Surface water quantity and quality assessment in Xi´an moat river, China

Urban river, as an important component of urban ecological system, has many roles in urban ecological construction. Statistical and trend analysis of surface water quality from Xi´an moat river have been performed to provide a framework for sustainable water resources management. The trend analysis was performed using the non-parametric Spearman correlation and tested for statistical significance using the Student´s t-test. Weekly surface water quality data from 28 stations on Xi´an Moat River have been analyzed. Apart from the statistical and trend analyses, the quality of the Xi´an moat river was assessed for other urban uses, according to the national, Environmental quality standards for surface water (GB 3838-2002). The important information has been gained from this analysis, especially on the identification of significant temporal and spatial trends of water quality parameters and the status of river water quality according to the water quality standards. The analysis indicated that the quality of the river water is, on average fair, and the river water could be used with caution for water quality standard for landscape and recreation area purposes.