Water quality assessment of abandoned mines in Selangor

The use of abandoned mining lakes as a source of raw water is not a preferable alternative source due to the common view that the water is polluted. This paper is aiming in assessing the water quality index (WQI) for abandoned mines in Selangor as new water resources. Two abandoned mines in Selangor were identified as the study area; Serendah ex-mining lake and Biru Kundang lake. Six paramaters has been considered to determine the WQI which includes dissolved oxygen (DO), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammoniacal nitrogen (AN), pH and total suspended solids (TSS). Several chemical properties including zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr) and lead (Pb) were also considered to determine any presence of metals in the water. Sampling and analysis was conducted by following the standard method prepared by USEPA. The water samples were tested and compared with National Water Quality Standard (NWQS) and the WQI was calculated based on the guidelines specified by the Department of Environment (DOE) Malaysia. From the result, there are presence of Cr and Cu for both locations. The computed WQI shows that both Serendah ex-mining lake and Biru Kundang lake can be categorized as Class III which require extensive water treatment if it is intended to be used for water supply purpose.The use of abandoned mining lakes as a source of raw water is not a preferable alternative source due to the common view that the water is polluted. This paper is aiming in assessing the water quality index (WQI) for abandoned mines in Selangor as new water resources. Two abandoned mines in Selangor were identified as the study area; Serendah ex-mining lake and Biru Kundang lake. Six paramaters has been considered to determine the WQI which includes dissolved oxygen (DO), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammoniacal nitrogen (AN), pH and total suspended solids (TSS). Several chemical properties including zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr) and lead (Pb) were also considered to determine any presence of metals in the water. Sampling and analysis was conducted by following the standard method prepared by USEPA. The water samples were tested and compared with National Water Quality Standard (NWQS) and the WQI was calculated based on the guidelines specified by the Department of...