Microbiological analysis of Bacacheri River water, Curitiba (PR), Brazil

The planet Earth is made up of a large percentage of water, being only 3% of fresh water. Of this fresh water, approximately 0.3% is available to be used by the planet's inhabitants. For the evaluation of the health conditions of the water, bacteria of the coliform group are use, being their presence in the aquatic environment a potential indicative of pollution, as well as of the risk for presence of pathogenic organisms. Brazil has the highest availability of water on the planet, but in several parts of the country, many rivers are polluted. The objective of the study was to perform the microbiological analysis of the Bacacheri River water, located in the city of Curitiba, Parana, which is included in the section of fresh waters, aimed at preserving the natural balance of aquatic communities, in order to determine the level of pollution in five pre-determined points, following the growth of colonies of fecal coliforms and total coliforms, through the membrane filter technique. The results show proliferation of fecal and total coliforms in values above the limit proposed by CONAMA no. 357/2005 Brazilian determination in all harvest points observed. In addition, points # P1, # P2, and # P5 are the most affected ones, whereas points # P3 and # P4 seem to be less affected, probably due to the presence of ciliary forest, as well as the channeling of the banks and the bottom of the river.