Evaluation of weir construction on water quality related to algal blooms in the Nakdong River

Understanding the effect of various environmental factors on algal blooms is essential for proper management of water resources. Eight weirs were constructed on the Nakdong River in South Korea between 2010 and 2011 to manage water resources and deal with possible floods and droughts. In this study, water quality observation data were collected from eight representative monitoring sites in the Nakdong River between 2001 and 2016. Particularly, the effect of the weirs construction on water retention time was statistically analyzed in terms of algal growth and other important water quality parameters. While there was slight increase of water temperature (0.8 °C) over 16 years, the concentrations of total phosphorous (TP) and total nitrogen (TN) decreased by 62.3, and 12.9%, respectively, after the construction of weirs. This TP decrease was noticeable, but still high enough to maintain the eutrophic state of the river. Correlation statistical analysis suggests that the Chl-a concentration is positively affected by the changes of TP, TN and chemical oxygen demand. However, there was no direct correlation between Chl-a concentration and the increased water retention time from the weir construction.