Indices of water quality for sustainable management and conservation of an arid region lake, Lake Kinneret (Sea of Galilee), Israel

Abstract

1. Economic development in arid regions is closely linked to efficient use of limited water resources. As such, management and conservation of these water resources requires concurrent optimization of the interrelationships between supply quantity and resource quality.2. Multiple uses of water resources generate conflicting needs within management, with different uses requiring objective characterization of quality for different management scenarios and goals.3. A sound management programme needs close interactions between water policy makers, managers, users, engineers and limnologists, and thus needs a common language that can transcend the boundaries of the individual fields.4. This paper describes a system of water quality indices and standards designed for conservation and sustainable management of Lake Kinneret (Sea of Galilee), Israel, based on observed variability in various chemical and biological parameters during a 25-year period ). Such a system can form a common language which can then be used as a tool for optimal management. 5. This system of water quality indices (a) includes both traditional limnological parameters (plant nutrients, chlorophyll, primary production) and engineering parameters (coliform bacteria, turbidity), (b) is acceptable to all parties involved in lake management, and (c) is easily adaptable to different management scenarios and to management-induced changes in ecosystem functioning.6. Analysis of variability in these water quality parameters in Lake Kinneret during 1994 -1999 when the lake was showing signs of destabilization highlights the usefulness and limitations of this system.

Water Quality Quantification: Basics and Implementation

“…Acceptable winter-spring and summer-autumn ranges (100 ‡ Rating ‡ 60) for selected water quality parameters for conservation of Lake Kinneret ecosystem. The WQIs included into the 'Reduced' WQI system are shown in bold (Parparov and Hambright, 1996;Hambright et al, 2000) Indices…”

“…We have suggested the following principles of the WQ assessment as the initial stage of the quantification process (Parparov & Hambright, 1996;Hambright et al, 2000):…”

“…This step (as regards to Lake Kinneret) was described in detail in Hambright et al (2000). Here we provide a brief overview of the approach.…”

Seasonally varying nitrogen isotope biogeochemistry of particulate organic matter in Lake Kinneret, Israel

“…Lake Kinneret, Israel, and its watershed have been subject both to anthropogenic degradation and to recent restoration efforts (Hambright et al 2000) that likely altered C and N isotopic composition. Historically, an intense annual winter-spring phytoplankton bloom was typically dominated by the dinoflagellate Peridinium gatunense, characteristically followed by 7-10 times lower summer and autumn biomass from July till the end of the annual cycle (Pollingher 1986;Berman et al 1992).…”

Application of GIS and remote sensing for measuring and evaluating land-use change and its impact on water quality in the Pinang River watershed

“…It is based on the Malaysian Department of Environment-Water Quality Index. Basically the water quality index (WQI), which was developed by the Malaysian Department of Environment, attempts to provide a mechanism for presenting a cumulatively derived, numerical expression, defining a certain level of water quality (Miller et al 1986;Hambright et al 2000;Jonnalagadda and Mhere 2001). No single parameter is sufficient to adequately express water quality.…”