Assessment of water quality of the Lepenc river in Kosovo through physicochemical parameters

Water is a very important resource of vital importance to humans and other organisms. In this study, we investigated the water quality in the Lepenc River in the Republic of Kosovo, using various physicochemical parameters. A total of 15 parameters were analyzed at six different locations: temperature, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), total organic carbon (TOC), NO , 3
− NO , NH , 2 4 − + 3 2 4 4 PO , SO , − − Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn. Heavy metals were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). Statistical analysis (basic statistics, Pearson correlation, and principal component analysis) was performed to better explain the data of different parameters. The concentration
of chromium (range from 0.07 to 0.108 mg/dm3) in all water samples exceeds the permitted level for drinking water, while the concentration of iron (1.45 mg/dm3) exceeds the permitted value at some locations. The median value for ammonium (0.81 mg/dm3) and phosphates (0.80 mg/dm3) exceeds the permitted level for drinking water. The pollution of the river water has mainly occurred due to anthropogenic factors, because the former ferronickel mine is located in this area, and the use of agricultural lands and the discharge of wastewater from settlements located along the river’s course.