Developing a Modified Online Water Quality Index: A Case Study for Brazilian Reservoirs

Abstract

Online approaches for monitoring water quality can be an alternative aid to rapid decision-making in watershed management, especially reservoirs, given their vulnerability to the process of eutrophication. In this study, a modified water quality index (WQI) was developed using parameters that are easily measured with sensors, which would allow for the online monitoring of reservoirs. The modified WQI was based on WQICETESB and we used regression models to obtain values for the parameters: total phosphorus (TP), total nitrogen (TN), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and total solids (TS). Water quality data from reservoirs from 2003 to 2020 were used, which were provided by the Environmental Company of the State of São Paulo (CETESB), Brazil. The adjusted modified WQI employing weight redistribution (WQIRWAdj or WQISOL) presented the most promising results, with a Pearson correlation of 0.92 and a success rate of 72.6% and 97.0% for the CETESB and simplified classifications, respectively. WQISOL, which was proposed in the present study, exhibited a satisfactory performance, allowing the water quality of reservoirs to be monitored remotely and in real-time.