Distribuição da contaminação fecal em águas de drenagem afluentes do canal do Prado, Campina Grande-PB.

Abstract

This study aimed the investigation of fecal contamination contributions of influent drainage channels to Canal do Prado, which is part of urban rainwater macrodrainage system of the Prado Basin, Campina Grande City, Paraíba state, Northeast Brazil. Seven sampling points were chosen, two extreme ones (P1-upstream and P7-downstream) of the Canal do Prado and the others set in the final stretches of the main influent channels, immediately prior to discharging into the Canal do Prado. The physicochemical indicators ‒ temperature, pH, total suspended solids, volatile suspended solids, fixed suspended solids, settleable solids, dissolved oxygen, chemical oxygen demand, biochemical oxygen demand; the microbiological indicators ‒ thermotolerant coliform and Escherichia coli; and helminth eggs as parasitological indicators; were determined. The average values of BOD and COD, in most points were above 140 mg.L- 1 and 400 mg.L-1, respectively. Results for thermotolerant coliform indicated that waters carried by Canal do Prado were predominantly wastewater. Helminth eggs concentrations (0-124 eggs.L-1) were within the region of lower concentration of the typical range (10-1000 eggs.L-1) for sewage. According the analyzed indicators, waters drained by the urban Prado Basin, showed characteristics typical of sewage classified as medium.