Characterization of water pollution in drainage networks using continuous monitoring data in the Citadel area of Hue City, Vietnam

Water Sci Technol. 2014;70(4):612-9. doi: 10.2166/wst.2014.243.

Abstract

In the Citadel area of Hue City, drainage systems that include canals and ponds are considerable sources of fecal contaminants to inundated water during the rainy season because canals and ponds receive untreated wastewater. It is important to investigate the characteristics of hydraulics and water pollution in canals and ponds. At the canals and ponds, water sampling was conducted during dry and wet weather periods in order to evaluate fecal contamination and to investigate changes in water pollution caused by runoff inflow. Inundated water was also collected from streets during heavy rainfall. At the canals and ponds, concentrations of Escherichia coli and total coliform exceeded the Vietnamese regulation values for surface water in 23 and 24 out of 27 samples (85 and 89%), respectively. The water samples were categorized based on the characteristics of water pollution using cluster analysis. In the rainy season, continuous monitoring was conducted at the canals and ponds using water depth and electrical conductivity (EC) sensors to investigate the dynamic relationship between water level and water pollution. It is suggested that in the canals, high EC meant water stagnation and low EC signified river water inflow. Therefore, EC might be a good indicator of water flow change in canals.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Cities
  • Drainage, Sanitary
  • Electric Conductivity
  • Enterobacteriaceae / isolation & purification
  • Environmental Monitoring
  • Escherichia coli / isolation & purification
  • Feces* / microbiology
  • Fresh Water / chemistry
  • Fresh Water / microbiology
  • Rain
  • Seasons
  • Vietnam
  • Water Movements
  • Water Pollutants / isolation & purification*
  • Water Pollution / analysis*

Substances

  • Water Pollutants