Optimization of water quality monitoring stations using dynamic programming approach, a case study of the Mond Basin Rivers, Iran

Due to the importance of reassessing water quality monitoring stations, we employed the performance of the dynamic programming approach (DPA) to locate the monitoring stations and their numbers at the Mond Basin Rivers, located in the south of Fars and Bushehr Province, Iran. Firstly, the present monitoring stations were classified and prioritized using the Strahler stream order system and geographic information system, and then, the objective function was developed in terms of irrigation and drinking purposes in the study area. The catchment area was broken into five subbasins, and each station separately was assigned a score between 10 and 90. The DPA showed a reduction in the existing stations from 16 to 12 for the irrigation concern and from 16 to 11 for drinking concern. The optimum number of stations in the study area was predicted to be 12 to satisfy the drinking and irrigation purposes together. The majority of retained stations were located in the southern part of the basin, which demonstrated that the river water quality conspicuously might be changed in comparison with the northern part. The compatibility between the DPA results, the ongoing catchment area situation and literature represented the suitability of DPA in optimizing the water quality monitoring stations and cutting redundant monitoring stations.