Assessment of Physicochemical Properties of Water in Bawashaswar Dam, Kurdistan Region, Iraq

Abstract

This research has been carried out to determine the quality and use of water of Bawashaswar Dam based on the physical and chemical parameters. Twelve water samples were taken from different locations within the dam's reservoir; then, analyzed for physical and chemical parameters such as pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total hardness (TH), chloride (Cl-), sulphate (SO42-), bicarbonate (HCO3-) nitrites (NO3-), total dissolved solids (TDS), magnesium (Mg2+), calcium (Ca2+), sodium (Na+), and potassium (K+). The concentrations of these constituents were measured and interpreted with some water quality indices such as sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), residual sodium carbonate (RSC), magnesium hazard (MH%), and Kelly’s ratio (KR). Compared with irrigation water standards and water quality for fisheries life, the characteristics of water in the reservoir revealed that the most measured parameters were acceptable. However, high values of turbidity, TDS and RSC in some sites basis on drinking water standards revealed that water in the dam needs proper treatment before distribution for public consumption.