Single criterion and multiple criteria analysis: A comparison of water quality monitoring designs for a river system
Journal
Water Resources Management
Journal Volume
28
Journal Issue
3
Pages
645-655
Date Issued
2014
Author(s)
Abstract
The design of a water quality monitoring network is of critical importance to watershed management. By employing both a single criterion analysis and a multiple criteria analysis, this study assessed and compared water quality monitoring designs for a river system in the Taipei Water Resource Domain (TWRD), a major water resource protected area in northern Taiwan. The case area for this work was divided into 22 sub-basins; and each subbasin was generally based upon a river network. With a single criterion analysis, inputting different individual variables produced significantly different results. Thus, the sub-basins seen to have a greater need for a water quality monitoring system varied greatly. This study, further, observed that a multiple criteria analysis is more objective than a single criterion analysis. When considering multiple factors, this report utilized seven criteria, the top five sub-basins with a greater necessity for improved water quality monitoring records are, in order, Subbasins 2, 5, 21, 20, and 7. This indicates that the need for a water quality monitoring system in the Sin-Dian Creek Basin and in the Bei-Shih Creek Basin is greater than that in the Nan-Shih Creek Basin. This result is a useful reference for the creation of an improved water quality management strategy in the TWRD. © 2014, Water Resour Manage, All rights Reserved.
Subjects
Criterion analysis; Environmental management; Monitoring network; Water quality
SDGs
Other Subjects
Environmental management; Monitoring; Quality management; Rivers; Soil conservation; Water conservation; Water management; Water quality; Criterion analysis; Monitoring network; Multiple criteria analysis; Multiple factors; Resource domains; Water quality monitoring; Water quality monitoring systems; Watershed management; Quality control; comparative study; environmental monitoring; monitoring system; multicriteria analysis; river management; river system; water quality; watershed; Taipei; Taiwan
Publisher
Kluwer Academic Publishers
Type
journal article