ABSTRACT
The São Francisco River is the largest river located entirely within Brazil, and water scarcity problems have been a major concern of Brazilian society and government. Water quality issues are also a concern and have worsened with the recent intensification of urbanization and industrialization. In this study, violations to water quality standards established by local legislation were calculated as a percentage for 26 selected parameters over a monitoring period of 14 years. The violation percentages were analyzed spatially using the Kruskal-Wallis test, followed by multiple comparison analysis. Temporal analysis was performed using the Mann-Kendall test and Spearman correlation. Some parameters could be identified as cause for concern due to high violation levels, such as the fecal coliform indicator (FCI) and phosphorus-both related to domestic and effluent disposal without treatment or with insufficient treatment-and color, turbidity, manganese, and total suspended solids-which can be affected by erosive processes of natural and anthropogenic causes. The study found that these violations are concentrated in the most urbanized and industrialized areas of the basin. Some metallic parameters, such as iron and arsenic violations, may be related to mining activities in the rich soil of the Iron Quadrangle area located within the Minas Gerais State. Trend analysis results indicated that most monitoring stations did not have significant modification (elevation or reduction) trends over time, which, together with the high violation percentages, might indicate the maintenance of a scenario of constant pressure upon water resources, in particular in those more urbanized areas.
Subject(s)
Environmental Monitoring/methods , Rivers/chemistry , Water Pollution/legislation & jurisprudence , Arsenic/analysis , Brazil , Industrial Development , Mining , Phosphorus/analysis , Urbanization , Water Pollution/analysis , Water Pollution/statistics & numerical data , Water Quality/standardsABSTRACT
RESUMO Este artigo apresenta uma análise da tendência temporal e espacial da qualidade das águas superficiais da sub-bacia do Rio das Velhas, inserida na bacia do Rio São Francisco, em Minas Gerais, Brasil. Foram analisados 16.625 dados coletados no período de 2002 a 2011 pelo programa de monitoramento de qualidade das águas superficiais efetuado pelo Instituto Mineiro de Gestão das Águas (Igam). Testes estatísticos, multivariados e não paramétricos foram utilizados para avaliar 11 variáveis físicas, químicas e microbiológicas de 29 estações de monitoramento. Os resultados das análises de tendência Mann-Kendall/Sazonal de Mann-Kendall sugeriram que a maioria dos cursos d'água da região apresentam valores estáveis das variáveis ao longo do período estudado, com maiores alterações associadas a coliformes termotolerantes, demanda bioquímica de oxigênio (DBO), nitrato e índice de qualidade das águas (IQA), principalmente nas proximidades dos grandes centros urbanos. A análise de Cluster definiu três grandes grupos de estações de monitoramento, agrupadas segundo a qualidade de suas águas, correspondentes aos níveis de alta poluição, poluição moderada e baixa poluição. No entanto, ao longo de toda a sub-bacia, foi observada a degradação da qualidade da água durante o período estudado, principalmente relacionada ao lançamento de esgotos domésticos. Uma importante constatação foi a alteração da qualidade da água no baixo Rio das Velhas, apontada pela tendência de redução do IQA em estações localizadas nessa região, o que merece atenção dos órgãos governamentais para ações de manejo.
ABSTRACT This article presents a temporal and spatial trend analysis of the surface waters quality of Velhas River, inserted in the São Francisco basin, in Minas Gerais. It was analyzed 16,625 data collected between 2002 and 2011 by the water quality monitoring program carried out by the Instituto Mineiro de Gestão das Águas (Institute of Water Management of Minas Gerais - IGAM). Statistical tests, multivariate and non-parametric tests were used to assess 11 physical, chemical and microbiological variables of 29 monitoring stations. The results of Mann-Kendall/Sazonal Mann-Kendall trend tests indicated that most of the watercourses in the region showed stable values of the parameters over the study period, with changes associated with thermotolerant coliforms, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), nitrate and water quality index (IQA) mainly near large urban centers. The Cluster analysis identified three major groups of monitoring stations, grouped according to the quality of its waters, corresponding to high levels of pollution, moderate pollution and low pollution. However, throughout all the sub-basin, it was observed the degradation of the water quality, mainly related to the release of wastewater. An important finding was the worsening of water quality in the low stretch of Velhas River, appointed by the downward trend in the IQA at stations located in this region, which deserves attention of government agencies for management actions.
ABSTRACT
RESUMO: Embora existam normas e metodologias padronizadas para a análise de riscos ambientais dentro de uma organização, os mecanismos e/ou instrumentos disponíveis estão sujeitos à subjetividade, não são automatizados, não estabelecem critérios técnicos e, de maneira geral, não apresentam mecanismos de priorização para a tomada de decisão. Com base nas lacunas observadas, a presente nota técnica apresenta as premissas de um Instrumento de Gestão para a Identificação e o Gerenciamento de Riscos Ambientais (IGIGRA). O dashboard consolidado pelo IGIGRA permitirá a visualização consolidada dos riscos ambientais do empreendimento, proporcionando comparações entre diferentes operações e períodos de avaliação, fornecendo base técnica para a priorização de ações e alocação de recursos para o controle dos riscos dentro da organização.
ABSTRACT: Although there are standards and methods for the environmental risk analysis within an organization, the mechanisms and/or management tools available are subject to subjectivity, are not automated, do not establish technical criteria and generally do not have prioritization mechanisms for the decision making. Based on the gaps observed, this technical note presents the premises for the development of an Instrument for the Identification and Management of Environmental Risks (IGIGRA). The dashboard generated by IGIGRA allows the general view of the consolidated environmental risks of the company, providing comparisons between different operations and periods, providing technical basis for the prioritizing actions and resources allocation for the risks control in the organization.
ABSTRACT
Na análise de desempenho das estações de tratamento de água, as características do afluente adquirem significativa importância. No Brasil, o Índice de Qualidade das Águas Brutas para Fins de Abastecimento Público (IAP) e o Índice de Qualidade da Água Bruta (IQAB), desenvolvidos segundo modelos determinísticos, prestam-se a avaliar a tratabilidade das águas naturais. Todavia, o IAP tem baixa aplicabilidade devido ao custo de implantação, e o IQAB ainda necessita de ajustes com relação aos parâmetros de entrada e critérios de pontuação. Na busca por modelo não determinístico, capaz de lidar com as incertezas, a não linearidade dos parâmetros e o conhecimento de especialistas, foi utilizada a Lógica Fuzzy em nova abordagem para o IQAB. Aplicado em seis mananciais da Região Sudeste, o Índice de Qualidade de Água Bruta Fuzzy (IQABF) apresentou-se mais restritivo, mais consistente para quantificação dos parâmetros e mais flexível para ajustes futuros, apesar de manter praticamente a mesma hierarquização entre os mananciais avaliados.
For the performance evaluation of water treatment plants, the raw water quality presents significant relevance. In Brazil, the Index of Quality of Raw Water for Public Supply (IAP) and the Index of Quality of Raw Water (IQAB), developed according to deterministic models, can evaluate the treatability of natural waters. However, the IAP presents a high cost for actual implementation and the IQAB needs some adjustments related to the input parameters and grading criteria. Aiming at a non-deterministic model, able to deal with uncertain, nonlinearity of the parameters and expert knowledge, Fuzzy Logic was applied to a new approach of the IQAB. The Fuzzy Raw Water Quality Index (IQABF), in comparison with the original IQAB, presented more restrictive, more consistent and more flexible for future adjustments. Its application for six water sources of Southeast Region showed practically the same hierarchy in terms of the treatability in comparison with the original IQAB.
ABSTRACT
The water reservoir of Vargem das Flores, Brazil, has been subject to eutrophication problems. The occurrence of cyanobacterial blooms in this water body has raised concerns regarding the presence of toxic metabolites. In order to understand the factors that promote the proliferation and distribution of cyanobacteria in the reservoir, physicochemical parameters, species composition, and toxicity of the reservoir water column were analyzed at monthly intervals over a 3-year period (2004-2007) using a range of analytical techniques. The results showed that cyanobacteria were absent in the dry period, returning after the onset of stratification. A succession pattern was observed within this group. The Aphanocapsa genus was dominant in the last rainy period of the study (October 2006 to March 2007). However toxicity was only detected when the genera Microcystis and Sphaerocavum were present (October 2005). The principal components analysis showed negative correlation between cyanobacteria and orthophosphate. The change of dominant cyanobacteria along the 3 years of study and the final prevalence of nontoxic genera in the reservoir is an evidence of water quality improvement in response to the management techniques implemented in the reservoir basin.