Biological and Physiochemical Conditions of the Surface Waters of the Cauca River in the Urban Area of Popayán, Colombia

Abstract

The homes and companies located on the banks of the Cauca River have altered the conditions of the quality of the water generated by residual discharges. Therefore, this paper proposes to analyze the biological and physicochemical conditions of the surface waters that cross the urban area of Popayán, Colombia, and determine if they are suitable for human consumption. For this, an in-situ sampling was carried out in the two river stations. The two points were covered taking into account the dry and rainy seasons. At each point, the parameters were measured to calculate the contamination indicators. Likewise, Ph, diluted oxygen, conductivity and temperature parameters were measured, also other physicochemical parameters such as total alkalinity, total hardness, total phosphorus and suspended total solids were measured as well as the microbiological parameters like total coliforms. It was found that the water source contains high levels of pollutant load and that biological discharge is one of the main causes that alters the quality of the water for drinking. The number of macroinvertebrates in the river decreases by 48% as the river advances through the urban area of the city. According to the BMWP values, highly contaminated carbonated waters enter the urban area. However, due to the flow throughout the water source, the Cauca River can regulate the pollution load according to the result evidenced in the Icomi, Icomo, and Icosus indices.