Assessment of Cau River water quality assessment using a combination of water quality and pollution indices

This research aims at using a combined water quality index (WQI) and pollution index (PI) to assess and characterize river water quality of Cau River which is one of the longest rivers in the north of Vietnam. Five different water quality and water pollution indices were used including the Water Quality Index (WQI), Comprehensive Pollution Index (CPI), Organic Pollution Index (OPI), Eutrophication Index (EI), and Trace Metal Pollution Index (TPI). The combined water pollution indices show more serious pollution towards the river downstream. In particular, CPI and OPI reveal a high risk of eutrophication. Cluster analysis was applied to classify water monitoring points into different quality groups in order to provide a better understanding of the water status in the river. This study indicates that a combined water quality analysis could be an option for decision making water use purposes while its single index shows the current situation of water quality.