Analysis of Phosphate, Nitrate and Macrozoobenthos Density in

Belawan River

Mayang Sari Yeanny

and Ternala Alexander Barus

Department of Biology, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia

Keywords: Phosphate, Nitrate, Macrozoobenthos, Belawan River

Abstract: The goals of this research was to identify Phosphate and Nitrate contents and also macrozoobenthos density

in Belawan River. Activities done by the community such as industries, PLTU, PDAM and aquaculture are

found in Belawan River area. This action produce waste straightly discharged into water river, emerging

several bad effect on water quality such as Phosphate, Nitrate, and Macrozoobenthos density. Retrieval of

data with Purposive Random Sampling with five analysis the location.The method used in this research was

included in the measurement of density (K), KR (relative density), and FR (frequency of attendance) of

Macrozoobenthos. Identification of Macrozoobenthos results obtained in the Belawan river was amounted

as nine genera. The lowest Marcozzoobenthos density was at the Station 5 (Scylla), Station 4 (Hirudo),

Station 2 (Microbachiumand Melanoides) and Station 1 (Melanoides) with a density of 3.703, and the

highest was instation 4 (Polymesodaerosa) with a density of 629.62. Based on phosphate concentrations, it

is included as hypertrophic (0.14-0.18 mg/l,). Based on nitrate concentration, it is included as eutrophicand

mesotrophic waters (1.18-7.57 mg/l).

1 INTRODUCTION

Activities done by the community such as industries,

PLTU, PDAM and aquaculture are found in the

Belawan River area. Waste produce from these

activities is straightly released into the river,

emerging in several bad effect on water qualityand

the contingency of the aquatic biota. The condition

of the Belawan river are based on its tributary, the

condition of the land and the watersit passes

through. (Yeanny, 2018).

Phosphate and nitrate are included as sources of

nutrients that are needed by aquatic biota for energy

sources by organisms. Organisms need nutrients in

the form of phosphate and nitrates. The forms of

sediment nutrients are divided into 3 forms that are

on the surface of sediments,in sediments and

dissolved in sedimentary pore water. Water biota

that really needs nitrate and phosphate, one of them

is Macrozoobenthos. Macrozoobenthos are live in

sediments, under water and sediment eater, which

has digging properties, in which this areas contain

high as in sediments that contain lots of nutrients

found in the river (Firmansyah, et al., 2016)

Analysis of phosphate, nitrate, and

macrozoobenthos density still has an adequate of

scientific data, meanwhile this scientific data is an

important issues in river management in water

analysis. Therefore, it is necessary to undergo an

analysis of phosphate, nitrate, and macrozoobenthos

density, to obtain scientific data, results that can be

used to assess the macrozoobenthos condition of in

the river.

This purpose of observing the results of the

analysis phosphate, nitrate countent and

macrozoobenthos in the Belawan River with an

approaches, that is (1) Macrozoobenthos analysis of

including ; K (density), KR (relative density) and

FR (frequency of attendance). (2) Describe the

relation between macrozoobenthos with phosphate

and nitrate.

2 RESEARCH METHODS

2.1 Materials and Methods

Sampling in March - September 2018. The stations

were determined based on the community activities

different. The sample was done with 3 repetition and

the sampling started from upstream to downstream of

Belawan river. The number of sampling site was five.

Yeanny, M. and Barus, T.

Analysis of Phosphate (PO4), Nitrate (NO3) Contents and Macrozoobenthos Density in Belawan River.

DOI: 10.5220/0010200300002775

In Proceedings of the 1st International MIPAnet Conference on Science and Mathematics (IMC-SciMath 2019), pages 431-434

ISBN: 978-989-758-556-2

431

Table 1.

Station

Deli Serdang District,

Salam Tani Village, Pancur

Batu Sub-district

Control No

activity/

Upstream

Station

Deli Serdang District

Sunggal kanan Village,

Sunggal Sub-district

Domestic

Habitation

Station

III

Deli Serdang District

Kampung Lalang Sunggal

Sub-district

Market,

Hotel

Station

Deli Serdang District

Kelambir 5 Village,

Hamparan Perak Sub-

district

Paper

Industries,

Soy

Industries

Station

Medan Belawan City

Sicanang Village, Medan

Belawan Sub-district

Downstream

(estuary)

2.2 Phosphates and Nitrate Sampling

Phosphates and Nitrates measurement results data

can be seen in Table 2:

Table 2. Phosphates and Nitrates Parameters.

No. Parameter Tools Measurment

Location

1 Phosphate Atomic

Absorption

Spectrofotometer

(AAS)/Ascorbic

Acid

Laboratory

2 Nitrate Atomic

Absorption

Spectrofotometer

(AAS)/Screening

Laboratory

2.3 Macrozoobenthos Sample

Collection

The selected sample locations five (5) which

provided Macrozoobenthos samples were based on

the local community activities from upstream to

downstream. The data collecting method used was

Purposive random sampling. This method used to

collect the macrozoobenthos samples. Afterward,

Suber net was used to collect the sample on each

sampling point. The collected macrozoobenthos

samples were put in a bottle and preserved using 4%

formalin. In the laboratory, the samples were

preserved with 70% alcohol. Identification was done

using identification book; Streble and Krauter

(1988), Oennak (1978), Edmonson (1953).

2.4 Data Analysis

Water quality analysis using standard method

APHA, (2005) and macrozoobenthos analysis as

follows :

(1) Density (K)

(1)

K = density

a = the number of macrozoobenthos

b = area of plots

(2) Relative Density (KR)

(2)

ni= the number of ind of a kind

ΣN = total of all individuals

(3) Frequency of Attendance (FK)

(3)

FK = 0-25 (Very Rarely)

25-50 (Rarely)

50-75 (Many)

>75 (Very much

3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

3.1 Phosphate and Nitrate Contents

Analysis

Analysis of phosphate and nitrate contents on Table

3 below provided data based on Phosphate and

Nitrate measurements in Belawan River:

Table 3. The Value Phosphate and Nitrate Contents in the

Belawan river.

No Parameter Station

1 2 3 4 5

1 Phosphate

(PO

)

0.15 0.14 0.17 0.18 0.16

2 Nitrate

(NO

)

1.18 0.53 4.41 7.57 3.45

K 

%100x





plots ofnumber Total

typeaby occupied is plots ofnumber The

xFK

IMC-SciMath 2019 - The International MIPAnet Conference on Science and Mathematics (IMC-SciMath)

432

Belawan river phosphateis at the station IV had

the highest value (0.18 mg/l) while station II resulted

as the lowest one (0.14 mg/l). Stated in MENLH No.

51 of 2004 the maximum phosphate concentration of

phospat for marinelife is 0.015, has exceeded the

Belawan river quality standard.

T Phosphate content in the river, namely the

range between > 0.13 (hypertrophic) 0.04 to 0.13

(eutrophic) 0.015 to 0.04 (mesotrophic) < 0.015

(oligotrophic) (Hakanson 2006). Furthermore, fresh



water was ranged from > 0.06 (hypertrophic), 0.025

to 0.06 (eutrophic), 0.008 to 0.025 (mesotrophic)

and < 0.008 (oligotrophic). Belawan river phosphate

concentration was included as hypertrophic.

According to Joshimura (1966) in Hartoko (2010)

phosphate content was presented in Table 4.

Belawan river phosphate content was ranged from

0.14 to 0.18 (very good fertility).



Table 4. Phosphate based on fertility levelsin water

Aquatic Fertility Phosphate

Low 0.000

–

0.020 mg/l

Adequate 0.021

–

0.050 mg/l

Goo

0.051

–

0.100 mg/l

Very Goo

0.101

–

0.200 mg/l

Excellen

0.201 mg/l or more

The Belawan river nitrate concentrations was ranged

from 1.18 to 7.57 (station II had the lowest value

and the highest was at station IV). It has passed the

enviromental quality standart ( MENLH of 2004 No.

51 attachment III that nitrate 0.008). Nitrate

contentis presented in Table 5 according

Vollenweider (1969) in Effendi (2003)

Table 5. Nitrate based on fertilitylevelsin water.

Category

itrate Conten

Oligotrophic 0-1 mg/l

Mesotrophic 1-5 mg/l

Eutrophic 5-50 mg/l

Nitrate levels based on fertility levels (Table 5) in

The Belawan river, are namely 1.18-7.57 mg/l

(eutrophic and mesotrophic). This was in accordance

with Wetzal (2001), eutrophic waters have level

ranging from 5-50 mg/l, mesotrophic (1-5 mg/l)

and oligotrophic (0-1 mg/l). Belawan river is

categorized aseutrophic and mesotrophic waters.

3.2 Analysis of Density (K), Relative

Density (KR) and Frequency of

Attendance (FK) Macrozoobenthos

in Belawan River.

Analysis of Density (K), Relative Density (KR) and

Frequency of Attendance (FK) Macrozoobenthos in

Belawan River are presented in Table 6 and 7.

Table 6. Analysis of Density (K) (ind/m2), KR (Relative Density) (%) and FR (Frequency of Attendance) (%)

Macrozoobenthos at Station I and II in Belawan River.

Genera Station I Station II

K (ind/m

) KR (%) FK (%) K (ind/m

)KR (%) FK (%)

Hirudo - - - - - -

Baetidae 25.92 25.92 66.67 - - -

Polymesodaerosa

Paguroide

Scylla

Macrobrachium 3.703 2.22 33.33

Fillopaludinajavanica

Melanoides 3.703 3.70 33.33 3.703 2.22 33.33

Gerrisremigis 70.37 70.37 100 159.25 95.55 100

Total 99.993 100 166.656 100

Analysis of Phosphate (PO4), Nitrate (NO3) Contents and Macrozoobenthos Density in Belawan River

433

Table 7. Analysis of Density (K) (ind/m

), KR (Relative Density) (%) and FR (Frequency of Attendance) (%)

Macrozoobenthos at Station III, IV and V in Belawan River

Genera Station III `Station IV Station V

(ind/m

)

(%)

(ind/m

)

(%)

(ind/m

)

(%)

Hirudo - - - 3.703 0.57 33.33 - - -

Baetidae - - - - - - - - -

Polymesodaerosa - - - 629.62 98.26 100 - - -

Paguroide - - - - - - 140.74 97.43 100

Scylla - - - - - - 3.703 2.5 33.33

Macrobrachium - - - - - - - - -

Fillopaludinajavanica 18.51 100 66.67 - - - - - -

Melanoides - - - 7.407 1.15 33.33 - - -

Gerrisremigis - - - - - - - - -

Total 18.51 100 66.67 640.73 100 144.443 100

Based on Table 6 and 7, The lowest

Macrozoobenthos density was at the Station 5

(Scylla), Station 4 (Hirudo), Station 2

(Microbachiumand Melanoides) and Station 1

(Melanoides) with a density of 3.703, and the

highest was in station 4 (Polymesodaerosa) with a

density of 629.62.

4 CONCLUSION

Analysis of phosphate (PO

), nitrate (NO

) contents,

macrozoobenthos density, with the conclusion that

phosphate was ranged from 0.14 -0.18 mg/l

(hypertrophic). Nitrate was ranged from 1.18-7.57

mg/l (eutrophic and mesotrophic). Macrozoobenthos

obtained amounted as 9 general. The lowest

Macrozoobenthos density was at the Station 5

(Scylla), Station 4 (Hirudo), Station 2

(Microbachiumand Melanoides) and Station 1

(Melanoides) with a density of 3.703, and the

highest was in station 4 (Polymesodaerosa) with a

density of 629.62.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The authors of this research uttered gratitude for all

stakeholder who assisted this research. This research

is funded by no PNBP USU research program in the

fiscal year of 2018.

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