Assessment of Water Quality Changes in Awash River

Assessment of the water quality changes in the Awash River with emphasis on the impact of Lake Beseka water blending is essential by virtue of the chemical nature of Lake Beseka which is too saline.To assess the water quality of Awash River and Lake Beseka, laboratory analysis was undertaken on samples from ten representative locations (seven from the River and three from Lake) for eight consecutive months. The purpose of this research was to indicate the current status of Awash River water quality and to propose the appropriate blending ratio of Lake Beseka water into the Awash River. Results obtained revealed that, most of the parameters were spatially and temporally varied in both water bodies. The effect of Lake Beseka in the Awash River for most of all parameters, which were dominant in the Lake Beseka showed a change between with and without Lake Beseka water at Metehara sampling points and also there was a shift of water quality level in most down stream locations due to the effect of Lake Beseka together with other natural phenomena. Recommendation for the blending ratio of Lake Beseka water into the Awash River were, 2.4% and 0.9%, for wet and dry season respectively.