Comprehensive water quality assessment of surface sources in the city of Latacunga and the canton Pedro Vicente Maldonado in Ecuador

Abstract

A study of the quality of drinking water sources - surface waters of the river systems of the city of Latacunga and the canton of Pedro Vicente Maldonado, Ecuador, was carried out during 2018 and 2019. The general sanitary water quality index (WQI) was calculated according to Russian methods, the water quality index of the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF-WQI) of the Ecuadorian water quality regulation. Results from parameterizing the water quality, obtained by WQI and NSF-WQI methods and combined into an overall scheme, were used to generate the rating scale for assessing the hydro-ecological status of aquatic ecosystems. When carrying out a qualitative and quantitative analysis of water from river reservoirs, the excess of the threshold limit values of such indicators as the biological oxygen demand and iron was determined. The calculations show that the WQI method and the NSF-WQI method lead to similar results when assessing the water quality of both reservoir of the city of Latacunga and canton of Pedro Vicente Maldonado. According to the WQI method, the hydrological state of the reservoir of the city of Latacunga was characterized in the range of a scale from “Crisis” to “Risk”, while according to the NSF-WQI method the state was assessed as “Risk”. The hydrological state of the reservoir of the canton of Pedro Vicente Maldonado, was assessed as “Risk” by both the WQI method and the NSF-WQI method. Furthermore, in none of the water bodies under study is the environmental “catastrophe” not recorded.

About the authors

Cristian A. Salazar Flores

RUDN University

Email: cristian_salazarf@hotmail.com
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-6927-7863

PhD student, Institute of Environmental Engineering

6 Miklukho-Maklaya St, Moscow, 117198, Russian Federation

Anna I. Kurbatova

RUDN University

Email: kurbatova-ai@rudn.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-7763-5034

Candidate of Biological Sciences, Associate Professor, Department of Environmental Safety and Product Quality Management, Institute of Environmental Engineering

6 Miklukho-Maklaya St, Moscow, 117198, Russian Federation

Kseniya Y. Mikhaylichenko

RUDN University

Author for correspondence.
Email: mikhaylichenko-kyu@rudn.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0001-8051-8528

Candidate of Biological Sciences, Associate Professor, Department of Human Ecology and Bioelementology, Institute of Environmental Engineering

6 Miklukho-Maklaya St, Moscow, 117198, Russian Federation

Svetlana I. Barannikova

RUDN University

Email: 1032193179@rudn.ru
Student, Institute of Environmental Engineering 6 Miklukho-Maklaya St, Moscow, 117198, Russian Federation

References

  1. Biswas AK, Tortajada C. Water quality management: An introductory framework. International Journal of Water Resources Development. 2011;27(1):5-11.
  2. Zubarev VA. Hydrochemical indices for surface water quality assessment. Regional Problems. 2014;17(2):71-77. (In Russ.)
  3. Lazareva G. Estimation of water quality of uglichsky reservoir by integrated hydrochemical factors. Bulletin of the Moscow Region State University. Series: Natural Sciences. 2016;(2):158-164. (In Russ.)
  4. Zaslavskaya MB, Erina ON, Efimova LE. Comparing the efficiency of river water quality parameterization by different methods under a significant human-induced impact. Geogr. Nat. Resour. 2019;40(2):122-128.
  5. Torres P, Cruz H, Patiño P. Water quality index in surface sources used in water production for human consumption. A critical review. Revista de Ingenierías: Universidad de Medellín. 2009;8(15):79-94.
  6. Kurbatova AI, Dalidenok AD, Mikhaylichenko KY, Savenkova EV, Kruglikova EV, Adarchenko IA. The impact Moscow Domodedovo Airport Wastewater on Surface Water Quality. Ecology and Industry of Russia. 2020;24(10):67-71. (In Russ.)
  7. Buytaert W, Célleri R, De Bièvre B, Cisneros F, Wyseure G, Deckers J, Hofstede R. Human impact on the hydrology of the Andean páramos. Earth-Science Reviews. 2006;79(1):53-72.
  8. Yanchatipán M. Elaboración de un plan de reforestación de las cuencas hídricas del páramo Capulis Paso para mantener la captación de agua de consumo humano en la parroquia Belisario Quevedo cantón Latacunga provincia de Cotopaxi (Dissertation). Latacunga: UTC;2012.
  9. Proaño G. Análisis cuantitativo de los sistemas la cuenca de drenaje del río Talalá: Guayaquil, Ecuador. Available from: http://www.dspace.espol.edu.ec/xmlui/handle/123456789/5883
  10. Quiroz L, Izquierdo E, Menéndez C. Application of the water quality index in the Portoviejo River, Ecuador. Ingeniería Hidráulica y Ambiental. 2017;38(3):41-51.
  11. Castañeda A, Montes C. Carbon stock in andean paramo. Entramado. 2017;13(1):210-221.
  12. Rangel-Ch JO. Biodiversity of Colombia: significance and regional distribution. Revista de la Academia Colombiana de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. 2015;39(151):176-200.
  13. Cavelier J, Goldstein G. Mist and fog interception in elfin cloud forests in Colombia and Venezuela. Journal of Tropical Ecology. 1989;5(3):309-322.
  14. Bruijnzeel LA, Proctor J. Hydrology and biogeochemistry of tropical montane cloud forests: what do we really know? Tropical montane cloud forests. 1995;110:38-78.
  15. Toro D, Jaramillo M, Ocampo D, Correa R, Salgado P. Limnologic study of the Black Lagoon. Buffer zone at the National natural snow-covered mountains park. Boletín científico, Centro de museos: Museo de historia humana. 2012;16(2):23-38.
  16. Monar N, González M, Cruz E, González V, Chávez L, Fierro, Saltos R. Calidad de agua de la microcuenca del río Illangama cantón Guaranda, provincia Bolívar-Ecuador. Revista de investigación talentos. 2016;3(1):42-51.
  17. Vargas SV, Rodríguez F, Arenas ML, Martínez R, Sujitha SB, Jonathan MP. Heavy metals in the volcanic and peri-urban terrain watershed of the River Yautepec, Mexico. Environmental monitoring and assessment. 2019;191(3):1-15.
  18. Borja P, Ochoa V, Maurice L, Morales G, Quilumbaqui C, Tejera E, Machado A. Determination of the microbial and chemical loads in rivers from the Quito capital province of Ecuador (Pichincha) - A preliminary analysis of microbial and chemical quality of the main rivers. International journal of environmental research and public health. 2020;17(14):5048.
  19. Quintero AC, Castellanos-Barliza J, Peláez JD, Tamaris-Turizo CE. Characterization of the organic matter provided by leaf litter in the forest in the Gaira riverbank (Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta - Colombia). Revista de Investigación Agraria y Ambiental. 2014;5(1):171-184.
  20. Abril R, Rodríguez L, Sucoshañay D, Bucaram E. Evaluation of the water quality of the Puyo river basin. Ingeniería hidraúlica y ambiental. 2017:38(2):59-72.
  21. Wantzen KM, Yule CM., Mathooko JM., Pringle CM. Organic matter processing in tropical streams. Tropical stream ecology. Academic Press; 2008. p. 43-64.
  22. Villamarín CP, Prat i Fornells N, Rieradevall i Sant M. Physical, chemical and hydromorphological characterization of Ecuador and Perú tropical highland Andean rivers. Latin American Journal of Aquatic Research. 2014;42(5):1072-1086.

Copyright (c) 2023 Salazar Flores C.A., Kurbatova A.I., Mikhaylichenko K.Y., Barannikova S.I.

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

This website uses cookies

You consent to our cookies if you continue to use our website.

About Cookies