Extent of Escherichia Coli Contamination of Cagayan De Oro River and Factors Causing Contamination

Abstract

The study determined the extent of fecal contamination of Cagayan de Oro River stretching along the nine river barangays. Sampling sites include upstream, midstream, and downstream areas. The Multiple Tube Fermentation Technique (MTFT) was used to identify total coliform, fecal coliform, and Escherichia coli in water samples. Average coliform values from sampling sites exceeded acceptable values set by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, indicating contamination of the river water quality guidelines at 1000 fecal coliform organisms/100 ml. The factors that contribute to high fecal contamination were high proportion of riverbank dwellers using the river as public toilets, direct connection of pipes from toilets to the river, high mobility of migrant settlers, and lack of water supply for illegal settlers. Temporal variable is a critical differentiating factor in the concentrations of total coliform across sampling areas and in the concentrations of fecal coliform across sampling sites by month.