AVALIAÇÃO MULTIVARIADA DA QUALIDADE DAS ÁGUAS SUPERFICIAIS E ÁGUA FINAL DE ABASTECIMENTO PÚBLICO DE BELÉM, PARÁ, BRASIL

Abstract

MULTIVARIATE ASSESSMENT OF SURFACE WATER QUALITY AND FINAL PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY IN BELÉM, PARÁ, BRAZIL. The present study investigated the sources of variability in the water quality of surface springs that supply the Metropolitan Region of Belém (Pará, Brazil), as well as the treated water produced by the main water treatment station in the region. Data provided by Companhia de Saneamento do Pará were used, referring to physical-chemical and bacteriological analyzes carried out in the period from 2010 to 2020. In addition, precipitation data were considered in this study, in units of mm of rain, obtained by consulting the database of the National Institute of Meteorology. The application of principal component analysis, as an exploratory data analysis tool, allowed the grouping of the most relevant parameters of the results and proved to be efficient in reducing the data set, explaining more than 65% of the total variance, in all objects of study. Thus, it was possible to observe a general profile of the quality of surface water investigated, and, in this way, demonstrate the impact of urban pressure on the environment, as well as the need for maintenance and conservation of surface water resources.