Abstract

RUBIO ARIAS, Héctor Osbaldo et al. Water quality index (WQI) in the dam La Boquilla in Chihuahua, Mexico. Ecosistemas y recur. agropecuarios [online]. 2014, vol.1, n.2, pp.139-150. ISSN 2007-901X.

A Water Quality Index (WQI) is a statistic tool that allows the quality of a water body to be estimated. The purpose of this study was to establish a WQI for the dam La Boquilla in Chihuahua, Mexico. Six sampling sites were selected randomly. Water samples were collected monthlyfrom four depths: 0.30 m, 5.0 m, 10.0 m and 15.0 m. The pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), electric conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), temperature (T), chlorides(Cl-), total hardness (TH) and turbidity were quantied. The statistical analyses followed a factorial 12 x 4 arrangement of treatments, where factor A was the time of sampling (12 months) and factor B was the depth (four depths). The WQI was calculated for the depths of 0.30 m and 15.0 m applying a universal equation. The ranges of the evaluated variables were as follows: pH from 7.6 to 9.1; DO from 4.9 to 12.1 mg L^-1; T from 11.6 to 25.5°C; EC from 173 to 219 µS cm^-1; TDSfrom 152.9 to 187.08 mg L^-1; THfrom 295 to 360 mg L^-1, turbidity from 1.66 UTN to 4.75 UTN and Cl- from 2.91 to 10.37 mg L^-1. The average WQI for the 0.30 m depth was 2.7, which indicates the water is good, and the WQI calculated for the 15.0 m depth was 2.45, which describes the water as regular to good. It is concluded that the water in the dam La Boquilla is suitable for agricultural purposes, irrigation and fishing.

Keywords : Pollution; index; value; Mexico; dam.

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