Brazilian vs. Paraguayan streams: Differences in water quality in a cross-border subtropical region

Abstract

Monitoring programs are among the first steps to develop robust management strategies, especially in international transboundary waters. Understanding how water quality parameters are impacted by different types of land use promotes a baseline for stakeholders to define the best governance for the management of water resources. Seeking to provide this type of information, we sampled 24 streams – 12 in Brazil and 12 in Paraguay – in February, April, July, September, and November 2019. We determined water quality parameters, grouped into three categories: morphometric, physical and chemical, and nutrients. We explored differences in water quality parameters between countries, and over a one-year sampling. We also tested whether Brazilian and Paraguayan streams are impacted by agriculture, urbanization, and forest cover. Finally, we performed a partial RDA to test the influence of land use on water quality parameters and controlled spatial autocorrelation by including spatial variables (dbMEM) as a condition. Most of the water quality parameters showed significant differences between countries; only turbidity, and pH, presented significant differences between countries and sampling periods, and only water temperature varied significantly along the year. We did not find evidence that different types of land use are causing physical and chemical variance in Brazilian and Paraguayan streams (R² = 0.06, p = 0.68). In conclusion, the results evidenced that the main differences in the water quality parameters occur between countries. Based on the results, transboundary governance can use these data to implement integrated water resources management cooperation.