Evaluation of el-Gharbia drain water quality to increase benefits from it

Abstract EN

Water quality control is a major issue for Egypt where the severity of present water quality problems varies among different water bodies.

Managing the water quality of Gharbia drain is an important issue to ensure suitability of drain water for reuse in irrigation.

The assessment of the drain water enhanced substantially by the use of water quality simulation model (HEC-RAS) to investigate environmental impacts based on the principle of treatment.

The study activities based on field measurements, laboratory analysis and data interpretation for Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Total Nitrogen, Organic Nitrogen, Ammonia, Nitrate, Nitrite, Total Phosphorus, Organic Phosphorus and Ortho Phosphate.

The pollution load calculated for the point sources that have the most negatively impact on the water quality of the drain were identified and six different scenarios were developed (decreasing the concentration by 25% and 50% from its original value to improve water quality of the drain) using water quality modeling (HEC-RAS model).

The results indicate that the sixth scenario in which 50% improvement in water quality of the point sources of samatay & P.

S.

3, 4, 5, 6 due to the increase of wastewater treatment plants efficiency is the best scenario followed by the fourth which propose enhancement in the wastewater plants that are in the reach of Samatay and (5) Pump stations, which results in improving the water quality at these point sources by 50% .

And fifth scenario which proposes the enhancement in the wastewater treatment plants that are in the catchment of stations (6, 3, 4) has been improved the water quality by 50% .