Evaluación de calidad del agua de consumo de fuentes de abastecimiento de la parroquia Juan de Velasco

Abstract

Although Juan de Velasco town has sufficient water supplies, it lacks adequate catchment tanks to store the resources properly. In addition, it faces threats of landslides in winter, grazing, and crop planting near the sources. To address this problem, this research aimed to evaluate the quality of drinking water from water supply sources at Juan de Velasco town. The methodology implemented had a descriptive, qualitative, quantitative, and exploratory approach, while the research design was non-experimental because the variables were not intentionally manipulated concerning the parameters of the analysis. The evaluation was carried out monthly, during the period from May to July 2023. Three catchment tanks and one storage and distribution tank were examined in the nearest and farthest locations. At these locations, the same study variables, including physicochemical and microbiological parameters, were observed and measured. The methodology was used to determine contamination in catchment tank three, where parameters such as total dissolved solids exceeded the reference values of technical regulation NTE INEN 1108 sixth revision. The contamination had averages in May (169.3 mg/L) and July (161 mg/L), fecal coliforms with averages in May (106.67 CFU/100 ml) and July (60.5 CFU/100 ml), and total coliforms with averages in May (222.5 CFU/100 ml) and July (150 CFU/100 ml). Despite the contamination in this tank, the results obtained in the rest of the tanks were within the range of acceptable water quality levels. In this context, it is concluded that the water in the catchments is still suitable as a source of consumption, but the need to implement a plan of control and safety measures is highlighted.