be given to the river hydrological conditions, specific river ecological characteristics, and the increasingly important non-point source pollutants during the design of the river restoration measures in North China.

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“…Nitrogen and phosphorus from non-point source pollution caused by agricultural activities have led to the degradation of water quality and the destruction of water ecosystem in watersheds, a worldwide environmental concern [1][2][3]. Especially in karst areas, where the ecological environment is uniquely complex and fragile, nitrogen and phosphorus pollution in surface water and groundwater has become an increasingly important issue in the past decades because of its impact on human health, aquatic ecosystems, socioeconomic development, and agricultural activities [4][5][6][7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial and Temporal Variations of Nitrogen and Phosphorus in Surface Water and Groundwater of Mudong River Watershed in Huixian Karst Wetland, Southwest China

Pan

Dai

et al. 2021

Sustainability

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When considering the factors affecting the spatial and temporal variation of nitrogen and phosphorus in karst watersheds, the unique karst hydrogeology as an internal influencing factor cannot be ignored, as well as natural factors such as meteorological hydrology and external factors such as human activities. A watershed-scale field investigation was completed to statistically analyze spatial and temporal dynamics of nitrogen and phosphorus through the regular monitoring and collection of surface water and shallow groundwater in the agricultural-dominated Mudong River watershed in the Huixian Karst Wetland over one year (May 2020 to April 2021). Our research found that non-point source pollution of nitrogen (84.5% of 239 samples TN > 1.0 mg/L) was more serious than phosphorus (7.5% of 239 samples TP > 0.2 mg/L) in the study area, and shallow groundwater nitrogen pollution (98.3% of 118 samples TN > 1.0 mg/L) was more serious than surface water (68.6% of 121 samples TN > 1.0 mg/L). In the three regions with different hydrodynamic features, the TN concentration was higher and dominated by NO3−-N in the river in the northern recharge area, while the concentrations of TN and TP were the highest in shallow groundwater wells in the central wetland core area and increased along the surface water flow direction in the western discharge area. This research will help improve the knowledge about the influence of karst hydrodynamic features on the spatial patterns of nitrogen and phosphorus in water, paying attention to the quality protection and security of water in karst areas with a fragile water ecological environment.

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Characterizing the river water quality in China: Recent progress and on-going challenges

Cited by 208 publications

References 52 publications

Identification and Apportionment of Potential Pollution Sources Using Multivariate Statistical Techniques and APCS-MLR Model to Assess Surface Water Quality in Imjin River Watershed, South Korea

Identification and Apportionment of Potential Pollution Sources Using Multivariate Statistical Techniques and APCS-MLR Model to Assess Surface Water Quality in Imjin River Watershed, South Korea

Evaluation of river restoration efforts and a sharp decrease in surface runoff for water quality improvement in North China

Spatial and Temporal Variations of Nitrogen and Phosphorus in Surface Water and Groundwater of Mudong River Watershed in Huixian Karst Wetland, Southwest China

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