Surface water quantity and quality assessment in Pinios River, Thessaly, Greece

Abstract

Statistical and trend analysis of surface water quality and runoff data from Pinios River have been performed to provide a framework for sustainable water resources management. The trend analysis was performed using the non-parametric Spearman correlation and tested for statistical significance using the Student's t-test. Monthly runoff data from five stations and surface water quality data from six stations on Pinios River have been analyzed. Apart from the statistical and trend analyses, the quality of the Pinios River was assessed for drinking and other urban uses and for irrigation, according to the national, European and international water quality standards. The important information has been gained from this analysis, especially on the identification of significant temporal and spatial trends of water quality parameters and the status of river water quality according to the water quality standards. The analysis indicated that the quality of the river water is, on average fair, and the river water could be used with caution for irrigation purposes. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.