Evaluation of hierarchically weighted principal component analysis for water quality management at Jiaozuo mine

This study presents an application of principle component analysis method to evaluate water quality data of both surface water and groundwater obtained at Jiaozuo mine area. The fifteen groups of data including physicochemical and microbiological parameters were from 9 monitoring sites for a period of four years. The total dissolved solids; total hardness, chloride, fluoride, and nitrate (N) were identified as the most significant variables affecting water classification and quality. The water quality of two thirds of the monitoring sites was considered relatively good, indicating that the most of the shallow aquifer water in Jiaozuo mining area was generally good, and can be used as drinking water or industrial water after slight treatment. The shallow aquifer water in the areas of Macun, Wangfeng, and Hanwang must be intensively treated before utilization due to contamination. Macun and Hanwang, located in central Jiaozuo mining area, must be treatment with advanced green technology before any domestic use. This method provides an effective means to classify multi-zone water quality of a large mining operation area. It can regulate decision-making in time.