Water Quality Analysis of a Tropical Reservoir Based on Temperature and Dissolved Oxygen Modeling by CE-QUAL-W2

Water quality impacts on water bodies such as reservoirs are strongly influenced by the hydrodynamics of the system. Although multiple models might be applied, they are limited by the simplification of the variables. In this study, a two-dimensional public domain model, CE-QUAL-W2, was adapted to test whether it would generate an accurate hydrodynamic simulation of the URRa Reservoir in Cordoba, Colombia, to understand water quality. The variables to be modeled were temperature and dissolved oxygen due to their importance in ecological terms. Thus, trial and error techniques were used to calibrate and validate the model, varying different parameters such as the wind shelter coefficient (WSC). Although the model accurately predicted the hydrodynamic part by having daily flow information, significant modifications to the eddy diffusivity coefficient were required to simulate acceptable longitudinal currents. This research shows that the CE-QUAL-W2 model fits adequately to tropical lentic systems. However, it is recommended that, for future studies, the modeling be adjusted using hourly data, especially in areas where inflow and boundary conditions are unstable.