Chapters authored
Fuzzy Logic as a Tool for the Assessment of Water Quality for Reservoirs: A Regional Perspective (Lerma River Basin, Mexico)
The aim of this study is to propose a water quality index for reservoirs in a basin using fuzzy logic. Most of the water quality indices are designed for use in rivers and streams and based on expert opinion; however, when the water is dammed, the quality usually Is modified. Mexico is a country with many contrasts in quantity and quality of water. Management of water resources in the Lerma River is achieved with a system of artificial reservoirs where water is stored in order to meet human needs, such as public supply, industry, agriculture and recreation, among others. Monitoring of 11 reservoirs in the Río Lerma basin was performed to characterize the water quality. Using the water quality data, those indicators that do not represent redundancy were selected based on the concentration gradient that occurred in the different reservoirs. Thus, the proposed index uses eight indicators of water quality. The fuzzy inference system is composed by 633 rules with a score from 0 to 100 and seven verbal categories. The index was validated by comparison with other water quality index, and their use across the basin was tested by applying it in five additional water bodies.
Part of the book: Lake Sciences and Climate Change
Calibrating and Validating the Biomonitoring Working Party (BMWP) Index for the Bioassessment of Water Quality in Neotropical Streams
The Biological Monitoring Working Party (BMWP) is among the most used bioassessment indices for aquatic ecosystems quality assessment, which assigns scores to each macroinvertebrate taxa according to their sensitivity to organic pollution. However, BMWP scores must be calibrated to each geographical and ecological conditions. In this study, we obtain statistically derived scores of sensitivity for macroinvertebrates taxa from Neotropical Mexican rivers, Apatlaco and Chalma-Tembembe rivers, Balsas Basin. We obtained water samples and aquatic macroinvertebrates in four sampling campaigns (dry and rainy seasons). Physicochemical parameters and the abundances of the aquatic macroinvertebrates were used for the BMWP index calibration, which was performed in steps obtaining: the physicochemical quality index (Pcq), incorporation of abundances classes of macroinvertebrates taxa in the corresponding Pcq interval and the determination of bioindication values for each macroinvertebrate family. The BMWP calibrated index was validated and tested for the geographical range extension. The BMWP scores for Chalma-Tembembe River (located in agricultural areas) showed bad polluted to regular and moderated polluted categories. The urban river zone of Apatlaco River showed: bad, very polluted to very bad categories. The BMWP calibrated is a suitable biomonitoring tool, allowing the detection of those zones that needs urgently a management and recovery plan.
Part of the book: Water Quality