Study of Temporal Variations of Phosphorus Pollution along Siahroud River in Guilan Province

Document Type : Complete scientific research article

Authors

1 Soil Science Dep., University of Guilan

2 Soil Sci. Dep., University of Guilan

3 Water Engineering Department, University of Guilan

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Phosphorus (P) is one of the essential elements for plant growth, which is considered as one of the potential sources of water pollution due to its excessive use as chemical fertilizers, and also due to discharge of municipal and industrial wastewater into water resources. P has high spatial and temporal variations because of the affecting factors, including rainfall intensity, land use, slope, and soil erosion. The aim of this study was to investigate the temporal variations of phosphorus pollution at various regions along Siahroud river, located in Guilan province.
Materials and Methods: The study has been conducted in Siahroud watershed of Rasht with different land uses including forest (Jokolbandan and Saravan regions) as well as agricultural (Jokolbandan region), industrial (Saravan and University regions), and urban area (Gil and Golsar regions). Water samples were collected from the various regions of the river with different land uses during ten months. The contents of total, dissolved and suspended solids, along with total, soluble and particulate P were measured in water samples. Total P was measured by potassium persulfate digestion method. Nitrogen content was also determined according to Kjeldahl method in the samples taken on December, January, February and March.
Results:Results showed higher level of P pollution in the urban (Golsar with the value of 0.261 mg.L-1) and industrial regions compared to other regions of the river. In the winter, most of soluble P discharge was observed from the agricultural areas, while it revealed higher discharges from the urban areas in the summer. The maximum P pollution (0.296 mg.L-1) was related to the Golsar region. In addition, the high rate of total P in Jokolbandan (0.188 mg.L-1) can be due to the destruction of forest and the slope steepness of this region. Most of the solid particles discharged from the watershed were also in the form of suspended solids (annual average, 503 mg.L-1). The results of the mean comparison showed that there was a significant difference in the spatial variations of the concentration of various forms of P including total, soluble and particulate P, and the highest amount of P was observed at the end of the river. Furthermore, the results showed that there was no significant difference between soluble and particulate P in the study area, while a power relationship was observed between soluble P and soluble solids (R2=0.541). Results demonstrated that the output of P in various forms is a function of time.
Conclusion: In general, the rate of P pollution was increased from the upstream to the downstream and showed high temporal variations. While soil erosion was recognized as the reason for high levels of P pollution in agriculture regions such as Sangar in rainy season, the discharge of municipal and industrial wastewater into the river was the reason for P pollution in the urban areas. Therefore, control of soil erosion in agricultural lands and prevention of wastewater discharge of municipal and industrial into the river could reduce effectively P pollution.

Keywords

References

1.Afshariazad, M.R., and Pourkey, H. 2010. Estimation of erosion and sediment using geomorphologic qualitative methods and E.P.M and its comparison with sediment yield statistics in Siahroud basin of Guilan. Geography Quarterly, 4: 13. 60-78. (In Persian)
2.Alexander, R.B., Smith, R.A., Schwarz, G.E., Boyer, W., Nolan, J.V., and Brakebill, J.W. 2008. Differences in phosphorus and nitrogen delivery to the Gulf of Mexico from the Mississippi River Basin. Environ. Sci. Technol. 42: 822-830.
3.Arias, M.J., Carballal, S., Garcia-Rio, L., Mejuto, J., and Nunez, A. 2005. Retention of phosphorus by iron and aluminum-oxides-coated quartz particles. Adv. Coll. Interface Sci. 295: 65-70.
4.Asadi, H. 2016. Estimation of sediment, organic carbon and phosphorous loads from Pasikhan River into Anzali Wetland, Iran. J. Environ. Prot. 6: 1. 129-133.
5.Carbonaro, R.F. 2007. Effect of urban runoff on seasonal and spatial trends in the water quality of the Saw Mill River. Project No. 2006NY83B, Report submitted to the New York State Water Resources Institute, May 2, 2017, 13p.
6.Correll, D.L. 1998. The role of phosphorus in the eutrophication of receiving waters:
A Review. J. Environ. Qual. 27: 261-266.
7.Daly, K., Jeffrey, D., and Tunney, H. 2001. The effect of soil type on phosphorus sorption capacity and desorption dynamics in Irish grassland soils. Soil Use Manage. 17: 12-20.
8.Diamond, J., and Sills, P. 2001. Soil water regimes. Final Project Report. Teagasc, Johnstown Castle, Wexford, Ireland, 33p.
9.Foy, R.H., and Withers, P.J.A. 1998. The contribution of agricultural phosphorus to eutrophication. In: Proceedings of the fertilizer Society, Vol. 365. Greenhill House, Thorpe Wood, Peterborough, UK.
10.Haygarth, P.M., and Jarvis, S.C. 1999. Transfer of phosphorus from agricultural soils.
Adv. Agron. 66: 195-249.
11.Ide, J.I., Haga, H., Chiwa, M., and Otsuki, K. 2008. Effects of antecedent rain history on particulate phosphorus loss from a small forested watershed of Japanese cypress (Chamaecyparisobtusa). J. Hydrol. 352: 322-335.
12.Keup, L.E. 1968. Phosphorus in flowing waters. J. Water Res. 2: 373-86.
13.Klein, G., and Perera, P. 2002. Eutrophication and Health. Environment Quality and Natural Resources European Commission. L-2985, Luxembourg, 32p.
14.Kronvang, B., Laubel, A., and Grant, R. 1997. Suspended sediment and particulate phosphorus transport and delivery pathways in an Arable catchment, Gelbek stream, Denmark. J. Hydrol. Process. 11: 627-642.
15.Lory, J.A. 1995. Agriculture phosphorus and water quality. Department of Agronomy and Commercial Agriculture Program. Published by MU Extension, University of Missouri Columbia, 4 p. https://extension2.missouri.edu/g9181, last acquired on March 4, 2018.
16.Neal, C., Jarvie, H.P., Williams, R.J., Neal, M., Wickham, H., and Hill, L. 2002. Phosphorus–calcium carbonates saturation relationships in a lowland chalk river impacted by sewage inputs and phosphorus remediation: an assessment of phosphorus self-cleansing mechanisms in natural waters. Sci. Total Environ. 282: 295-310.
17.Neguyen, L., and Sukias, J. 2002. Phosphorus fractions and retention in drainage dish sediments receiving surface runoff and subsurface drainage from agricultural catchments in the North Island, New Zealand. Agric. Ecosyst. Environ. 92: 49-69.
18.Reddy, K.R., Kadlec, R.H., Flaig, E., and Gale, P.M. 1999. Phosphorus retention in streams and wetlands: a review. Crit. Rev. Environ. Sci. Technol. 29: 83-146.
19.Sharpley, A.N., Daniel, T.T., and Sims, J. 2003. Agricultural Phosphorus and Eutrophication. 2th ed. United States Department of Agriculture, ARS–149.
20.Sheklabadi, M., Mahmoudzadeh, H., Mahboubi, A.A., Gharabaghi, B., and Ahrens, B. 2014. Land use effects on phosphorus sequestration in soil aggregates in western Iran. Environ. Monit. Assess. 186: 6493-6503.
21.Smith, C.M., Wilcock, R.J., Vant, W.N., Smith, D.G., and Cooper, A.B. 1993. Towards sustainable agriculter: Freshwater quality in New Zealand and the influence of agriculture. MAF Policy Technical Paper 93/10. New Zealand, Wellington, 208p.
22.Standard Analytical Procedures for Water Analysis. 1999. Government of India and Government of the Netherlands. Technical Assistance Hydrology Project. 80p.
23.Steegen, A., Govers, G., Takken, I., Nachtergaele, J., Poesen, J., and Merckx, R. 2001. Factors controlling sediment and phosphorus export from two Belgian agricultural catchments. J. Environ. Qual. 30: 1249-1258.
24.Stutter, M.I., Charles, A.Sh., Timothy, S.G., Martin, S.A.B., Liz, D., Roland, B., Regina, L.M., Alan, E.R., Leo, M.C., and Philip, MH. 2015. Land use and soil factors affecting accumulation of phosphorus species in temperate soils. Geoderma. 257: 29-39.
25.Tarolli, P., and Sofia, G. 2016. Human topographic signatures and derived geomorphic processes across landscapes. Geomorphology. 255: 140-161.
26.US. Environmental Protection Agency. 1973. Methods for Identifying and Evaluating the Nature and Extent of Nonpoint Sources of Pollutant, EPA. 430/9-73/014, U. S. EPA, Washington, D.C.
27.Water and Watershed Research Jahad Company. 1999. Comprehensive flood control
in Guilan province, soil science. Land evaluation and classification. Technical and Development Deputy of Guilan Provincial Office. (In Persian)
28.Winter, J.G., and Duthie, H.C. 2000. Export coefficient modeling to assess phosphorus loading in urban watersheds. J. Am. Water Resour. Assoc. 36: 1053-1061.
29.Withers, P.J.A., and Jarvie, H.P. 2008. Delivery and cycling of phosphorus in rivers: A review. Sci. Total Environ. 400: 379-395.
30.Wood, C.W., Mullins, G.L., and Hajek, B.F. 2005. Phosphorus in Agriculture. Soil Quality Institute Technical Pamphlet, Bull. No. 2. 5p.
31.Xiaowen, D. 2010. The Simulation Research on Agriculture Non-Point Source Pollution in Yongdin River in Hebei Province. Procedia Environ. Sci. 2: 1770-1774. 
32.Yang, Y.G., He, Z.L., Lin, Y., and Stoffella, P.J. 2010. Phosphorus availability in sediments from a tidal river receiving runoff water from agricultural fields. Agric. Water Manage.
97: 1722-1730.
33.Zhang, F., He, X., Gao, X., Zhang, C., and Keli, T. 2005. Effects of erosion patterns on nutrient loss following deforestation on the Loess Plateau of China. Agric. Ecosyst. Environ. 108: 85-97.
Journal of Water and Soil Conservation
Volume 25, Issue 3
July and August 2018
Pages 43-59

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics