Abstract: The Euphrates river in Iraq face a challenge of receiving a verity of pollutants, mainly come from wastes discharged into the river. Although industrial effluents and drainage from farm lands impose considerable pollution load, effluents of municipal wastewater treatment plants represent an effective source of pollution to the Euphrates. The study area of this paper was selected as 12.55 km long of the Euphrates River of the branch “Shatt Al-Kufa” just downstream Kufa city within Najaf Governorate in the middle of Iraq. Upper and lower boundaries of the study area were water monitoring stations belong to the Iraqi Ministry of Water Resources. The upper (upstream) boundary was Kufa Station, while the lower (downstream) boundary was Manathera Station. Water temperature, pH and electric conductivity (EC) were measured in the field. Water samples collected daily from the river at the two stations (Kufa and Manatherah) along three intervals as 23-30 April 2019, 1-7 July 2019 and 10-18 November 2019, and tested in lab for total dissolved solids (TDS), total suspended solid (TSS), dissolved oxygen (DO), biochemical Oxygen demand BOD5, calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sulphate (SO4), Nitrite (NO2), Nitrate (NO3) and phosphate (PO4). Observations were made at dates 23rd April, 1st July and 10th November 2019 for some aspects of aquatic life like plants, fish and amphibians. According to results and observations of this study, the effluent of Kufa wastewater treatment plant had a slight local effect on some water quality parameters of the Euphrates river like EC, TDS, BOD5, DO, PO4, SO4, NO2 and NO3 that affected some aspects of aquatic life downstream the discharge point of the plant. Some kinds of fish like Sharpeyi Barbus, Barbus xanthoptrrus, Barbus grypus, luteus Barbus and Liza abu were observed with lower number just downstream the effluent discharge point.

Keywords: Impact, Water Pollution, Aquatic, Euphrates.

| DOI: 10.17148/IARJSET.2020.7825