The Agongdian Reservoir is selected as a case study model for the current project entitled as “Sustainable Water Quality Management for Reservoirs in Taiwan (South District)”. By the application of scientific approaches such as the estimation of nutrients loads from different sources and the development of water quality modeling tools, we successfully identify critical water quality problems and its pollution sources in the catchment of Agongdian Reservoir. Based on the results of pollution source identification and loading assessment, the areas of pollution hotspot were defined, and the site-specific strategies were provided for the control of nutrients loads from village wastewaters, tourism pollutions, as well as the transbasin diversion. As a result of scientific research and development, novel tools and techniques for sustainable water quality management have been applied and developed in this project, including the application of emerging contaminants as tracers of wastewater/polluted-runoff from human/agriculture activities; the use of fluorescence spectroscopy for identifying sources of natural organic matters; and the development of advanced water quality monitoring techniques by using water sampling drones and satellite remote sensing methods. With the fully supports from local governments and agencies, implementation plans for the reduction of total phosphorus from the catchment of Agongdian Reservoir have been in progress now. It is expected that when most of the control measures are completed, the levels of total phosphorus during non-empty flushing period can be lowered from 0.04 mg/L to 0.032 mg/L. The improvement of water quality in Agongdian Reservoir helps to ensure the safety of drinking water and benefits the sustainable management of water resources.

Sustainable water quality management, Nutrients reduction and control, Improvement of eutrophication status of drinking water reservoir