Effects of water replenishment on lake water quality and trophic status: An 11-year study in cold and arid regions

• Published in: Ecotoxicology and environmental safety 2024-08, Vol.281, p.116621, Article 116621
• Main Authors: Yu, Haifeng, Shi, Xiaohong, Sun, Biao, Zhao, Shengnan, Wang, Shihuan, Yang, Zhaoxia, Han, Yue, Kang, Ruli, Chen, Lixin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Environmental factors; Inner Mongolia; Nonlinear relationship; Trophic level index (TLI); Water replenishment; Wuliangsuhai Lake (WLSHL)
• ISSN: 0147-6513; 1090-2414; 1090-2414
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2024.116621

Water replenishment is an important measure for maintaining and improving the aquatic environmental quality of lakes. The problems of water quality deterioration and water shortage can be alleviated by introducing water of higher quality. However, the mechanism of water replenishment in the improvement of the water quality and trophic status of lakes remains unclear. This study investigated water replenishment in Wuliangsuhai Lake (WLSHL) from 2011 to 2021 by collecting seasonal water samples and conducting laboratory analyses. Water replenishment was found to be capable of significantly improving lake water quality and alleviating eutrophication. It is worth noting that single long-term water replenishment measures have limitations in improving the water quality and trophic status. The whole process was divided into three stages according to the water quality and trophic status, namely the buffer period, decline period, and stable period. During the buffer period, the water quality and trophic status showed only slight improvement because of the small amount of water replenishment and the low proportion of higher-quality water from the Yellow River. In the decline period, with increasing water replenishment, the proportion of higher-quality water from the Yellow River gradually increased, leading to the most significant and stable degree of improvement. In the stable period, increases in the amount of water replenishment had little effect on improving the water quality and trophic status, which is attributable to the balance between internal pollutants (lake water–sediment), and the balance between internal-external pollutants (lake water–irrigation return flow + Yellow River water). On the premise of stable water quality, with eutrophication control as the management goal, the optimal water replenishment would be approximately 10.58 ×108 m3. Further necessary measures for solving aquatic environmental problems include the combination of sediment dredging, optimization of the water replenishment route, and implementation of quality management in water replenishment. •Water replenishment significantly reduced nutrient and salt load in WLSHL.•Water replenishment significantly alleviated the eutrophication of WLSHL.•Water replenishment has limitations in improving water quality and trophic status.•The optimal amount of water replenishment would be approximately 10.58×108 m3.