Estudio comparativo de la calidad físicoquímica del agua en las microcuencas Chagrasacha, Quillopaccha y Talatag del parque nacional Llanganates

Abstract

The aim of this research is to evaluate the physicochemical water quality in Chagrasacha, Quillopaccha and Talatag micro-watersheds located in San José de Poaló county, Tungurahua province. Seven sampling points were implemented throughout the study area, two points in each micro-watershed and one point in the intersection of the three micro-watersheds which form the hydrographic unit of Yanayacu River, from December 2021 to March 2022. The morphometric indices were obtained through digital elevation models generated by Earth Explorer and ArcGIS Pro for the data processing. The parameters regarding pH, electrical conductivity, dissolved oxygen, temperature and total dissolved solids were obtained with the help of a portable digital multiparameter; in addition, the determination of flow rates was carried out through the float method. Phosphates, sulfates, nitrites, nitrates, turbidity, coliforms, and biochemical oxygen demand were analyzed in the GIDAC (Desarrollo para el Ambiente y Cambio Climático) Research Group laboratory, belonging to the Faculty of Science, ESPOCH. This process was carried out by using Standard Methods. Then, the Water Quality Index value of the National Sanitation Foundation (ICA-NSF) was calculated. The ICA-NSF average results in Yanayacu River correspond to 56.03, which is the lowest value, while for Talatag micro-watershed the value is 58.96, followed by Chagrasacha micro-watershed with a value of 60.55 and Quillopaccha micro-watershed with 63.91 as the most representative water quality value. According to the weightings established by ICA-NSF, the water from the mentioned micro-watersheds corresponds to a "Medium" range, due to the affection mostly caused by tourism and livestock activities; therefore, it is necessary to implement a recovery, improvement and maintenance plan in the micro-watersheds.