PRELIMINARY DIAGNOSIS AND WATER QUALITY OF THE PORTEIRAS STREAM IN AN URBAN STRETCH OF PETROLINA-PE

Abstract

Soil use and occupation alter the physicochemical and biological processes of aquatic ecosystems. Urban streams are fundamental components of the macro-drainage system of cities; however, with the advance of urbanization, most streams are modified to the point that they are no longer recognized as streams but as sewage receptors. Physical diagnosis and monitoring of water quality are essential to understand the trophic state of these ecosystems in relation to environmental impacts associated with urbanization. From this perspective, this study aimed to diagnose the physical environment around the urban stretch of the Porteiras stream in Petrolina, PE, and water quality by determining the Water Quality Index (WQI) and the Trophic State Index (TSI). Five visitation points and two water sampling points were defined in two sampling campaigns (dry and rainy periods). The influence of land use and occupation was evident in the WQI due to silting up, suppression of riparian vegetation, inadequate presence of waste and effluents, and in the TDI due to the contribution of nutrients from the discharge of domestic sewage and agricultural activity.