Removal of cyanobacteria from a water supply reservoir by sedimentation using flocculants and suspended solids as ballast: Case of Legedadi Reservoir (Ethiopia)

The massive growth of potentially toxic cyanobacteria in water supply reservoirs, such as Legedadi Reservoir (Ethiopia), poses a huge burden to water purification units and represents a serious threat to public health. In this study, we evaluated the efficiency of the flocculants/coagulants chitosan, Moringa oleifera seed (MOS), and poly-aluminium chloride (PAC) in settling cyanobacterial species present in the Legedadi Reservoir. We also tested whether coagulant-treated reservoir water promotes cyanobacteria growth. Our data showed that suspended solids in the turbid reservoir acted as ballast, thereby enhancing settling and hence the removal of cyanobacterial species coagulated with chitosan, Moringa oleifera seed, or their combination. Compared to other coagulants, MOS of 30 mg/L concentration, with the removal efficiency of 93.6%, was the most effective in removing cyanobacterial species without causing cell lysis. Contrary to our expectation, PAC was the least effective coagulant. Moreover, reservoir water treated with MOS alone or MOS combined with chitosan did not support any growth of cyanobacteria during the first two weeks of the experiment. Our data indicate that the efficacy of a flocculant/coagulant in the removal of cyanobacteria is influenced by the uniqueness of individual lakes/reservoirs, implying that mitigation methods should consider the unique characteristic of the lake/reservoir.

Impact of Changes in Land Use and Land Cover in the Contribution Basin of Doutor João Penido Water Supply Reservoir of Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil

Changes in the land use and land cover in areas adjacent to water reservoirs directly affect the quality of this water. This research presents a study on the water quality in the basin of one of the most important public water supply reservoirs in the city of Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais. The main objective of this study was to analyze the behavior of limnological parameters and the correlation with land use and land cover in the contribution basin of the Doutor João Penido reservoir (CBJPR). The methodology was based on the analysis of water quality parameters, related to water samples collected from 2012 to 2015. Six sampling points were chosen from different locations: spring, medium course, main tributaries of the reservoir and the reservoir catchment. The parameters analyzed were turbidity, total solids (TS), oxygen consumed (OC), dissolved oxygen (DO), electrical conductivity, total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), E. Coli, temperature, pH and total dissolved solids (TDS). The Kendall’s tau test was used to analyze the correlations between the parameters of water quality, land use and land cover in the CBJPR. In general, measured parameters showed better results in spring and in reservoir catchment, showing a worse quality of the water along the tributaries and the dilution power of the reservoir. The correlations pointed to the need for protection and preservation of forests in strategic locations to ensure good water quality.

Diatoms as indicators of the effects of river impoundment at multiple spatial scales

River impoundment constitutes one of the most important anthropogenic impacts on the World’s rivers. An increasing number of studies have tried to quantify the effects of river impoundment on riverine ecosystems over the past two decades, often focusing on the effects of individual large reservoirs. This study is one of the first to use a large-scale, multi-year diatom dataset from a routine biomonitoring network to analyse sample sites downstream of a large number of water supply reservoirs (n = 77) and to compare them with paired unregulated control sites. We analysed benthic diatom assemblage structure and a set of derived indices, including ecological guilds, in tandem with multiple spatio-temporal variables to disclose patterns of ecological responses to reservoirs beyond the site-specific scale. Diatom assemblage structure at sites downstream of water supply reservoirs was significantly different to control sites, with the effect being most evident at the regional scale. We found that regional influences were important drivers of differences in assemblage structure at the national scale, although this effect was weaker at downstream sites, indicating the homogenising effect of river impoundment on diatom assemblages. Sites downstream of reservoirs typically exhibited a higher taxonomic richness, with the strongest increases found within the motile guild. In addition, Trophic Diatom Index (TDI) values were typically higher at downstream sites. Water quality gradients appeared to be an important driver of diatom assemblages, but the influence of other abiotic factors could not be ruled out and should be investigated further. Our results demonstrate the value of diatom assemblage data from national-scale biomonitoring networks to detect the effects of water supply reservoirs on instream communities at large spatial scales. This information may assist water resource managers with the future implementation of mitigation measures such as setting environmental flow targets.

Sustainable Land Use Planning Solutions for Water Supply Reservoirs in Serbia

This paper starts from the fact that spatial and urban planning promote rational land use planning and express interests in the sustainable development of land, water and related resources and infrastructure. The authors here look for sustainable land use planning solutions in the domain of water management within the spatial plans. A starting point of this paper is the fact that integration of water management issues (i.e. drinking water management) into land use planning is essential in achieving sustainable development. Considering this, the paper focuses on analysis of land use planning solutions given within three spatial plans that include areas of water supply reservoirs. The authors give an analysis of the set of measures prescribed by zoning ordinances within spatial plans concerning water protection and protection from water (i.e. flood water evacuation). The authors conclude that analyzed spatial planning documents give sustainable land use solutions, since land use planning, through the zoning, represent a starting point in water protection.Keywords: Spatial Planning, Sustainable Land Use, Water Management, Water Reservoirs, Serbia