Journal of Water and Soil Science

Evaluation of nitrate concentration in soil, groundwater and potato tubers on different farm size levels in Fereidan city of Isfahan

Hamid Reza Eshghizadeh

To determine the nitrate pollution (water, soil, and tubers) in small (< 0.5 ha), medium (0.5- 1 ha) and large (> 1 ha) size of potato fields, this study was conducted in Fereidan region of Isfahan province during growing season of 2014-2015. For this purpose, the amounts of inputs and the tuber yield were recorded in each farm. Also, average nitrate-N concentration in irrigation water, soil and tubers of different potato farms were measured before planting and after harvesting. The results showed that the average soil N-nitrate concentration in small, medium and large size farms were 16.3, 17.4 and 19.9 mg kg^-1 before planting and 10.3, 13.3 and 23.3 mg kg^-1 after harvesting, respectively. The average N-nitrate concentration of irrigation water in small, medium and large size farms were 36.3, 27.1 and 19.5 mg L^-1 before planting and 47.6, 33.1 and 16.4 mg L^-1 after harvesting, respectively. At the post-harvest time, NO₃-N concentration of irrigation water were below the standard range concentration (45 mg L^-1) in the all large farms while 87 % of small and 85% of medium farms had more than standard concentration. The nitrate concentrations of tubers in large-sized farms were lower than others. The tuber NO₃-N concentration was affected by potato cultivar. The lowest concentration of nitrate was observed in the late-season potato cultivars (Agria). that might be associated with greater tubers yield.

Important chemical and physical properties of atmospheric dust in Kerman city

H. Khademi

Dust deposition phenomenon is an important climatic and environmental issue in arid and semi-arid regions. The objective of this study was to examine important characteristics of atmospheric dust in Kerman as one of the major cities in arid areas of our country with high potential of dust production. Dust samples were collected monthly using glass traps installed on the roof of 35 one-story buildings in Kerman for 7 months from April 20 to Nov. 20, 2012. To compare the results of atmospheric dust with those of soil, 60 surface soil samples (0-10 cm) from outside Kerman and 35 soil samples from urban areas were also collected. Some physical and chemical characteristics such as pH, electrical conductivity, organic matter, calcium carbonate equivalent, and particle size distribution were determined in dust and soil samples. The results of chemical analyses indicated that the amount of these properties is much higher than that in soils. Atmosphere dust particles appear to mainly originate from alkaline and saline soils surrounding the city of Kerman. Dust particle size distribution analysis further confirmed that dust particles have been transferred to Kerman city from medium to long distance areas. Temporal variability in dust chemical properties indicates that the contribution of anthropogenic and natural sources to urban dust in Kerman has seasonal changes. Based on the results obtained, it is necessary to control dust production outside and inside the city and its distribution in populated areas employing proper management practices.

Influence of biochars prepared from poultry manure on phosphorus availability and recovery in a calcareous soil

A. Ronaghi

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of poultry manure (PM) and derived biochars on phosphorous (P) availability and apparent recovery in a calcareous soil. Treatments consisted of four rates of P (0, 30, 60 and 90 µgg-1) and five organic substances (blank, poultry manure and derived biochars at 200, 300 and 400°C). organic substances were incorporated with 400 g of soil at 2% level (w/w). All soil treated samples plus control were incubated for 150 days. Soil P availbility determined at 8 different stage of incubation time period. Phosphorous availability was less in untreated soil samples with organic substances and also decreased with time. Although P recovery from inorganic P fertilizer was high in the early stages of incubation time compared to treated soil samples but decreased with time, if not treated with organic substances. Phosphorus availability and recovery increased with time in PM and biochares treated soil samples. Simultanous application of inorganic P and organic substances decreased apparent P recovery. Negative interaction obsorved between organic substances and high rates of inorganic P fertilizer on P availability. It was concluded that PM biochar prepared at 300°C had the highest effect on adjusting P availability in calcareous soil.

Effects of Green Manure Management and Fertilization Treatments on the Chemical and Physical Properties and Fertility of Soil

M. Shamsalddin saied

Cover crops, conservation tillage systems and organic fertilizers have played an important role in maintaining or enhancing soil quality. In order to assess the combined effects of these techniques on soil quality an experiment was conducted as split Plot experiment based on randomized complete block design with three replications at Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman in 2011-2012.
The method of return of cover crops to soil included reduced tillage (disc) and no-till (herbicide glyphosate + cutting) as the main factor and manure application management included cover crops (wheat, canola and peas) without the use of urea, cover crops with a consumption of 25 t/ha of manure, Cover crop with 75 kg of urea and fallow treatments (without cover crop) as subplots. The results showed that the highest concentration of nutrients (except N and P concentrations in the plant), the nutrient yield and biomass of cover crops belonged to wheat treated with urea fertilizer. Soil properties such as bulk density, pH, organic matter and soil nutrient concentrations (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) were significantly affected by fertilizer management and the method of return of cover crops to soil (except pH) and soil organic matter content and nutrient concentration were affected by their interactions. In wheat cover crop treatments with urea with %27.53 reduction in bulk density, %20.88 increase in the porosity, organic matter 2.4 times and nitrogen 1.5 times compared to the fallow treatment was the best treatment that wasn’t significantly different from the wheat treated with manure in low- tillage system. Wheat treated by manure had the highest phosphorus that was 3.5 times of the phosphorus concentration in the fallow treatment. So, in order to develop sustainable agriculture, reducing the use of synthetic fertilizers and environmental protection, the wheat cover crop treatments with manure and low- tillage cropping systems would be appropriate in Kerman.

Modelling of Landslide Susceptibility Zonation Using Shannon’s Entropy Index and weight of evidence model (Case Study: Sarkhoon's Karoon)

k. shirani

Landslide susceptibility mapping is essential for land use planning and decision-making especially in the mountainous areas. The main objective of present research is to produce landslide hazard zonation at Sarkhoun basin in Karoon basin using two statistical models such as an index of Shannon’s entropy and weight of evidence and to assess the obtained results. At the first stage, landslide locations were identified in the study area by interpretation of aerial photographs, image sattellites, and from field investigations and then landslide inventory map was created for study area. The landslide conditioning factors such as slope degree, slope aspect, altitude, lithology, land use,distance of road, distance of fault, distance of drainage, topographic wetness index (TWI), Convergence Index, and precipitation were extracted from the spatial database and they were digitized in GIS environment. With integrated variables, landslides were calculated in each variable class and ‎weighted in index of entropy and weight of evidence model. In the last, landslide hazard zonation map ‎were obtained with both of models. The results of landslide susceptibility mapps of both statistical models were indicated more than 70 percent the occurred landslides were located in very high and high zones that about half of the basin area (over 45 percent) constitute. Also, the results of both models together were revealed that land use, has the greatest impact on the occurred landslides. Resolution of the zones, based on the seed cell area index (SCAI) and frequency ratio (FR) were evaluated suitable for both statistical models. Finally, the ROC (receiver operating characteristic) curves for landslide susceptibility maps were drawn and the areas under the curve (AUC) were calculated. The verification results of both models were evaluated very well and showed that the index of entropy model (AUC=89%) performed slightly better than weight of evidence model (AUC=82%).

Evaluation of water table fluctuations and drainage discharge of bi-level drainage system in a layered soil

k, Esmaili

Bi-level drainage system is a type of underground drainage systems, in which adjacent drainage lines are installed at different depths. In the Hydraulics Laboratory, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, a model was built, that include a cube tank 2 meters in length, width and height of 1 meters was made of galvanized. In this model, two rows 20 cm apart from each other drains were installed. As drainage, a pipe of three layers to the outer diameter of 16 mm was made of PVC. Within this model of stratified soil was used as a soil layer of low permeability with a hydraulic conductivity of 1.15 cm per hour, thickness of 20 cm soil layer between two light soil layer with 30-cm thickness for bottom layer and 20 cm for the top layer with a hydraulic conductivity of 1.55 cm per hour. For accurate measurement of the water table Behavior in the soil at each point of the model, some piezometer distance of 10 cm from each other on the floor model was installed. After Outfit of model with blow-off valve, Experiments with a heavy irrigation for different intervals between depths of 30 and 50 cm were used in drainage and water table elevation values as observed values were extracted from the model. The results show that the values obtained from Upadhyaya and Chauhan Equation only in small area of water table profiles, which include an area of between the two drainage, are consistent with observed and with a wider distance between deep and shallow drainage, time of drop in water table increased.

Using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance 1H and 13C in soil organic matter covered by forest

M. nadi

Soil organic matter is the largest source of organic carbon in the soil surface which played an enormous role in restoring balance, environmental sustainability, soil elements and climatic conditions. Organic materials influence physical, chemical and biological properties of soil and thus soil fertility directly and indirectly. The amount, type and composition of organic matter are different in different soil and climatic conditions. Different soil components can hold different combination of soil organic matter. In this study soil samples were collected from virgin, Populus and Alnus forests from Guilan Province, Iran. The amount of organic matter in the original samples and sand, silt and clay fractions were measured and the quality of organic carbon (13C) and hydrogen (1H) were determined in fractions by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. Based on the results the amount of organic carbon in the original samples of Alnus forest was highest. among fractions, clay had the highest amount of organic carbon. The result of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance showed presence of different aliphatic and aromatic carbons and hydrogen in different samples. Virgin forest had the highest proportion of alkyl to oxygenated alkyl carbon ratio and Alnus forest showed the highest ratio of aliphatic to aromatic carbon,. Both mentioned ratios was higher in clay fraction than other two fractions.

Optimization of land use to reduce the potential of erosion and sediment using linear programming model (Case study: Chehel-Gazi basin of Sanandaj)

H. Khaledian

Appropriate utilization of agricultural land and natural resources, decreased erosion and increased production occurs in watersheds. On the other hand, land use pattern due to increasing human activities on the ground to meet different needs, is changing. Optimization of land use is one of the management methods to achieve stability and reduce soil erosion. In this study, by using linear programming (simplex) and Geographic Information System(GIS), was investigated the land use optimization in three scenario option to: current condition, management condition, and standard condition.Erosion potential by using MPSIAC Model in irrigated land 1.65, dry lands 3.31, pasture 3.64, gardens 1.49 and 3.85 tons per hectare per year was estimated for Chehel-Gazi basin. The results of the sensitivity analysis for tree scenario showed that in the event optimize land use, erosion potential in the current Condition 0.85 percent increased, But in the land management Condition 16.92 percent and in a standard Condition 32 percent decreased. The results of sensitivity analysis showed that changes in the area of pasture all three options have the greatest impact in changing erosion potential of basin.

Determination of the Optimal Method to Estimate the Suspended Sediment Load in Arid Regions. Case Study: Fakhrabad basin of Mehriz (Yazd)

M. Hayatzadeh

Soil erosion is undoubtedly one of the most important problems in natural areas of Iran and has destructive effects on different ecosystems. Considering that calculation of the sediment rate in sediment stations and direct measurements of erosion process is costly and difficult, it is critical to find ways to accurately estimate the amount of sediment yield in catchments especially in arid and hyper arid areas because of their high ecological sensitivity. One of the most commonly used methods in these areas is the sediment rating regression method. Therefore, in this study sediment observed data for 48 events (the corresponding discharge and sediment) in a 23-year period from Fkhrabad basin (Mehriz) were compared to the estimated data obtained from Multi-line rating method, extent middle class, middle class rating curve with correction factor QMLE, SMEARING correction coefficient FAO and Artificial Neural networks (ANNs). Finally, the accuracy of these methods were assessed using different evaluation criteria such as Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), coefficient of determination (R2) and the standard Nash (ME). Results showed that ANN outperformed the other methods with the RMSE, R2 and ME of 203.3, 0.86 and 0.66, respectively. The results suggest that these methods should be used cautiously in estimating the suspended sediment load in arid and hyper arid regions due to the nature of the observed data and temporal and seasonal flow systems in these regions. It was also indicated that the artificial neural network models have higher flexibility than other methods which makes them to be useful tools for modeling in poor data conditions.

Presenting a New Method of Estimating the Amount of Leakage in pipeline Networks Using Nodal Pressures Analysis

H. Saghi

The water supply networks have always been of significance to researchers as a hydraulic system of transferring and distributing water. The pressure gradient is the main reason of water transfer in networks, and in case of non-standard pressure increase, the undesirable phenomenon of leakage occurs in the network. Leakage in urban water distribution networks causes water waste and enormous financial losses. Therefore, there exists the need to manage and minimize the amount of leakage. In this study, a water distribution network is modeled using the potentialities of hydraulic analysis model, the EPANET 2.0, and, by presenting a new model, the leakage location is recognized. In order to do this, we, firstly, entered all the network parameters into the software. Then, the network was analyzed supposing the non-occurrence of leakage and the amounts of nodal pressures were measured. Moreover, the nodal pressures were estimated by creating a hypothetical leakage in one of the network nodes and analyzing the network. Finally, the position of leakage was determined by defining the leakage index and comparing it in various nodes. The results show that the suggested method is efficiently capable of predicting the leakage position in the network so it can safely replace other methods, especially destructive methods used in recognizing the leakage position in the network.

The Effect of Ash and Coal Produced from Fire on Some of Soil Properties Especially Water Retention

Z. Jafarian

Ash and coal produced from fire influence the soil and few studies about these effects are available. For this purpose, this study was performed to investigate the effect of ash and coal on hydrological, physical and chemical properties of soil in Charat rangeland that has a history of fire. Systematic-random sampling was implemented in two plant types Astragalus gossypinus and Artemisia aucheri using 6 transects and 60 4m² quadrates and plant and soil samples were obtained. Experimental treatments including control soil, composition soil and ash were prepared manually and also with artificial rain, composition soil and coal manually and also with artificial rain in the laboratory and characteristics of the texture, saturation moisture, pH, organic matter, field capacity, wilting point, available water and retention capacity were measured. ANOVA results for mean comparison soil, ash and coal properties showed that ash had more percent of silt and pH than soil and organic matter and lower bulk density than soil. In addition, multivariate analysis to show the effect of two types of treatments showed that manual composition of ash and coal with soil had increased field capacity and available water while composition of soil and coal with artificial rain had no significant effect on them. According to the results of this study, the presence of ash and coal resulted from burning vegetation caused great changes in soil properties, especially water retention.

Evaluation of hydraulic characteristics of several types of drip irrigation tapes

E. Maroufpoor

The main purpose of this study is investigation of hydraulic properties in drip irrigation tape. In this study, 10 types of drip irrigation tape were tested, and the effect of 4 temperatures of water, 13, 23, 33 and 43 °C, was investigated according to the standard ISO 9261 and ISO IRISI. Initially all experiments were performed in standard temperature (23°C) in order to obtain qualitative evaluation indexes of tapes. The results obtained were as follows: According to the Cv, 8 models of tapes were ranked as good and 2 models as medium. According to the difference between the actual and nominal flow rates, 3 models were ranked as good, 3 models as medium, 3 models were acceptable and 2 models were unacceptable. According to the EU, 9 models were ranked as excellent and T3 was ranked as good. According to the UC, UC of all models was more than 70% and their flow rate variation follows normal distribution. According to q_var, flow rate changes in 3 models were acceptable, 2 models were ranked as good and 5 models were unacceptable.

The effect of long-term irrigation with municipal treated wastewater on the saturated hydraulic conductivity of a silt loam soil and its estimation- a case study

H. Beigi Harchegani

Treated wastewater may influence soil structure, porosity and as a consequence, soil saturated hydraulic conductivity. This study aims to assess the effect of wastewater on saturated hydraulic conductivity; and to determine the suitable soil solids fractal dimension to incorporate into the pedotransfer function by Rawls et al (1993) for estimation of saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks). Soil saturated hydraulic conductivity was measured by disc permeameter. Soil particle fractal dimension was calculated from linearized forms of mass- time, mass- diameter and mass- diameter as modified by Kravchenko- Zhang (1998) relations. Wastewater irrigation for 13 years increased the saturated hydraulic conductivity three times, from 7 mm/hour to 21 mm/hour, but longer application of wastewater did not further increase it. Rawls et al (1993) pedotransfer produced acceptable and relatively close saturated hydraulic conductivity values to that of disc permeameter when fractal dimension obtained from the linearized forms of mass- diameter and Kravchenko- Zhang relations were used. Therefore, Rawls et al (1993) pedotransfer was capable of reflecting the effect of wastewater application on soil saturated hydraulic conductivity.

The Effect of Silicates Micronized Additives on Reduction of Permeability and Erosion due to Artificial Rainfall of Kahgel Plaster

M. Bater

Kahgel is one of the oldest traditional mortars in Iran capabilities and performance of which in the past to conserve earthen buildings show that it can be used as a covering for conservation and preservation of earthen architectural structures. The ancient waterproof covering is very efficient at keeping the building dry during the heavy rain showers, but low durability and the need for renewal the plaster due to erosion of rainfall suggest that Kahgel plaster is weak and unstable. So, it is very essential and necessary to find appropriate scientific methods to enhance durability and lifespan of Kahgel plaster. In this research, the effect of silicates micronized additives (including Microsilica, Feldspar, Zeolite, Bentonite and Kaolin) on the stabilization and improvement of the physical and mechanical properties of Kahgel plaster with experimental study by hydraulic conductivity and water erosion Kahgel plaster indicated that using the micronized silicates additives can significantly improve physical and mechanical properties of earth and earthen materials such as Kahgel. Experimental results showed that application of Kaolin 150 microns at 3 wt% (by weight of Kahgel) reduced hydraulic conductivity of the Kahgel plaster at 65% level and Zeolite 45 microns at 3 wt% (by weight of Kahgel) decreased by 85%. In addition evaluation of water erosion of the samples during rainfall by rainfall simulator showed that use of 3 wt% micronized Microsilica, Feldspar, Zeolite and Kaolin decreased sample’s total dry material loss of the Kahgel plaster at least10/5% and maximum up to 37/7% and increased their durability against erosion from rainfall. In addition, results from studies indicate that by reducing the particle size of the additive, their positive effect on physical and mechanical properties of Kahgel mortar increases. On the other hand, 3 wt% is the optimized percentage of micronized silicate additives to improve Kahgel coating and increased amount of additives seems to have no significant impact on the improvement of physical and mechanical properties.

The Effect of Climate change on the Zayandeh-Rud River Basin’s temperature using a Bayesian machine learning Soft Computing Technique

Sh. Kouhestani

This study aims to investigate the changes of minimum and maximum temperature variables under the impact of climate change for time period of 2015-2100 in the Zayandeh-Rud River Basin. The outputs of 14 Global Climate Models (GCMs) under three green-house emission scenarios (RCP2.6, RCP4.5, and RCP8.5) are employed from the Fifth Assessment Report (CMIP5) of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). A novel statistical downscaling method using a Bayesian Relevance Vector Machine (RVM) is used to project the impact of climate change on the temperature variables at regional scale. The results of the weighting average of the GCMs show that the various models have different accuracy in the projecting the minimum and maximum temperatures in the study area. The results demonstrate that the MIROC5 and CCSM4 are the most reliable models in projecting the maximum and minimum temperatures, respectively. The highest increase for both maximum and minimum temperatures was obtained in winter.
On the annual basis, the maximum temperature will increase by 0.18-0.76 °C and 0.25-1.67 °C, respectively, in the near and long-term future periods under different emission scenarios. The annual minimum temperature will increase by 0.28 to 0.82 °C and 0.24-1.56 °C, respectively, in the near and long-term future periods. In a general view, changes in maximum temperature will be slightly higher than minimum temperature changes in the future.

The Effect of Nanosilica Additive on Soil Erodibility

S. M. A. Zomorodian

Erosion is one of the main factors of destruction of hydraulic structures. Therefore, soil improvement is necessary to improve soil quality and reduce soil erosion. Due to the adverse effects of substances such as lime and ash and also the increasing usage of nanotechnology in various branches of engineering sciences, using nanoparticles as new additives is an efficient way. In this study, to investigate the effect of nanosilica additive on soil, erosion function apparatus (EFA) is used. Samples containing nanosilica with 0, 1, 1.5, 2 and 4 percent (w/w) of dry soil were compacted in the standard compaction mold. They were tested in a close flume and with variable discharges. Erodibility parameters showed that by addition of 1.5% nanosilica to the dry soil, erodibility decreased by 92% as compared with untreated soil. The optimal amount of nanosilica was chosen as 1.5%. The results showed that samples compacted with the optimum moisture content causes the least erodibility. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) tests results showed that by addition of nanosilica to the dry soil, soil structure becomes more dense which reduces the risk of erosion.

Effects of Water Deficit Stress on Glomalin Secretion by Glomerales in Symbiosis with Corn Plant

M. Rishcefid

Glomalin is a glycoprotein identified in and extracted from cell walls of hyphae and spores of Glomeral fungi. It deposites on soil particles and acts as a glue which leads to the formation and stabilization of soil aggregates. Water deficit stress by affecting mycorrizal symbiosis can alter glomalin production. This study was conducted as a factorial experiment arranged in a completely randomized design (CRD) with four replications using corn (Zea mays L. Single cross 704) under greenhouse conditions. The first factor was three levels of soil moisture including 10-30% (W₀), 35-55% (W₁), 60-90% depletion of available water (W₂) and the second factor was three species of mycorrhizal fungi, Glomus versiforme (Gv), Glomus intraradices (Gi), Glomus etunicatum (Ge) and non mycorrhizal control (NM). At the end of vegetative growth, easily extractable glomalin (EEG) and total glomalin (TG) were measured using the Bradford method after extraction from soil. Shoot and root dry weights and root colonization decreased by declining soil moisture level. Water deficit significantly increased the amount of EEG and TG in soil. Also, a significant increase in glomalin production was observed at W₂ level in all three fungal species compared to the W₀ and W₁ moisture levels. Moreover, by enhancing water deficit stress and decreasing root colonization, glomalin production per unit percent of root colonization was significantly increased.

Digital Soil Mapping of Soil Classes using Conventional Soil Maps in the Arid Region Southeastern Iran

S. Ayoubi

Mapping the spatial distribution of soil taxonomic classes is important for useful and effective use of soil and management decisions. Digital soil mapping (DSM) may have advantages over conventional soil mapping approaches as it may better capture observed spatial variability and reduce the need to aggregate soil types. A key component of any DSM activity is the method used to define the relationship between soil observations and environmental covariates. This study aims to compare multiple logistic regression models and covariate sets for predicting soil taxonomic classes in Bam district, Kerman province. The environmental covariates derived from digital elevation models, Landsat imagery, geomorphology map and soil unit map that were divided into two different sets: (1) variables derived from digital elevation models, remote sensing and geomorphology map, (2) variables derived from digital elevation model, remote sensing, geomorphology map and the soil map. Stratified sampling schemes were defined in 100000 hectares, and 126 soil profiles were excavated and described. The results of accuracy model showed that data set 2 increased accuracy of model including overall accuracy, kappa index, user accuracy and reliability of the producer. The results showed that the multiple logistic regression model can promote traditional soil mapping and it can be used to large group of other scientific fields.

The Effect of Urban Sewage Sludge on Chemical Properties, Soil Basal Respiration and Microbial Biomass Carbon in a Calcareous Silty Clay Loam Soil

Sh. Ghorbani Dashtaki

The use of organic matter such as urban sewage sludge may help sustainable soil fertility via improving the physical, chemical and biological soil characteristics. The main purpose of this study was to determine the effect of urban sewage sludge on chemical properties, soil basal respiration and microbial biomass carbon in a calcareous soil with silty clay loam texture. Therefore, three levels of water repellency (zero, weak and strong) were artificially created in a silty clay loam soil by adding urban sewage sludge (S0=0:100; S50=50:50 and S80=80:20 sludge weight: soil ratio). Water repellency was determined by water drop penetration time (WDPT) method. Also some chemical properties such as soil acidity (pH) and Electrical Conductivity (EC), Soil Organic Carbon (OC), soluble sodium (Na⁺) and soluble potassium (K⁺) were measured. The samples were incubated at 23-25 ºC for 30 days and their moisture was maintained at 70-80 % under field capacity and soil basal respiration and microbial biomass carbon of incubation period were evaluated. The results showed that the effect of urban sewage sludge on chemical properties was significant (P ≤0.0001). The application of urban sewage sludge led to significant increase in basal respiration (16 and 27 times) and microbial biomass carbon (15.2 and 26.5 times) in the water repellency soils (S50 and S80) compared to control soil. The observed positive effect of sewage sludge might be due to a high content of organic carbon and nutrients in urban sewage sludge and decrease in the labile organic matter and nutrients during incubation period.

Water Quality Assessment of Zayande-Rood’s Dam Lake using Water Qualitative Index in 2013

E. Ebrahimi Dorche

Water quality assessment is important in late years coincide white decreas quantity it. The Zayande-Rood's Dam Lake is one of the important water resources that supplies drinking water for human populations in Isfahan, This lake also supplies water resources for agricultural sections of these provinces. Five points were determined as the sampling stations. Samplings were performed from May, 2013 to March, 2014 in seven steps, once every forty five days in for seasons (two times in each season). The water quality parameters (DO, NO₃, NO₂, EC, pH, hardness, TDS, NH₄, BOD5) were measured in all the stations and stages, and then water quality indexes were calculated. According to the results of this study, the water quality of the Zayande-Rood's Dam Lake estimated as good (50-100), with using WQI index. WQI index maximum was in summer (84.63) and minimum was in autumn (66.4). Considering the importance of the Zayande-rood's dam lake as a supplying resource of drinkable water of Isfahan. It seems that further attention in the lake watershed management is needed in order to protect water quality.