Physicochemical and microbiological characterization of groundwater wells of a rural sector located at low altitude in the venezuelan Andes
José Gregorio Prato-Moreno,
Fernando C Millán-Marrero,
Carly M Prada-Andrade,
Claudiu Tănăselia,
Lenis C Prado,
María Eugenia Lucena,
Iván Ríos-García,
Luisa C González-Ramírez
Affiliations
José Gregorio Prato-Moreno
Universidad Nacional de Chimborazo. Facultad de Ingeniería. Grupo de Investigación “Clean Energy and Environment”. Riobamba-Chimborazo.
Universidad de Los Andes. Facultad de Ingeniería. Área de Ingeniería Ambiental. Mérida-Mérida.
Fernando C Millán-Marrero
Instituto Universitario Politécnico “Santiago Mariño”. Escuela de Ingeniería Química. Mérida-Mérida
Carly M Prada-Andrade
Instituto Universitario Politécnico “Santiago Mariño”. Escuela de Ingeniería Química. Mérida-Mérida
Claudiu Tănăselia
INCDO-INOE 2000 Research Institute for Analytical Instrumentation, Cluj‐Napoca
Lenis C Prado
Universidad de Los Andes. Centro Interamericano de Investigaciones Ambientales y Territoriales CIDIAT-ULA. Laboratorio de Aguas y Suelos. Laboratorio de Isotopos Estables. Mérida-Mérida
María Eugenia Lucena
Universidad Nacional de Chimborazo. Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud. Carrera Laboratorio Clínico. Grupo de Investigación “Análisis de Muestras Biológicas y Forenses”. Riobamba-Chimborazo
Iván Ríos-García
Universidad Nacional de Chimborazo. Facultad de Ingeniería. Grupo de Investigación Clean Energy and Environment. Riobamba-Chimborazo
Luisa C González-Ramírez
Universidad Nacional de Chimborazo. Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud. Carrera de Laboratorio Clínico e Histopatológico. Grupo de Investigación “Análisis de Muestras Biológicas y Forenses”. Riobamba-Chimborazo.
Universidad de Los Andes. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioanálisis. Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología. Cátedra de Parasitología. Laboratorio de Investigaciones Parasitológicas “Jesús Moreno Rangel”. Mérida-Mérida
Growth in human population and anthropogenic activities has increased the rate of groundwater pollution in the world, therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine the potability of water from four underground wells in a rural area of Mérida State, through the physicochemical and microbiological characterization, to check the feasibility of its use as drinking water. The results indicate that the physicochemical parameters comply with venezuelan regulations. The waters have a wide variety of minerals, highlighting Ca, Na and Mg as majority cations and a hardness basically due to bicarbonate ions. The values of the isotopic distribution suggest the existence of two aquifers without hydraulic connections between wells. Bacteriological and parasitological analysis detects: heterotrophic bacteria, total coliforms and Pseudomonas, as well as Ascaris spp., Blastocystis sp., Giardia sp., and Eimeria sp., probably derived from the underground filtration of septic tanks and percolated from the surface through the sandy clay loam soil, microorganisms that have adapted to the physicochemical characteristics of waters. The results show that the water from three wells cannot be used for consumption without some conventional treatment as filtration and coagulation, and disinfection process