Analysis of Water Quality : The impact of the salt wedge from the Arabian Gulf on the Shatt Al-Arab River, Iraq

This book is attempted to evaluate the water quality of the Shatt Al-Arab River based on some chemical and physical parameters, and to investigate the impact of water river discharge and water elevation on electrical conductivity (EC) and some other parameters . It also attempted to identify the extent of the impact of the Arabian Gulf salt wedge on the Shatt Al-Arab River.Water samples were collected from six stations along the final 127 km of the river to its mouth in the Gulf. The parameters investigated were: EC, salinity (SAL), acidity (pH), dissolved oxygen (DO) and water temperature (T). The lab measurements were conducted to investigate the levels of chloride (Cl), potassium (K), sulphate (SO4), sodium (Na), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and bicarbonate (HCO3). the water quality of the Shatt Al-Arab River can be evaluated according to the irrigation standard (US-Salinity Lab) as C4S1 which was saline to extremely saline with low Sodicity hazard. According to World Health Organisation standard of drinking water (WHO, 2003), the water is unsuitable for drinking.