Assessment of Water Quality in Brackish Bafa Lake (Turkey) by Using Multivariate Statistical Techniques

OpenAlex · İngilizce

Lake Bafa is one of the biggest lake in the western part of Turkey. It has a great importance in terms of both historical and biodiversity. Lake Bafa which was fed by Büyük Menderes River has become an area where the pollutant factors carried by the river accumulated over time. In this context, the complex physicochemical characteristics of Lake Bafa were evaluated and water quality classes were determined in order to constitute a monitoring pattern. In this research, the water samples were taken monthly from eight different stations located in the Lake Bafa during the two years study period (2015-2017). Total of 22 water quality parameters including atmospheric pressure, temperature, pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolution solids, salinity, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, oxygen saturation, biological oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, ammonium, nitrate, nitrite, calcium, sodium, magnesium, potassium, chloride, sulphate total phosphorus and total nitrogen were investigated in water samples. The data obtained were statistically evaluated by using Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Cluster Analysis (CA) and Pearson Correlation Analysis and compared with the limit values reported by various national and international organizations. According to the results PCA, three factors (PCA 1, PCA 2 and PCA 3) explained 79.05% of the total variance while CA results exhibited three statistically significant clusters. Overall the results suggested that Lake Bafa has been exposed to high amount of pollution and it is generally classified in “Class III-IV” water quality level based on both Klee’s method and Turkish Water Pollution Control Regulation.