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Assessment of Water
Assessment of Water
30
Revised: 2018.10.01
Volume 20, Issue 2, February 2019, pages 87–94 Accepted: 2018.11.06
https://doi.org/10.12911/22998993/95266 Available online: 2018.12.10
ABSTRACT
A good water quality is essential to sustaining the life of the organisms. The determination of water quality is needed
as a direction to monitoring the water pollution. The purpose of this study is to examine the quality of the water and
to determine the water pollution index based on the physicochemical parameters in Mimika waters, Indonesia. The
sampling of water quality was carried out in October 2016 at six stations (Moga, Puriri, Inaoga, Keakwa, Atuka and
Pomako waters). Then, the results were compared with the standard of sea water quality for biota marine based on
the Decree of the Minister of Environment No. 51 year 2004. This study showed that the physicochemical param-
eters of the waters, such as water turbidity, BOD, NH3 and heavy metals (Hg, As, Cd, Pb, Cu, Zn, Ni and Cr), are still
appropriate to the biota marine in all study stations. However, there is a parameter for which the quality standards
were exceed in all locations, including water salinity for coral and seagrass, NO3, PO4 and H2S. The result of pollu-
tion index calculation at coastal waters Mimika are classified as lightly polluted (Keakwa and Pomako waters), and
moderately polluted (Moga, Puriri, Inaoga and Atuka waters) with the pollution index values of 3.51 to 6.95. It is
important to notice that the parameters of quality standards which had been exceed such as NO3, PO4 and H2S are
the environmental parameter for nutrient elements and can trigger eutrophication in the waters.
Keywords: water quality; water pollution index; physicochemical parameters; quality standards; marine biota;
Mimika waters
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Journal of Ecological Engineering Vol. 20(2), 2019
The research on the sea waters quality of Measurement and Analysis of Waters Quality
Mimika and its surroundings was carried out by
The in situ measurement of yjr water quality
Ilahude et al. (2004), Herlisman et al. (2010) and
at each study station was carried out using ac-
Pranowo et al. (2013). However, only a few en-
credited methods. Meanwhile, the sampling of
vironmental parameters were reported in these
sea water sample using laboratory analysis. It was
studies. On the other hand, the water quality in- conducted by taking sea water samples into poly-
formation is very important in supporting the ethylene and 500 mL glass bottles, with the vol-
planning and management of coastal and marine ume of 350 mL, 200 mL and 100 mL, which were
areas. This water quality assessment can provide given preservatives, then stored in the coolbox for
information whether the quality water can threat- analysis. The seawater sampling is done based on
en the utilization biota marine. The assessment of the Indonesian National Standard (SNI) method
water quality is a complex process and involves No. 6964.8.2015. The sea water samples were
a variety of water parameters which are able to analyzed in the BINALAB Laboratory, Bandung.
influence the quality of the waters. This laboratory was accredited by KAN (National
The purpose of this study is to determine the Accreditation Committee). The types of physics
quality of the coastal waters of Mimika which fo- and chemistry parameters of seawater were in this
cus on the concentration of physical and chemical study. The measurement methods and standard
analysis were presented in Table 1. The data anal-
parameters of the waters according to the water
ysis was done by comparing the results of field
quality standard for marine biota. The results of
measurements (in situ) and the results of labora-
this study are expected to provide basic informa- tory analysis with the sea water quality standards
tion, especially the quality of marine waters as an based on Minister of Environment Decree No. 51
advice for the management of the coastal and ma- year 2004 about Sea Water Quality Standards es-
rine areas of Mimika. pecially the life of marine biota.
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RESULTS AND DISCUSSION of fresh water through the river. According to the
results obtained by Ilahude et al. (2004), the tem-
Water Quality perature in coastal waters of Timika ranges from
28.0 to 30.0oC and slightly lower salinity – from
The quality value of marine waters which had 24.0 to 30.0‰. Another study showed that the
been exceeded at the maximum level will be clas- temperature in Arafura waters ranges to 29.1°C
sified as polluted waters. The results of field mea- and salinity ranges from 24.14 to 33.71‰ (Herl-
surements and laboratory analysis on the quality isman et al., 2010). The water temperature in this
of Mimika waters using physical and chemical study is the same as the sea surface temperature in
parameters are presented in Table 2. Tempera- the northern waters of Papua which ranges from
ture and salinity water are important factors for 25 to 31°C and dominant range is from 27 to
the life of organisms in the waters. The results of 29°C (Hamuna et al., 2015). According to Decree
measurements of the Mimika waters temperature of the Minister of Environment of the Republic
range from 27.5 to 29.3oC, while salinity ranges of Indonesia No. 51 year 2004 about sea water
from 30.0 to 36.3‰. Low salinity at stations 2, 4 quality standards, only the low water tempera-
and 5 was caused bz the entering of huge amount ture at station 3 and station 6 do not comply with
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Journal of Ecological Engineering Vol. 20(2), 2019
Table 1. Standard and analytical methods of physicochemical parameters for water quality
Parameters Units Standards* Analytical Methods
Coral: 28–30
Temperature o
C Mangrove: 28–32 APHA 2550 B 2012
Seagrass: 28–30
Turbidity NTU <5 APHA 2130 B 2012
Coral: 20
Total Suspended Solid (TSS) mg L-1 Mangrove: 80 APHA 2540 D 2012
Seagrass: 20
pH - 7–8.5 APHA 4500 H+ B 2012
Coral: 33–34
Salinities ‰ Mangrove: up to 34 IK-S1 (Salt meter)
Seagrass: 33–34
Dissolved Oxygen (DO) mg L-1 >5 IK-S2 (DO meter)
Biochemical Oxygen Demand
mg L -1
20 APHA 5210 B 2012
(BOD)
Ammonia Total (NH3) mg L-1 0.3 SNI 19–6964.3–2003
Nitrate (NO3) mg L-1 0.008 SNI 19–6964.7–2003
Phosphate (PO4) mg L -1
0.015 SNI 06–6989.31–2005
Sulfide (H2S) mg L-1 0.1 SNI 19–6964.4–2003
Mercury (Hg) mg L-1 0.001 IK-L 42-MP-AES
Arsenic (As) mg L-1 0.012 IK-L 42-MP-AES
Cadmium (Cd) mg L-1 0.001 APHA 3111 B 2012
Lead (Pb) mg L-1 0.008 APHA 3111 B 2012
Copper (Cu) mg L -1
0.008 APHA 3111 B 2012
Zinc (Zn) mg L-1 0.05 APHA 3111 B 2012
Nickel (Ni) mg L-1 0.05 APHA 3111 B 2012
Chromium (Cr) mg L-1 0.05 APHA 3111 B 2012
Remarks: *Minister of Environment Decree No. 51 year 2004 about Seawater Quality Standards for Marine Biota
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Journal of Ecological Engineering Vol. 20(2), 2019
sea water quality standards for the life of marine and activity. The DO and BOD parameters are
biota. Meanwhile, the results of measurements of important to determine the quality of waters. DO
water salinity show that salinity at all study sta- shows the total amount of dissolved oxygen in
tions does not comply with sea water quality stan- the waters for breathing and metabolic processes,
dards for marine biota life (coral and seagrass), while BOD shows the amount of dissolved oxy-
but it is still appropriate for mangrove growth. gen needed by microorganisms to decompose or
Although the water temperature and salinity in decompose organic matter under aerobic condi-
some study stations did not appropriate with the tions (Salmin, 2005). The results of The Mimika
quality standards, the changes of temperature to waters DO analysis ranges from 4.4 to 5.2 mg
<2oC from natural temperatures and <5% season- L-1 and low BOD ranges from 0.18–1.08 mg L-1.
al salinity can be allowed. The DO in this study was higher than the DO in
The value of pH is another important pa- the study of Pranowo et al. (2013) which showed
rameter used for monitoring the stability of the that Arafura waters DO range from 2.30 to 4.35
waters. The pH conditions of water are closely mg L-1. The results of this study indicate that
related to carbon dioxide (CO2) and alkalinity. It the DO and BOD of the Mimika waters are ap-
means that the higher the pH, the higher the al- propriate to support the life of marine biota, al-
kalinity and the lower levels of free CO2 (Mack- though the DO at stations 1 to station 4 is low,
ereth et al., 1989). The value of pH in this study but still tolerable. According to Swingle (1967),
ranges from 6.5 to 7.6 and the pH of Indonesian the minimum DO of marine waters is 2 mg L-1
sea surface water with ranges from 6.0 to 8.5 (Ro- under normal conditions and it is not contami-
mimohtarto and Juwana, 2001). The pH can be nated by toxic compounds, thus being sufficient
affected by biological activity, photosynthesis, to support the life of the organism.
temperature, oxygen content, and the cations and The other influential quality water parameters
anions (Pescond, 1973). In addition, the increas- are the concentration of nutrients in the waters,
ing concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere can such as Ammonia (NH3), Nitrate (NO3), Phos-
cause acidification of marine waters (Fabry et al., phate (PO4) and Sulfide (H2S). NH3 is one of the
2008). The result of this study showed that the common chemicals contained in waste (Bonnin et
pH value of the waters at station 3 and station 4 al., 2008). The NH3 concentration in marine wa-
appropriate to growth of marine biota optimally. ters is varied and it can be toxic to marine biota if
Although the pH of the waters in other research the concentration exceeds the maximum thresh-
stations did not appropriate with the quality stan- old. The NH3 concentrations in Mimika waters
dard, it still can be allowed to change at <0.2 pH range from 0.05 to 0.18 mg L-1 and appropriate
unit (Minister of Environment, 2004). with the quality standards for marine biota. This
The ability of sunlight to penetrate the bot- concentration is low, comparing with the concen-
tom of the waters is influenced by turbidity and tration of NH3 in other waters in Papua, such as
TSS (Widiadmoko, 2013). The turbidity level in Depapre-Jayapura waters which the range from
of Mimika waters in this study is classified low, 0.8 to 11.6 mg L-1 (Hamuna et al., 2018).
which ranges from 0.19 to 1.33 NTU. The level NO3 and PO4 are important nutrient com-
of turbidity is appropriate with the quality stan- pounds in waters. NO3 is the most stable form of
dards for marine biota. It differs from the re- inorganic nitrogen in oxygenated water (Abdel-
sults of the study by Ilahude et al. (2004) which Halim and Aly-Eldeen, 2016). The NO3 and PO4
showed that the levels of turbidity in Arafura concentrations in Mimika waters exceeded the
waters is highly varied between 11 to 14 NTU quality standards based on the Decree of the Min-
in coastal waters, 750 NTU in estuaries and 5.0 ister of Environment of the Republic of Indonesia
to 6.0 NTU in offshore waters. The results of the No. 51 year 2004 for marine biota. The NO3 and
TSS analysis showed that the values varied from PO4 concentrations around the Mimika waters
6.67 to 28.0 mg L-1. According to the results of were by Pranowo et al. (2013). It showed that
TSS analysis, the Mimika waters are appropriate high concentrate range from 0.22 to 18.31 mg L-1
to the marine life based on the quality standard for NO3 and 0.15 to 1.50 mg L-1 for PO4. The high
except at station 4 is high and did not appropriate NO3 and PO4 concentration in waters can make an
to coral and seagrass growth. eutrophication or population explosion. All nutri-
The water organisms that dissolve oxygen are ent almost compounds (NO3 and PO4) in marine
relatively varied and depending on type, stage waters and sourced from river flows which gen-
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Journal of Ecological Engineering Vol. 20(2), 2019
erated by agricultural, aquaculture, industrial and Cd (0.032 to 0.071 mg L-1) in Ambon waters also
household or waste activities population (Cloern, exceeded the quality standards for marine biota
2001; Casali et al., 2007). (Tupan and Uneputty, 2017). Furthermore, the
Similarly to the NO3 and PO4 concentrations, heavy metal content of Cr (0.14 to 0.16 mg L-1)
the H2S concentrations in the waters exceeded exceeded the quality standards in Tugu coastal
the quality standards. The results of H2S concen- waters, Semarang (Suryono and Rochaddi, 2013).
tration analysis range from 0.03 to 0.06 mg L-1. The heavy metal pollution from industry, domes-
According to Poppo et al. (2012), the source of tic activities, transportation and natural sources
high concentrations of H2S in the waters stems from rocks flow to the river or ocean waters and
from decomposition process of organic materi- accumulate in the waters and marine biota. The
als which contain of sulfur by anaerobic and – a heavy metals in waters at certain concentrations
result of reduction– anaerobic conditions against will change their function to toxic to the life of
sulfates by microorganisms. The H2S concen- waters (Murtini et al., 2001).
tration varies based on season and H2S can af-
fect the cycle of some trace metals in the waters Water Pollution Index
(Cutter and Krahforst, 1988).
According to the results of heavy metal con- Most studies about the water quality assess-
tent analysis in the Mimika waters, the content of ment use a water quality index (Dunca, 2018).
heavy metals (Hg, As, Cd, Pb, Cu, Zn, Ni and Cr) The water pollution index provides a single as-
in all station was low (below detection limit). That sessment score on the environmental parameters
is why the content of heavy metal in the Mimika and it will be analyzed to interpret the water qual-
waters is safe for marine biota. Compared with ity (Popovic et al., 2016). The water pollution in-
some waters in Indonesia, the content of heavy dex can be used to determine the level of water
metals dissolved in waters exceeded the qual- pollution in coastal areas. The results of the pol-
ity standards for marine biota. For example, the lution index calculation can give an advice to the
heavy metal content of Pb (0.6037 to 0.6647 mg decision makers in order to assess the quality of
L-1) and Cu (0.064 to 0.1707 mg L-1) in the waters waters and improve the quality of water if there is
of Demak, Central Java exceeded the quality stan- a quality reduction due to the existence of pollut-
dards for marine biota (Tjahjono and Suwarno, ant compounds. The results from the analysis of
2018). For some cases in the waters of Madura, the pollution index values at
each station are fully
East Java (Apriani et al., 2018) the heavy metal presented in Figure 2.
content of Pb reached (0.07 to 0.42 mg L-1) and According to the results of the pollution in-
Cu (0.08 to 1.56 mg L-1). In addition, the heavy dex calculation in Figure 2, it can be seen that
metal content of Pb (0.013 to 0.084 mg L-1) and all observation stations are characterized by mild
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Journal of Ecological Engineering Vol. 20(2), 2019
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Journal of Ecological Engineering Vol. 20(2), 2019
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