Assessing the Water Quality Parameters of the Munzur Spring, Tunceli, Turkey

Abstract

This study presents an analysis of the temporal variations in the upstream water quality parameters of the Munzur Spring. For this purpose, the spring water quality was monitored from 2007 to 2009 at different time periods. There were 5 water samples taken from 2008 to 2009 for hydrochemical and biological analyses, while 6 water samples were gathered between 2007 and 2009 for heavy metal analysis. The analysis results reveal that the water quality parameters were found to be in good agreement with the drinking water standards of Anonymous (1993) and Anonymous (2005). It was seen that the upstream source of the Munzur spring is periodically characterized by Ca+2 - Mg+2 - HCO3 - and Ca+2 - Cl- - HCO3 - facies according to Anonymous (1978), and CaCO3 and CaCl2 facies according to Back (1960, 1966). The results of a tritium analysis indicated that the spring is recharged by daily precipitations. The spring water was also found suitable for irrigation purposes based on Wilcox and US salinity diagrams.