Investigation of nitrogen and phosphorus contents in water in the tributaries of Danjiangkou Reservoir

As part of the efforts to ensure adequate supply of quality water from Danjiangkou Reservoir to Beijing, surface water samples were taken from the tributaries of Danjiangkou Reservoir in the normal (May), flood (August) and dry (December) seasons of 2014, and characterized for nitrogen and phosphorus contents as specified in the applicable standards. Test results indicated that (i) the organic pollution in the Sihe and Shendinghe rivers was more serious than those in other tributaries, and the concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus favoured the growth of most algae; (ii) total phosphorus (TP), total nitrogen (TN) and dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) were in the forms of dissolved phosphorus (DTP), dissolved nitrogen (DTN) and nitrate nitrogen [Formula: see text], respectively, in these seasons; (iii) compared with nitrogen, phosphorus was more likely to block an overrun of phytoplankton; (iv) TN, TP, permanganate index (CODMn) and other ions were positively correlated. These findings are helpful for the government to develop effective measures to protect the source water in Danjingkou Reservoir from pollution.