Natural organic matter (NOM) in water sources
differs in terms of both character and concentration.
Water treatment processes and the aesthetic
quality of water may be influenced by NOM concentration
and character. NOM is also related to nutrient
cycling and availability and the general trophic state of
an aquatic ecosystem.
Quabbin Reservoir is the primary drinking water
source for metropolitan Boston, Massachusetts. Measures of
NOM present in samples collected from the watershed
included, but were not limited to, total organic
carbon (TOC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC),
ultraviolet absorbance (UVA), and trihalomethane
formation potential (THMFP). Samples were collected
at the mouths of the 12 major Quabbin tributaries
and from a horizontal transect of six sites within the
reservoir.
A variation was found in the relationships between
measures of NOM from the reservoir and tributary
samples. Regression analyses showed positive linear
relationships between DOC and UVA, THMFP and
TOC, and THMFP and UVA. Relationships between
measures of NOM in the reservoir samples were
weaker than those obtained for the tributary samples.
These weaker relationships were attributed to the low
concentrations and narrow ranges of measures of
NOM in the reservoir and the overall complexity of the
aquatic system. Includes 24 references, tables, figures.
| Edition : | Vol. 95 - No. 11 |
| File Size : | 1
file
, 1.2 MB |
| Note : | This product is unavailable in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus |
| Number of Pages : | 12 |
| Published : | 11/01/2003 |
