**Biomonitoring**

putting the book together. Each book chapter was reviewed by three reviewers who gave sugges‐

**Prof. Elvis Fosso-Kankeu**, School of Chemical Engineering, North West University, South Africa

**Dr. Bronwyn P. Grover**, Geostratum Groundwater and Geochemistry Consulting, South Africa **Prof. Hlanganani Tutu**, School of Chemistry, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa

**Prof. Luke Chimuka**, School of Chemistry, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa

**Prof. Hlanganani Tutu**

Johannesburg, South Africa

South Africa

Molecular Sciences Institute, School of Chemistry University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg

**Dr. Bronwyn Patricia Grover (Associated Editor)** Geostratum Groundwater and Geochemistry Consulting

tions for improvement, extension or reduction of aspects.

**Reviewers**

X Preface

### **Ecosystem Approach to Managing Water Quality** Ecosystem Approach to Managing Water Quality

### Oghenekaro Nelson Odume Oghenekaro Nelson Odume

Additional information is available at the end of the chapter Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/106111

### Abstract

This chapter argues for the ecosystem approach to managing water quality, which advocates the management of water, land and the associated living resources at the catchment scale as complex social-ecological systems and proactively defend and protect the ecological health of the ecosystem for the continuing supply of ecosystem services for the benefit of society. It argues for a shift from the engineering-driven command and control approach to water resource management. Environmental water quality (EWQ) is discussed as a holistic and integrated tripod ecosystem approach to managing water quality. Water physico-chemistry, biomonitoring and aquatic ecotoxicology are discussed as and their application and limitation with respect to water quality management, particularly in South Africa, is critically evaluated. The chapter concludes with a case study illustrating the application of biomonitoring for the assessment of ecosystem health in the Swartkops River, Eastern Cape, South Africa. The macroinvertebrates-based South African Scoring System version 5 was applied at three impacted sites and one control site. Two of the three impacted sites downstream of an effluent discharge point had very poor health conditions. The urgent need for ecological restoration was recommended.

Keywords: aquatic ecosystems, biomonitoring, ecotoxicology, macroinvertebrates, pollution, water chemistry
