Groundwater Quality Evaluation of the Dawu Water Source Area Based on Water Quality Index (WQI): Comparison between Delphi Method and Multivariate Statistical Analysis Method

Abstract

Water quality in the Dawu water source area is primarily studied through the traditional water quality assessment method that measures the chemical parameters of water against the existing standards, which is simple but cannot accurately describe the water quality. Although the water quality index (WQI) proposed by Horton is widely used for comprehensive water quality evaluation, parameter selection and weight determination are primarily based on the Delphi method, which is subjective and random. Moreover, in groundwater evaluation, the focus is primarily laid on general chemical parameters, such as Total Dissolved Solids, hydrogen ion concentration, Electrical Conductivity, and heavy metals, such as Hydrargyrum, Arsenic, and Chromium, with limited consideration for organic pollutants. In this study, WQI technology in combination with the entropy weight method was used to evaluate the groundwater environmental quality of the Dawu water source area, and the scientific results were analyzed by comparing the full index, Delphi, and multivariate statistical analysis methods. The results showed that the groundwater in the Dawu water source area generally had good quality and was potable and that the application of multivariate statistical analysis method was more suitable than the Delphi method in the index selection process.

Proposal of a Water-Quality Index for High Andean Basins: Application to the Chumbao River, Andahuaylas, Peru

“…We applied the Rand Corporation's Delphi methodology in order to construct the high Andean water-quality index (WQI HA ) [40], which consists of the application of questionnaires with controlled feedback that allows iteration within a panel of experts, in order to reach consensus through scientific and academic discourse, which is developed in stages or rounds [34,[47][48][49]59].…”

“…In comparison to multivariate methods, which allow the identification of water-quality parameters, which result just from the statistical decision [44][45][46]. However, the Delphi method collects the expert experience in water quality, for specific uses, who include within the selection criteria, the perception of the water body and its surroundings [38,43,[47][48][49].…”

Effects of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry on Heavy Metal Contamination in the Aquatic Environment and Human Health in Huangshui River Basin

“…Correlation analysis is used to analyze the interactions between different elements [36]. PCA and CA can classify pollutants and characterize HM pollution by extracting principal components [37]. However, they could not draw quantitative conclusions [38].…”

Groundwater Quality Assessment in the Northern Part of Changchun City, Northeast China, Using PIG and Two Improved PIG Methods

“…The subjective weighting method is employed in the process of determining the PIG value, and the calculation of the weight is based on subjective judgment and former experience. Several objective weight-determination methods, such as the Entropy-weighted model and the CRITIC (criteria importance through intercriteria correlation)-weighted model were integrated with TOPSIS and the WQI approach to evaluate water quality in different areas [ 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 ]. As for the integrated method, Zhang et al integrated CRITIC (objective method) and AHP (subjective method) to calculate the index weight, aiming to comprehensively appraise the water-source vulnerability of Yuqiao Reservoir [ 32 ].…”