Statistical Evaluation of Water Quality and Meteorological Conditions in Karacaören-II Dam Lake

Karacaören-II Dam Lake, located on Aksu Stream within the borders of Burdur. The lake is planned to be a drinking water supply for Antalya in the near future. Some scientific studies carried out in recent years stated that the lake suffers from eutrophication problem due to the pressures within the basin. This study examined the relationships between the selected water quality parameters (BOD5, DO, pH, NH4-N, NO2-N, NO3-N, TKN, TN, o-PO4, TP and TSS) and the meteorological parameters (temperature, wind speed, precipitation, humidity, pressure, vaporization) measured between the 2005 and 2014 years using correlation analysis. The main factors contributing the variation in the data set was also determined by principal component analysis and the trends in selected water quality parameters were analyzed using Mann-Kendall test. The statistical tests indicated that nitrogen, phosphorus, pH, temperature, precipitation, and vaporization are the major parameters influencing the water quality in the dam lake. A very high correlation is found between NO3-N and DO. Trend analysis showed an upward trend in TN and TP concentrations. The results of this study will be beneficial to decision-makers for better management of water quality and to those who will carry out studies on the lake in the future.