Previous studies have shown that algal-derived dissolved organic matter (DOM) has a strong influence on the formation of disinfection byproducts (DBPs) during the treatment of drinking water. In the summer of 2010, we evaluated the role of nitrogen and phosphorus loading and phytoplankton abundance as drivers of the concentrations and quality of DOM and the associated DBP formation in 30 reservoirs in the mountains and plains of the State of Colorado. Optical properties such as Specific Ultraviolet Absorbance at 254 nm (SUVA254) and fluorescence spectroscopy were used to characterize DOM quality. Nutrient concentrations such as total nitrogen were also assessed and were associated with high concentrations of chlorophyll a (Chl-a). In turn, high total organic carbon (TOC) concentrations were associated with high concentrations of Chl-a, and the DOM in these reservoirs had a fluorescence signature indicative of contributions from phytoplankton growth. The reservoirs with TOC concentrations above 4 mgC/L were predominantly located in the plains and many are impacted by agricultural runoff and wastewater discharges, rather than in the mountains and are characterized by warm water conditions and shallow depths. For a subset of fourteen reservoirs, we characterized the composition of the phytoplankton using a rapid imaging microscopy technique and observed a dominance by filamentous Cyanobacteria in reservoirs with TOC concentrations above 4 mgC/L. The combination of high TOC concentrations with microbial characteristics resulted in high potential for production of two major classes of regulated DBPs, trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids. While fluorescence spectroscopy was useful in confirming the contribution of phytoplankton growth to high TOC concentrations, evaluation of predictive models for DBP yields found that all equally predictive models included SUVA254 and some of these models also included fluorescence indices or logTOC. These findings provide a limnological context in support of the recent guidelines that have been implemented for protection of high-quality drinking water supplies in the State of Colorado.

中文翻译：

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科罗拉多水库中溶解有机物质生产的浮游植物驱动因素和消毒副产品的形成

先前的研究表明，藻类来源的溶解有机物 (DOM) 对饮用水处理过程中消毒副产物 (DBP) 的形成有很大影响。2010 年夏季，我们评估了氮和磷负荷和浮游植物丰度作为 DOM 浓度和质量以及科罗拉多州山区和平原 30 个水库中相关 DBP 形成的驱动因素的作用。光学特性，例如 254 nm 处的特定紫外线吸收率 (SUVA254) 和荧光光谱用于表征 DOM 质量。还评估了营养物质浓度，例如总氮，并且与高浓度的叶绿素 a (Chl-a) 相关。反过来，高总有机碳 (TOC) 浓度与高浓度的 Chl-a、这些水库中的 DOM 具有荧光特征，表明浮游植物生长的贡献。TOC 浓度高于 4 mgC/L 的水库主要位于平原，许多水库受农业径流和废水排放的影响，而不是山区，其特点是水温条件和水深浅。对于 14 个水库的子集，我们使用快速成像显微技术表征了浮游植物的组成，并观察到 ​​TOC 浓度高于 4 mgC/L 的水库中丝状蓝藻的优势。高 TOC 浓度与微生物特征相​​结合，产生了两种主要类别的受管制 DBP，三卤甲烷和卤代乙酸的高潜力。虽然荧光光谱有助于确认浮游植物生长对高 TOC 浓度的贡献，但 DBP 产量预测模型的评估发现，所有同等预测模型都包括 SUVA254，其中一些模型还包括荧光指数或 logTOC。这些发现提供了湖沼学背景，以支持最近为保护科罗拉多州的优质饮用水供应而实施的指导方针。