Evaluation of Hydrochemical Facies and Suitability of Water in Tilaiya Dam Reservoir of the Jharkhand State in India

The reservoir at Tilaiya Dam in the Jharkhand state of India is one of the most important freshwater sources in the region. The water of the reservoir is primarily used for domestic, drinking, and irrigation. Water quality of the reservoir was monitored at five locations during pre-monsoon, monsoon, and post-monsoon seasons in 2017-2018 to understand spatiotemporal variation and also, the suitability of water for existing uses. A hydro-geochemical analysis of reservoir water was undertaken with the help of Piper Diagram, Schoeller-Berkaloff diagram, Stiff diagram, U.S Salinity Laboratory diagram, Water Quality Index, Salinity Index, Sodium Percentage, Sodium Absorption Ratio, Magnesium Hazard, etc. The hydrochemical facies in the present study showed that water was of Ca-HCO3 water type. Factor analysis revealed two predominating factors, both geogenic in nature, that influenced reservoir water quality, accounting for 81.992 % of the variance in data. Slight variation in water quality was observed with time and space but it was nonsignificant statistically. Water Quality Index had increasing trends at three sites from monsoon to pre-monsoon through post-monsoon and winter seasons. The study revealed that the water of the reservoir is good and suitable for drinking, domestic use, irrigation, and industry in all the seasons during 2017-18