Evaluation of impacts of land use change on Shavoor River water quality

Conservation and utilization of water resources are principles of sustainable development of each country. Surface waters or rivers are one of the most important water resources which have important role in supplying water demands in different sectors such as agriculture, industry, drinking water and energy. Shavoor River which is one of the effective rivers in Shoosh City is important due to its quality in water urban and agricultural usages. Land use and its changes have important effects on river water quality. In this research, the effect of land use change is investigated in water quality of Shavoor River in 1985-2015. For this reason, land use maps of 1985 and 2015 were prepared by satellite imageries and land use changes were investigated. Results showed an increase in residential and agricultural lands and a reduction in rangelands and forests. Also, the changing trend of water quality factors in Shavoor River was studied with Mann-Kendall test and graphs. Results demonstrated that the changes overall trend of Hco3, Cl, TDS, EC, Ca, Mg and So4 were increasing in the period. According to meaningful changes of parameters, it can be concluded that the increase in residential and agricultural lands and reduction in rangelands and forests cause the water quality of Shavoor River in the study period.