To investigate the impact of megacities on the chemistry of surface waters, monthly sampling and monitoring were conducted in the Chengdu section of the Minjiang and Tuojiang River basin, corresponding to the upper reaches of the Yangtze River since the spring of 2019, including the influent and effluent water samples from 57 sewage treatment plants in Chengdu. All the samples were analyzed for major ions and other water chemistry parameters, and compared with the historical data of the Minjiang and Tuojiang River. The results showed that the Chengdu surface water still presented a natural chemistry with medium-low total dissolved solids(TDS), and calcium bicarbonate chemistry type, which is the natural consequence of the weathering of carbonate rocks in the basin effected by the weathering of silicates and evaporites. The natural water chemistry of the surface waters in Chengdu presented monthly variation, i.e.,the concentration of major ions and TDS was higher in the dry season compared to the wet season, reflecting the variations of point source. Spatially, the concentration of major ions and TDS downstream of the city was higher than those in the upper reaches, and the concentration in the tributary was higher than that in the mainstream, which may reflect urban influence. Further analyses, such as simulation calculations, indicated that urban activities were the major driving factor for the chemistry change in the surface waters in Chengdu, which is evidenced by the significant contribution of the sewage discharge to the elevated Cl- and Na+ and the ratio of hardness/alkalinity>1 from anthropogenic acid gas emissions. A comparison with the water chemistry of the Minjiang and Tuojiang River in the 1960s indicated that, the current Cl-/Na+ ratio has significantly increased, which has been evidenced by a salinization trend. As a megacity nearest to the source of the Yangtze River, the impact of Chengdu on the natural water chemistry of the Yangtze River system and its environmental effects deserves more attention.
Keywords: impact factor; megacity; natural water chemistry; surface water; water environment.