Qualitative and quantitative study of algae in three drinking water plants supply springs in Sulaymaniyah province - Kurdistan region of Iraq

Abstract

In this study, three drinking water treatment plant supply springs were selected within different sites in Sulaymaniyah province- Kurdistan region of Iraq. Samples were collected over period of eight months from May to the end of December 2015.
 Five stations were selected, Stations 1, 2 and 3 were located at Bestan Sowr drinking water project in Sharazur district, station 4 was located at Saray Subhan Agha drinking water project in Said sadiq district and station 5 was located at Khurmal drinking water project in Khurmal district within Halabja district.
 The study involved a qualitative (identification) and quantitative (Density and Total count) study of phytoplankton in water for selected stations.
 A total of 155 algal species were identified belong to 9 classes in all studied stations, 80 species belonged to Bacillariophyceae (diatoms), 35 species to chlorophyceae, 30 species to Cyanophyceae, 3 species to Euglenophyceae, 2 species for each of Crptophyceae and Pyrophyceae and 1 species for each of Chrysophyceae, Dinophyceae and Xanthophyceae. Diatoms were dominated (according to the total count of taxa) over all other phytoplankton in all sites, Chlorophyceae formed the second most algal group at the selected sites and Cyanophyceae formed the third most algal group of phytoplankton at the selected sites.
 The results of phytoplankton quantitative study in the studying stations recorded the highest total density of phytoplankton during the study period was at Station1 (18377.28 ind×103/l), followed by (12513.34 ind×103/l) at Station 2 and (4779.45 ind×103/l) at Station 3. The results of total Count of phytoplankton at all stations ranged between 5913×103 cell/l and 29×103 cell/l.