Development of a Water Quality Index for Lake Aygır in Bitlis, Turkey

Abstract

Water quality indexes help to develop correct policies using water quality data. In this study, a useful and reliable method determined for water quality management of Lake Aygır. For this, monthly water quality measurements were made from Lake Aygır between May 2015 and May 2016. Firstly, parameters were selected using the principal component analysis. However, findings meaningfully not classified. Therefore, expert opinions and literature were used in the selection of parameters. Temperature, DO, EC, pH, NH3, alkalinity, hardness, fluorine, arsenic parameters were selected for the calculation of AG-WQIdrinking, as it is more effective on human health. Temperature, DO, electrical conductivity, pH, NH3, alkalinity, hardness, turbidity were selected for the calculation of AG-WQIfisheries as they are the parameters to which fish is most affected. Water quality indexes of Lake Aygır were found AG-WQIdrinking as 149.41 and AG-WQIfisheries as 76.11. The most effective parameters were hardness and alkalinity in the AG-WQIdrinking calculations; and ammonia and dissolved oxygen in the AG-WQIfisheries calculations. In consequence it expresses numerically the suitability of Lake Aygır in terms of drinking and fishing.