Assiut J. Agric. Sci., (45) No. (5) 2014 (39-52) Characterization of Water Quality Around The New Assiut Barrage and its Hydropower Plant Thabet A. Mohamed 1 and Atif Abo-Elwafa2 1 Environmental Engineering, STRI, Assiut University- Assiut- Egypt 2 Dean of Sugar Technology Research Institute, STRI, Assiut University, Egypt Abstract: The New Assiut Barrage and its Hydropower Plant in Egypt was initiated at May, 2012 and it is suggested to endin December, 2017. The project is consi- dered one of the most important industrial projects that established to enhance economy and development. The project energy of about 32 MW may contribute in the main electric grid for population and developmental approaches. Surface water samples from the River Nile, around the proposed project were collected and analyzed according to EPA Method- 1669. The measured values of pH, TDS, EC, DO, COD, Total hardness, and Temperature were recorded and reached 8.3, 183.5, 317.3, 7.7, 19.5, 135, and 25.7 OC respectively and were compared with guidelines stated by the Egyptian law 48/ 1982 concerned with protection of Riv- er Nile from pollution. Biological properties were obtained and statistically ana- lyzed and their sample locations were determined by Global Positioning System (GPS). The study helps the Environmental Impact Assessment in the stage of the operation of the hydroelectric power station. Keywords: hydropower plant, physicochemical parameters, algal count, diatoms, chlorophyll, water quality, environmental impact assessment, Egypt. Received on: 7 /12 /2014 Accepted for publication on: 13/1/2015 Referees: Prof. Mohsen A. Gameh Prof. Abd elhay A. Farag Thabet and Atif 2014 1.Introduction: chamber in addition to the refur- The Assiut Barrage was con- bished 80 x 16 m high; Rehabilitation structed between 1892 and 1902 to of the existing navigation lock: Re- sustain a water level difference of placement and Rehabilitation of the about 4 m in order to feed the Ibra- existing Ibrahimia canal head regula- himia canal (length about 350 km) tor: and Transmission line. The which irrigates an area of almost project of New Assiut Barrage and its 600,000 ha. The barrage was remo- Hydropower Plant has very promis- deled by 1930 to increase the per- ing positive aspects in relation to sus- missible head pond level difference to tainable development, poverty allevi- 4.2 m and thereby increasing the ca- ation, social and economic develop- pacity of the Ibrahimia canal. The ment in Egypt (Batisha (2007). civil works have been affected by age The impact of hydroelectric and also by tail water erosion as a power plant on the environment is consequence of a modified river re- varied and depends upon the size and gime after the construction of the the type of the project. Although hy- Aswan High Dam. dropower generation does not burn The government of Egypt in- any fuel to produce power and hence tends to replace the existing barrage des not emit greenhouse gases, there with a new structure incorporating a are definite negative effects that arise hydropower plant. After studying var- from the creation of the reservoir and ious alternatives, the Egyptian gov- alteration of natural water flow. It is a ernment decided to construct a multi- fact that dams, inter-basin transfers purpose barrage to guarantee the and diversion of water for irrigation supply of irrigation, to generate hy- purposes have resulted in the frag- dropower, and to increase navigation mentation of 60 % of the world's riv- capacity for river traffic. It consists of ers (Alobeidy et al., 2010). a sluiceway to evacuate emergency The sediment in the reservoir in flood release, a hydropower plant, a the front of the hydropower station double navigation lock and a road plays an important role in degradation bridge. of water quality. Sediment diagenesis The project scope of works: the may reduce the organic matter con- construction of 2 navigation locks of tent by bacterial degradation linked to 150x 17 m according to the latest in- methanogenesis, oxidation and CO2- ternational technologies to accommo- production, and other processes date the increase in the river and tour- (Bhatt et al., 2011). Sediment erosion ism transport units; the construction within the reservoir depends on hy- of a 4- lanes upper bridge over the drodynamics, mainly on stream ve- new barrage with capacity 70 tons to locity in river reservoir and thus on link the East and West banks of the the river load. (Chindeu et al., 2011) River Nile in Assiut. The barrage reported that remobilization of con- project components are: Sluiceway taminants from sediments and their with 8 radial gates 17 m wide and return to the trophic chain, either by Road Bridge; Hydropower plant: sediment erosion, by uptake by or- Low-head hydropower plant with 4 ganisms (fish, plants and sediment bulb units of 8 MW, total capacity 32 dwellers), or by infiltration of inters- MW; new navigation lock: 120x17 m titial water from the sediment to the 40 Assiut J. Agric. Sci., (45) No. (5) 2014 (39-52) ground water. Also Jena et al., 2013, solved oxygen, turbidity, hardness, showed that reduction of nutrients chemical oxygen demand, Ca, Mg, K, inputs to coastal areas of oceans and Na were measured and compared seas, resulting in reduced primary with guidelines stated by WHO and production in offshore areas. This EC standards and with the Egyptian may affect the marine carbon balance law 48/1982 concerned with protec- through limitation of production, and tion of the River Nile from pollution therefore climate change. Oxygen (WHO, 2004). depletion by the oxidation of particu- A major impact on surface wa- late and dissolved organic carbon ter quality may stem from biological may lead to deoxygenated or even processes such as bacterial contami- anoxic conditions in deep water and nation due to the release of water in sediment (Bhatt et al., 2011). The from wastewater treatment plants and main hazards associated with this are: diffuse run-off. Also, in particular eutrophication of deep reservoir wa- conditions, sediment contamination ter, remobilization of nutrients, met- may contribute to the persistence of als and organic contaminants from contamination in the overlying water sediments and their availability to or- (Mananda et al., 2010). Water turbid- ganisms (plants, sediment dwellers), ity can be increased by high plankton and infiltration of pore water charged and algal concentrations and there with contaminants and organic car- may be a proliferation of mosquitoes bon to the ground water (El-Ayouti and other insects leading to the risk of and Abo-Ali, 2013). spreading malaria. Thus the study The chemistry of physico- now focuses to identify impacts on chemical parameters and biological river water quality regarding physi- characteristics play a discriminative cochemical and biological characte- role for assessment of water quality ristics making a comparative analysis in the vicinity of the hydropower withfuture studies of the Environ- plant area. Water quality parameters mental Impact Assessment of the like temperature, pH, total dissolved project. Figure (1) illustrates the pro- solids, electric conductivity, dis- posed project. Figure (1): The proposed project of New Assiut Barrage and its Hydropower plant 41 Thabet and Atif 2014 2. Materials and Methods: barrage may eventually be threatened 2.1 Site description during low flow periods. This lead to The government of Egypt is re- the decision to construct a new bar- placing the existing Assuit barrage in rage and is making use of the water Upper Egypt with a new structure in- energy with a power plant. The loca- corporating a power plant. The old tion stated at (27○ 12′ 19" N, 31○ 11′ barrage was constructed in the year of 26″ E) is at the river approximate- 1902 to reserve water for irrigation of ly400km downstream of the old bar- farmland in the region. Over the years rage in North-east of Assuit city. Fig- the riverbed has degraded, especially ure (2) shows the construction pitfor after commissioning of the Aswan the New Assuit Barrage and the Hy- High Dam, and the stability of the dropower Plant. Figure (2): The construction pit for the New Assiut Barrage and Hydropower Plant 2.2 Collection of water samples ter, conductivity-meter and TDS me- As shown in Table (1), water ter respectively (Mahananda et al., quality parameters such as tempera- 2010). For dissolved oxygen (DO), ture, pH, total dissolved solids (TDS), samples were collected into 300 ml total suspended solids (TSS), dis- plain glass bottles and the DO fixed solved oxygen (DO), and conductivi- using the azide modification of the ty were measured in the water sam- Winkler's method (Chindeu et al., ples taken from the sites around the 2011). project, using a thermometer, pH me- 42 Assiut J. Agric. Sci., (45) No. (5) 2014 (39-52) Table (1): Water quality test methods and test units Parameters Test unit Method PH* - Thermometer Temperature* C Electrometric Turbidity NTU Spectrophotometric Electrical conductivity* S/cm Electrometric Total dissolved solids* mg/l Electrometric Total suspended solids mg/l Filtration mg/l as Ca- Total alkalinity Titration & Electrometric CO3 mg/l as Ca- Total hardness Titration, Na EDTA CO3 Total Nitrogen mg/l Kjeldabl method Atomic absorption Spectrophoto- Lead (Pb) mg/l metric Dissolved oxygen(DO) mg/l Titration and Electro-photometric Chemical oxygen demand (COD) mg/l K2Cr2O7 Digestion Biological oxygen demand (BOD) mg/l 5 days incubation Total Coli- form CFU/100 ml Membrane filter Fecal Coli- form CFU/100 ml Membrane filter Samples of bacteriological anal- any parameters that are more affec- ysis were collected into sterilized tive on water quality. Mean values of plain glass bottles. All samples were different physicochemical and biolog- stored in icebox and transported to ical characteristics (Mean ± SD and the National Research Center (Water range) are shown in Table (3).