Stormwater Quality and Pollution Loading

from Agricultural Catchments at Sungai Johor

Asmida Kamarudin, Razali Ismail, Zulkifli Yusop

Asmida Binti Kamarudin

asmidakamarudin@gmail.com
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

What makes water polluted?

Organic
Waste
Fertilizer
Heavy
Metals

Pesticid
es

Sewage, runoff from livestock wastes, food waste,

decomposing plants and animals and grass clippings.
Byproducts formed from organic materials in water, use up
DO in the water .
High level of nitrate, from NO3 and NH4, and
excess phosphate from PO4
Lead to choking water ways, using up DO and
cutting off light to deeper water.

Very hazardous to human

this accumulation occur until lethal levels are reach
or the animal is eaten by another animal higher up
the food chain. (sometimes human)

Pesticides applied to crops and in urban areas do not just

disappear.
Can accumulate in invertebrates and fish, pass through
the food chain to birds, mammals and even human.

Introduction

Stormwater
Stormwater runoff occurs when
precipitation from rain flows over
the ground

Stormwater runoff threat to ecosystem

due to discharge of pollutant and sediments
to surface water through stormwater where
there is a rainfall.
Occur when waters run over the land and
picks
up contaminants and transport them to

hat causes polluted stormwater runoff?

Human act happen anywhere people use
or alter the land
Example ; over fertilizing lawns,
excessive pesticides use
Non-point sources pollution sources of
water pollution that are hard to pinpoint.

or Agricultural Practices and Runoff

Can cause all the river and stream inhabitable for aquatic animals

Agricultural pollutants that are carried to the water via runoff

n include sediment, pesticides, fertilizer, bacteria, oil, grease and
vent resulting high level of suspended solid, nitrogen, phosphorus,
ganic chemical and heavy metals are found in the receiving water.

Objective
To predict the water quality, nutrients level,
pesticides and heavy metals contamination during
baseflow and stormflow in each of the catchments,
To estimate the pollutant loading during stormflow
event
Water quality ; BOD,
COD, TSS, pH, NH3-N
and DO

Nutrients ; Nitrate,
Nitrite, Total
Phosphorus,
Orthophosphate

Pesticides ;
Chlorpyrifos and
Malathion

Heavy Metals ; Zn,

Cd, As, Hg and Pb

Study Area

No

Sampling stations

Location (GPS
coordinate)
Latitud
e

Longitude

Google earth

Sungai Sebol

1.8442
62

103.6273

Sungai Penggeli

1.4920
00

103.2820

Johor river major land use is

based on agriculture ; Palm oil
and rubber plantation

Sampling
area

Area Summary (Ha)

Total

Planted

Sungai Sebol

1,768

1,666

Sungai
Penggeli

2,102

1,886

Methodology
Characterization of stormflow quality and estimation of pollution
loadings

DATA
DATA
COLLECTION
COLLECTION

Selection of
study
catchments

Two small tributaries, Sg Sebol

and Sg Penggeli

Rainfall, runoff, water level,

velocity, and catchment
properties

In-situ determination

Base flow and storm flow samples

DATA
DATA ANALYSES
ANALYSES

Water quality
Chemistry
Characterization of storm water
quality

Estimation of pollutant loading using

EMC and WQI calculation

Nutrients
Heavy metals concentration
Pesticides concentration

In- situ Analysis

- Turbidity meter
-Probe meter

Water

1 liter water sample & preserve

Laboratory analysis
Sampling
Water Level

Hydrology

Velocity:
Current Meter
Outsources data :
Rainfall intensity
Topography and soil

Preservative for water samples

1 liter volume in polypropylene and glass bottle (for pesticides)

Variable

Preservative

Holding period

BOD

48h

TSS

Cool 4C

7 days

Heavy metals

2 ml Conc. HNO

6 months

/sample and Cool 4C

COD

28 days

Ammonia

28 days

Nitrate and Total

Cool 4C, 2ml H2SO4

28 days

Nitrogen
Nitrite

28 days

Orthophosphate

28 days

Total Phosphorus

28 days

Pesticides

Cool 4C

7 days

List of parameter

Procedure

In-situ analysis (pH, DO)

In-situ probe

Total suspended Solid (TSS)

APHA Method 2540 D

Biochemical Oxygen Demand

(BOD)

APHA Method 5210 B (5 days

BOD test)

Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD)

*DR/4000 Procedure Method

8000

List of nutrient

Procedure

1) Nitrate

*DR/4000 Procedure
Method 8171

2) Nitrite

*DR/4000 Procedure
Method 8507

3) Ammonianitrogen

*DR/4000 Procedure
Method 8155

4) Orthophosphate

*DR/4000 Procedure
Method 8048

5) Total phosphorus

*DR/4000 Procedure
Method 8190

Analysis

Procedure

Pesticides
(Malathion and
Chlorpyrifos)

Heavy Metals

*Adapted from Standard Methods for the Examination of

Water and Wastewater

Liquid-liquid
Extraction
GC-ECD
APHA Standard
Method of
Analysis 3030
E (Nitric Acid
Digestion)
ICP-MS,
Mercury
Hydride
Generation

Data Manipulation and Analysis

For base flow event, the data will be manipulated to :
- WQI calculation ,
- Event Mean Concentration ( to calculate pollutant loading)
For storm flow data event, the data will be manipulated to:
- WQI calculation
- Event Mean Concentration ( to calculate pollutant loading)

National Water Quality Standards For Malaysia

DO, BOD, COD, pH, NH3-N and TSS values were used in WQI
calculation according to the equation below;

Water Quality Index (WQI) = [0.22 X SI DO] + [0.19 X SI BOD] +

[0.16 X SI COD] + [0.15 X SI AN) + [0.16 X SI TSS] + [0.16 X SI pH]

Pollutant loading ,
product of event mean
concentration

Result and Discussion

Water Quality Index

Location

Baseflow

Stormflow

Sungai Sebol

63/III (slightly
polluted)

46/IV (polluted)

Sungai Penggeli

81/II (clean)

31/ IV (polluted)

Following National Water Quality Standards For Malaysia

DOE Water Quality Classification Based On Water Quality

Index
SUB INDEX &
WATER QUALITY INDEX

INDEX RANGE
CLEAN

SLIGHTLY
POLLUTED

POLLUTED

Biochemical Oxygen
Demand(BOD)

91 - 100

80 - 90

0 - 79

Ammoniacal Nitrogen(NH3-N)

92 - 100

71 - 91

0 - 70

Suspended Solids(SS)

76 - 100

70 - 75

0 - 69

Water Quality Index(WQI)

81 - 100

60 - 80

0 - 59

CLASS

USES

Class I

Conservation of natural environment.

Water Supply I - Practically no treatment necessary.
Fishery I - Very sensitive aquatic species.

Class IIA

Water Supply II - Conventional treatment.

Fishery II - Sensitive aquatic species.

Class IIB

Recreational use body contact.

Class III

Water Supply III - Extensive treatment required.

Fishery III - Common,of economic value and tolerant
species;livestock drinking.

Class IV

Irrigation

Class V

None of the above.

Metals concentration during baseflow and stormflow at both

sampling location
Sampling
Element Concentration (g/L)
WHOa
EUb
Sites
Guideline Standard
s (g/L)

Baseflow
Stormflow s (g/L)

Sungai Sebol
As
0.84-1.93 0.01-2.46
10.00
10.00

Sungai
Penggeli

WHO (2006);
(1998)
a

Cd

0.04-0.07

0.02-1.57

3.00

5.00

Pb
Hg
Zn

0.6-2.1
5.3-14.8
5.5-12.7

0.7-7.6
5.6-55.6
3.17-85.7

10.00
1.000
3000

10.00
1.000
-

As

0.15-0.52

0.01-0.150

10.00

10.00

Cd

0.09-0.4

0.001-0.31

3.00

5.00

Pb
Hg
Zn
b

8.1-8.8
4.4-12.9
4.0-8.5

0.9-48.6
1.8-86.6
3.6-54.5

10.00
1.000
3000

10.00
1.000
-

EU

Pollution loading
(mg/day)
25000

80000
20683.02

20000
15850.3
2

15000

BOD

75168.35

70000

BOD

COD

60000

CO
D

TSS

50000

TSS

40000
Pollutant Load (mg/day)

Pollutant Load (mg/day)

10000

30000
20000

11926.0
9

5000

1132.8
49.5 377.5

Baseflow

Stormflow

Streamflow at Sungai Sebol

10000
0
Baseflow

Streamflow at Sungai Penggeli

Average concentration of TSS during storm event were found to exceed the class V in
river quality standard at both of study area.

120

250

100
NH3

200
NH3

80
NO2

60
Pollutant Loading (mg/day)
40

OPO4

20

TP

150
NO2

Pollutant Load (mg/day)

100

OPO4
50
TP

0
Baseflow

Stormflow

Streamflow at Sungai Sebol

0
Baseflow

Stormflow

Streamflow at Sungai Penggeli

- The highest level of NH3 detected at Sungai Penggeli during stormflow (16.31 mg/day)
and during baseflow, the level of NH3 is low detected. Range ( 1.1 to 7.7 mg/day)
- Nitrate is highly detected during baseflow at Sungai Penggeli ( 26.82 mg/day)
- Total phosphorus is highly detected at both of river during stormflow.
Range ( 58.27 to 219.81 mg/day)

4000.000
Cd
3500.000
3000.000
2500.000
2000.000
Pollutant Load (g/day)

1400

Pb

1200

Hg

1000

Zn

Cd
Pb
Hg

800
Zn

Pollutant Load (g/day)

600

1500.000
400
1000.000
500.000
0.000
Baseflow
Streamflow
at SungaiStormflow
Sebol

200
0
Baseflow

Stormflow

Streamflow at Sungai Penggeli

Zn loads is higher during stormflow at Sungai Sebol ( 3462.9 mg/day) and at Sungai Penggeli
( 647.1 mg/day)
Hg loads is highly detected during stormflow at both of river with range 712.5 to 1168.0 mg/day

300.00

100.00
90.00

250.00

Chlorpyrifos

200.00

Malathion

80.00
70.00
60.00

150.00
Pollutant Load (g/day)
100.00

Chlorpyrifo
s
Malathion

50.00
Pollutant Load (g/day)
40.00
30.00

50.00

20.00
10.00

0.00
Baseflow

Stormflow

0.00
Baseflow

-50.00
Streamflow at Sungai Sebol

Stormflow

Streamflow at Sungai Penggeli

The pesticides loading during stormflow is higher compared to baseflow. Malathion

is highly detected at Sungai Sebol ( 232.16 mg/day) during stormflow whereas low detected durin
Baseflow ( 2.02 mg/day). Malathion loads at Sungai Penggeli during stormflow is 90.66
Mg/day compared to 9.82 mg/day during baseflow.
Chlorpyrifos is also highly detected at Sungai Sebol (270.30 mg/ day) but low detected at
Sungai Penggeli (9.06 mg/day) during stormflow.

Conclusion
The contaminants in the stormwater in the study area are identified.
The water quality of Sungai Sebol and Sungai Penggeli
varies based on the river landform and seasons of the
sampling stations.
Sungai Sebol and Sungai Penggeli are
highly polluted during stormflow and falls in to Class IV
under the Interim National Water Quality Standards.
The maximum concentration of metals followed in an
order As<Cd<Pb<Hg<Zn for Sungai Sebol and As<Cd<Pb<Zn<Hg for Sungai
Penggeli.
The concentration of Chlorpyrifos and Malathion are still low
and below the maximum allowable concentration in drinking water
stated in WHO Guideline for Drinking Water Quality.
The results indicate that pollutant loadings were strongly
related and influenced by the runoff volume.

Future Study
1. Estimate the distribution of pollutant during next storm event
by using Neural Network Software
2.
Perform sampling in urban areas.

Thank you!