Caracterização da água dos poços e identificação de possíveis usos – estudo de caso no campus de Cruz das Almas (UFRB)

Abstract

All water that circulates in the empty spaces below the surface of the earth is called groundwater. Control over water is linked to adequate management, which will guarantee the quality of the water consumed and provide the opportunity to enjoy good quality water, an essential condition for maintaining life, in addition to protecting against diseases. Monitoring is an essential requirement for water management. This work aimed to investigate and characterize the quality of water from wells located in the campus area of ​​the Federal University of Recôncavo da Bahia in Cruz das Almas, with the purpose of identifying and proposing uses appropriate to the quality found. The wells were registered and characterized, determining the main and secondary uses, as well as factors affecting the quality of the water resource related to their location. For a total of 21 wells, 71% are unused. The main uses of the wells in operation are 10% for irrigation, 9% for personal hygiene, 5% for food preparation and 5% for water transport vehicles. The secondary uses of some wells are: 10% for irrigation, 9% for watering animals, 5% for personal hygiene and 5% for no secondary use. The water quality analysis was carried out using minimum research parameters for human consumption. Such parameters were treated individually, using the Groundwater Quality Index (e-IQUAS). The parameters of conductivity, dissolved solids, ammonia, chloride, hardness, nitrate, nitrite and dissolved oxygen are in accordance with legislation, while color, turbidity, pH, iron and coliforms presented values ​​above the acceptable limit. eIQUAS had relevant results, with more than half of the wells showing good quality water. Therefore, the recommended uses according to the quality found were noble uses (ingestion, food preparation, personal hygiene, watering animals, irrigation and recreation) and non-noble uses (washing in general, toilet bowl and watering the garden). Therefore, groundwater on campus has an important function and, for the most part, has adequate quality for supplying drinking water. Therefore, its protection is an essential factor, and the necessary care must be taken to reduce and eliminate possible routes of contamination, in order to minimize the risks of depletion of water quality.