A new strategy to reduce factors number in water quality measurements using Taguchi method - case study: The Karaj River

Abstract

For water quality assessment, there are several water quality indices, such as National Sanitation Foundation-Water Quality Index (NSF-WQI). These indices are determined by measuring several parameters in different samplings. Because the value of some of the measured parameters is constant during the different samplings; hence, these parameters can be measured in the earlier samplings and be used in the later one. The identification of these parameters can reduce the time as well as the cost of water quality evaluation. In this study, a new strategy by Taguchi method was used to propose a method (proposed method) to determine the mentioned parameters in a case study of Karaj River, Iran. For demonstrating capability of this strategy, water quality was calculated by standard (NFS-WQI), adjusted, and proposed methods and then the results were compared. Nine measured parameters in standard method were reduced to four by using the proposed method. In contrast to standard and adjusted methods that showed significant differences (p < 0.1), there were no differences between proposed and standard method results. Therefore, the proposed method may be recommended for water quality evaluation with reduction of the cost and the time. © 2017 Desalination Publications. All rights reserved.