USING REAL -TIME TELEMETRY SYSTEM FOR ASSESSING

WATER QUALITY AND IMPROVING ROUTINE

MONITORING

BY

Habash A. El-Sadek A. and Shaban M.

Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation

National Water Research Center

Drainage Research Institute

CONTENTS

Introduction and Problems Definition.

Research Objectives.

Methodology.

Results and Discussions.

Conclusions and Recommendations.

Introduction and Problems Definition.

Rainfall and Floods

1.00

Groundwater in the

Valley and the Delta

4.8

Groundwater in the

Deserts and Sinai

0.57 Agriculture drainage

water reuse in the

Delta

5.20

Wastewater

0.70

Total 67.77 BCM

River Nile

55.5

Water Resources in Egypt

Rural Areas

Urban Areas

Industrial

Areas

Point Sources

Non-Point Sources 20% of urban

areas are not

caught in

sewers

92% of rural areas

are not caught in

sewers

Livestock

Production

Suburbans

„Random“

Many industries

discharge inadequately

treated / untreated

wastewater into the system

CHALLENGES

In General, water quality data are needed to

{ Assess compliance with standards;

{ Facilitate impact assessment studies;

{ Validate & calibrate models and establish a databases;

{ Conduct research;

{ Define WQ problem;

NEEDS FOR MONITORING

I E 1 4

I E 2 0

I E 1 9

I E 1 3

I W 1 0

I M 0 3I W 0 6

B e n i M a z a r

IU06

IU07

IU09 IU08

IU04

IU03IU05

IU02

IU01

DU25

DU38

DU43DU42DU41DU40

DU39

DU32

DU31

DU30

DU29

DU27

DU28

DU23DU21

DU26

DU19

DU22DU24

DU20

DU18

DU17

DU16

DU14DU15 DU13

DU10DU09DU07

DU11DU12

DU37

DU36

DU34

DU35

DU33

DU08

DU06DU05

DU02

DU04DU03

DU01

NL15

NL28

NL27

NL26

NL35

NL37

NL21

NL20

NL38

NL19

NL18

NL17

NL16

NL12

NL13

NL14

NL11NL10

NL09

NL08

NL07

NL30

NL29

NL25

NL31

NL32

NL33NL34

NL36

NL24

NL23

NL22

NL40

NL39NL44

NL43

NL45NL41

NL42NL46

NL06

NL05

NL04

NL03

NL02NL01

NAWQAM

Baseline Phase NRI

Network

NL (River Nile)

DU (Drains – Upper

Egypt ) $ IU (Irrigation Canal – Upper

Egypt )

IF03

IF08

IF09

IF04

DF04

DF05

DF08

DF01

DF02

DF06

DF07

DF03

Monitoring Sites in Upper

Egypt and Nile Branches

Monitoring Sites in

Fayoum

Outfalls to

Northern Lakes

15 sites

Lake Naser

4 sites

Irrigation Canals 4

sites

Drains 8

sites

Nile River

Nile Water 48

sites

Irrigation Canals 9

sites

Drains 43

sites

Nile Delta

Irrigation

Canals 50 sites

Drains 116 sites

IE15IE17

IE06

IM04

IE11

IE10

IM06

IE02IE07

IE08

IM01

IM08

IM09

IM07

IE19

IM03

IM10 IM13

IW05

IW06

IW01

DM11

DE34

DE25DE24

DE22

DE21

DE40

DM10

DE19

DE17

DE41

DE18

DM43

DM13

DM15

DM12

DE31

DE28

DE03DE04

DE13

DE27

DE26

DW37

DM01

DM02

DM06

DM05

DM14

DM18

DM17 DM45

DM16

DE30

DE06

DE05

DE07

DE10

DE15DE09

DE08DE43DE11

DE36

DE42

DE16

DE33DE32

DW06

DW03DW02

DW01

DW04

DM19

DM28 DM20DM40

DM39

DM37

DM36

DM04

DW36

DM07DE35DE38

DW07

DW14

DW09

DW08

DW35

DW16

DW05

DW21

DW22

DW39

DW38

DW18

DW20

DW15DW28

DM41DM32

DM21DM24

DM38DM42

DM31DM09

DE37

DM25

DW11

DW12

DW33

DM44

DM33DM29

DM08

DW29

DW32

DW23

DW26

DW19

DW17DW27

DW13

DM34DM26

DM35

DW24

DW25

DW30

DW31

DW34

IE12

IE04

IE03

IE01

IE14

IE13

IW10IW02

IM05

IM02

IE20

Taw

fik R

aya

h

El Salam C

anal

DE20

DE23

DE29DE01

DE12

DE14

DE15

DM30

DM23

DM27

DM03

DW10

DE (Drains – Eastern Delta) IE (Irrigation canal – Eastern

Delta)

DM (Drains – Middle Delta) IM (Irrigation canal – Middle

Delta)

DW (Drains – Western Delta) IW (Irrigation canal – Western

Delta)

NAWQAM

Baseline Phase

(Drainage network)

Recommende

d

(Irrigation network)

DRI/MADWQ

Irrigation Canals 16

Sites

Drains & Outfalls 39

Sites

Irrigation Canals 13

Sites

Drains & Outfalls 44

Sites

Irrigation Canals 21

Sites

Drains & Outfalls 48

Sites

NATIONAL WATER QUALITY MONITORING

PROGRAM

Chemical

• EC , TDS, pH

• Na , K, Ca, Mg

• Cl,SO4,HCO3,CO3

Physical Parameters

• Temperature

• Odor, Color

• Turbidity

MONITORED PARAMETERS

Microbiology

• Total Coliform

MONITORED PARAMETERS

Nutrients

• N - (NH4,NO3)

• P - (P2O5)

Heavy Metals

• Fe

• Mn

• Pb

• Cu

• Zn

Oxygen budget

• O2

• BOD

• COD

Sampling Frequency

Sampling frequency is a function of the statistical

objective of the monitoring program.

More measurements will increase the precision,

reduce the bias, and increase the power

of the statistical component of the program but will

increase the overall monitoring cost.

The MWRI take 12 samples per year.

Automatic water

quality monitoring

station` Discharge measurement

using current meter

Sampling and in-situ water

quality measurements

Routine Monitoring Program

LABORATORY ANALYSIS

Disadvantage of Routine Water Quality Monitoring

In routine WQM, water samples are typically collected and

stored for shipment to a laboratory, where they are analyzed.

The time interval between data records is long too much.

The system can not detect the pollutions in the same time.

The decision maker has not enough knowledge to take the

fast solution to solve any sudden problems in the

water quality .

Research Objectives

Objectives

The objectives of this study are to:

Introduce the RWQM technology for Egypt.

Assess the water quality changes in selected strategic

points that represent the River Nile water system using

Real Time monitoring.

Using (WQI) to evaluate the suitability of water bodies

for various uses such as drinking, irrigation, livestock, etc.

Evaluate different sampling frequencies for selected water

quality parameters and propose the most efficient (economic)

sampling frequency that may be used for routine monitoring

within the NWQMN.

Advantages of Real Time Data:

1) Increasing data-collection frequency provides an improved

understanding of cause-and-effect relations that result in

observed water-quality characteristics.

2) Notifying water resource managers in real time, eliminating

delay between sample collection and lab analysis may be

critical for warning the public.

4) Decreasing time and costs associated with routine sampling.

5) Measuring water quality changes at night and during storms

when samples are seldom collected and when storm events

can have major effects on concentrations and loads.

Real Time Water Quality Monitoring System

Methodology

RTWQM System Set up

Sampling frequency

Assessing water quality on the Nile River

RTWQM System Set up

NL Nile Locations

DU Drainage Locations

IU Irrigation Locations

Lake

Nasser

First

Reach

Second

Reach

Third

Reach

Fourth

Reach

RTWQ Locations

NL Nile Locations

DU Drainage Locations

IU Irrigation Locations

Lake

Nasser

First

Reach

Second

Reach

Third

Reach

Fourth

Reach

RTWQ Locations

Real Time Water Quality

Monitoring Sites

1. NL03A: Aswan

2. NL34 : Ismailia Intake

3. NL39 : El Salam Intake

(Damietta Branch)

4. NL42 : Benowvar

(Rosetta Branch)

Monitoring Location NL03A in Aswan

Monitoring Location NL34 at Ismailia Intake in Cairo.

Monitoring Location NL39 on the Damietta branch.

Monitoring Location NL42 on the Rosetta branch

RTWQ System Description:

1.Station Design

The station contains two main parts :

Hydrolab sonde

Data logger to record data

Hydrolab sonde

Data logger

2.Sampling Equipment

The equipments can be categorized

in three parts:

Sensors.

Power Source.

Data retrieval system.

Sensors

Data retrieval system

(Laptop and Modem) Power Source (Betray)

(Power Source)

Solar Cell

3. Sensor Deployment

The water quality instrument is placed in the downstream

end of a 3 to 6 m length and 7 to10 cm diameter of PVC

pipe that has the lower 1.5 m slotted Sensors.

4.Communication System

5.Monitored Parameters

Temperature.

Specific Conductivity (SC).

Dissolved Oxygen (DO).

pH .

Total Dissolved Solids (TDS).

Turbidity (Tur).

Ammonium.

Nitrates.

Calibration Work

WATER QUALITY INDEX

Water Quality Index

732.1

23

22

21

100fff

WQl

Scope (F1) - number of variables not meeting

water quality objectives

Frequency (F2) - the number of times the

objectives are not met

Amplitude (F3) - the extent to which

objectives exceeded.

RANKING WATER QUALITY VALUE

Excellent 95 - 100

Good 80 - 94

Fair 65 - 79

Marginal 45 - 64

Poor 0 - 44

WQI Categorization

Data Summary Drinking Irrigation Livestock

WQI 73 69 72

Category Fair Fair Fair

F1(Scope) 33 40 33

F2(Frequency) 19 21 16

F3(Amplitude) 28 29 30

WQI Scores and Rankings for Nile River Site NL39

Water Quality Index Results During Low Flow

Data Summary Drinking Irrigation Livestock

WQI 79 66 77

Category Fair Fair Fair

F1(Scope) 27 33 31

F2(Frequency) 14 16 14

F3(Amplitude) 21 47 21

WQI Scores and Rankings for Nile River Site NL39

Water Quality Index Results During High Flow

Sampling frequency

Data sets combinations

Six (6) data subset were developed as following:

Subset A (n= 6 samples/year) measurements started at

20 February 2009.

Subset B (n = 6 samples / year) measurements started at

20 January 2009.

Subset C (n = 12 samples / year) measurements started at

20February 2009.

Subset D (n = 24 samples / year) measurements started at

20 February 2009.

Subset E (n = 36 samples / year) measurements started at

20 February 2009.

Subset F (n = 48 samples / year) measurements started at

20 February 2009.

Median Changes at different sampling frequencies

for WQPs at NL39

7.94

7.96

7.98

8.00

8.02

8.04

8.06

8.08

6 sampleper year

(A)

6 sampleper year

(B)

12 sampleper year

24 sampleper year

36 sampleper year

48 sampleper year

pH

0.00

1.00

2.00

3.00

4.00

5.00

6.00

6 sampleper year

(A)

6 sampleper year

(B)

12 sampleper year

24 sampleper year

36 sampleper year

48 sampleper year

DO

(m

g/l)

0.0

3.0

6.0

9.0

12.0

15.0

6 sampleper year

(A)

6 sampleper year

(B)

12 sampleper year

24 sampleper year

36 sampleper year

48 sampleper year

Tu

rb.

(NT

U)

0.267

0.268

0.269

0.270

0.271

0.272

6 sampleper year

(A)

6 sampleper year

(B)

12 sampleper year

24 sampleper year

36 sampleper year

48 sampleper year

TD

S (

mg

/l)

1.12 % 6.4 %

9 % 2.77 %

Range values at different sampling

frequencies for WQPs at NL39

1.08

1.16

1.24

1.32

1.40

6 sampleper

year(A)

6 sampleper

year(B)

12 sampleper year

24 sampleper year

36 sampleper year

48 sampleper year

pH

3.80

4.00

4.20

4.40

4.60

4.80

5.00

5.20

6 sampleper

year(A)

6 sampleper

year(B)

12sampleper year

24sampleper year

36sampleper year

48sampleper year

DO

(m

g/l)

11.6

12.0

12.4

12.8

13.2

13.6

6 sampleper

year(A)

6 sampleper

year(B)

12 sampleper year

24 sampleper year

36 sampleper year

48 sampleper year

Tu

rb.

(NT

U)

0.0600

0.0640

0.0680

0.0720

0.0760

0.0800

0.0840

6 sampleper

year(A)

6 sampleper

year(B)

12sampleper year

24sampleper year

36sampleper year

48sampleper year

TD

S (

mg

/l)

9.34 % 8.74 %

3 %

8.10 %

The final output obtained proved that the RTWQ water

quality monitoring system is a powerful tool in tracking the

water quality status in near real time conditions.

The system allows detecting any sudden changes in the

quality and permits to have fast reactions based on accurate

information.

The optimal sampling frequency for the measured water

quality parameters is six (6) samples per year. This will

significantly reduce the overall cost of the monitoring

program facilitating financial resources for better network

management.

Conclusion

The drinking water quality category for the River Nile

site (NL39) was fair for low and high flow rates,

respectively.

The irrigation and livestock water quality category was

fair in

both cases (low and high flow rates).

Conclusion (cont.)

Recommendations

The system is strongly recommended to be expanded to

cover other strategic water quality monitoring locations.

It is recommended to follow the QC/QA that describes the life

time for each sonde. This may be achieved by finding more

funds, this will also ensure system sustainability.

The performance of the already existed real time water quality

stations can be improved through adding more sensors to

detect more physical and chemical parameters.