Water Quality I ndex of 11 Streams Pouring into Um-Alnaaj Marsh

This paper assesses the water quality index of 11 streams (rivers) and the receiving UM- AL NAAJ marshland at Misan governorate and how the water quality is improved when entered the marshland. The assessment employ the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment Water Quality Index (CCME WQI) which incorporates three elements: Scope (F 1)- the number of water quality parameters not meeting water quality objectives; Frequency (F 2)- the number of times the objectives are not met; and Amplitude (F 3)- the extent to which the objectives are not met. The index produces a number between 0 (worst) to 100 (best) to reflect the water quality. Iraqi guidelines for drinking water and the site-specific measured values of 5 variables are used in the index calculation.Variables included in the index calculation were, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, total dissolved solids, pH, turbidity. The CCME WQI analysis show that the average water quality of the 11 streams, feeding Um- Alnaaj marshland is rated as fair based on 2010 data, meaning that the conditions of the streams were sometimes depart from natural or desirable levels while the quality of water inside the marsh was ranging from good to excellent