CAUSES AND CONTROL COUNTERMEASURES OF EUTROPHICATION IN CHAOHU LAKE, CHINA

Key words: 
• causes of eutrophication /
• eutrophication control /
• non-engineering measures /
• watershed management /
• Chaohu Lake

Abstract: Chaohu Lake, located in the central Anhui Province, is one.of the five largest fresh lakes in China. Now it is one of the three most eutrophication lakes in China. The deterioration of its water quality has influenced the sustainable development of society, economy and environment of Hefei City, the capital of Anhui Province. A series of measures have been carried out to control its eutrophication, but it is still serious. On the basis of the lake water quality data from 1984 to 2003, the causes of the eutrophication of Chaohu Lake are analyzed. Studies indicated that the suitable natural conditions and human activities played a crucial role in the process of the eutrophication of Chaohu Lake.A great amount of industrial, agricultural and domestic sewage discharged into the lake is the main cause of eutrophication in the lake. Land use, soil erosion and shoreline collapse destroyed the watershed eco-environment and the terrestrial ecosystem of Chaohu Lake. And the building of Yuxi Gate extends the sluggish of the nutritious substance and speeds up the process of the eutrophication. From the view of systematic engineering and watershed ecology, a series of the countermeasures have been put forward to control the eutrophication.