Contribution of runoffs to declining water quality of urban lakes: Status and management approaches

Abstract

The water quality of many lakes around the world have declined due to continuous urbanization with runoffs being one of the significant contributors. This narrative review focuses on the presentation of existing papers that dis-cussed runoff as a contributing factor to urban lakes’ declining water quality and the different management approaches that researchers might want to prioritize in future studies. The review paper also explores the different sources of runoffs and the significant contributors to the contamination of lakes in urban areas such as sewage discharges, industrial effluents, and runoff, and their resulting impacts on the quality of these water bodies. Different management practices adopted to enhance Urban Lake water quality such as watershed management, pollution management, stormwater management, and limiting nutrient loading in lakes are also explored in this review paper. The effectiveness of these practices is evaluated, and future research directions are suggested. The findings of this review indicate that runoffs play a significant role in the declining water quality of urban lakes, and effective management practices are necessary to protect these valuable water resources.