Water Quality Assessment of the Los Angeles River Watershed, California, USA in Wet and Dry Weather Periods

Abstract:

The purpose of this study is to identify sources of potential pollutants and characterize urban water quality along the Los Angeles River from its head to the mouth during dry and wet weather periods. Los Angeles (LA) River flows through heavily populated urbanized area in the Los Angeles downtown. The LA River is an effluent-dominated water body during the dry season. The three waste water treatment plants (WWTP) including the Tillman, Burbank, and Glendale discharge the majority of the volume flowing in the LA River during the dry and wet period. The concentration values (ppm) for anions in the dry season ranging 5.5-16,027 (Cl), 0-1.0 (F), 0-21(NO3), 0-1.6 (PO4), and 13.3-2,312 (SO4); whereas the values (ppm) for anions in the wet season ranging 3.4-5,860 (Cl), 0-0.66 (F), 0-17 (NO3), 0-0.67 (PO4), 7.9- 745 (SO4). Dry season concentrations values for trace metals were obtained with values (ppb) ranging 0.9-10 (Ni), 0.8-62 (Zn), 1-4 (As), 0-1 (Pb) and 0-3 (Se). As for wet season trace metals (ppb) ranging 0.001-0.008 (Ni), 0.000001-0.038 (Zn), 0.0016-0.016 (As), 0.00099-0.0058 (Pb), 0.000001-0.0093 (Se). Higher concentrations values during the dry period in the LA River watershed may be attributed to the three WWTPs discharge (75% of the volume of water flowing in the LA River). In water-limited areas such as the Los Angeles basin, urban runoff is a water resource that could enhance restricted water supplies and to enhance localized renewable groundwater resources, thus an assessment of this precious water resource is important for local city and regulatory organizations. In water-limited areas such as the LA basin, urban runoff is a water resource that could enhance restricted water supplies and groundwater resources, thus an assessment of this precious water resource is important for local regulatory organizations.