Caracterización Microbiológica y diseño de un plan de mejoramiento, saneamiento e higiene del agua de consumo de la parroquia San Bartolomé de Pinllo

Abstract

The presence of both traditional and emerging contaminants is one of the greatest concerns regarding the quality of water for human consumption. It is in this sense that different protocols have been developed for quality control in the aquatic environment, but a growing concern in this field is the relatively small concentrations and the fact that they cannot be eliminated by conventional water/wastewater treatment processes. Therefore, it poses new challenges in terms of the appropriate selection of technologies from a technical, economic and environmental point of view. In general, the literature discusses the removal of contaminants at significant concentrations (such as those found in wastewater), while few studies consider their low concentrations to occur in untreated water. This study presents an analysis of water for human consumption in the parish of San Bartolomé de Pinllo, where we have evaluated 22 water samples to determine the microbiological profile. The results of this research have been compared to samples from the same neuralgic points in the chain. of distribution at two time points, in November 2021 and March 2022. In this sense, once the 22 samples have been analyzed, the presence of total or fecal coliforms has not been evidenced at the two time points in which the samples for analysis were taken. The study is completed with a discussion on the implementation of environmental assessment instruments (life cycle assessment, carbon, water footprint, other types of assessments) that can be used to select advanced and sustainable drinking water treatment processes capable of remove emerging contaminants. This document critically reviews the main research topics related to the main microbiological contaminants and the importance of managing and implementing adequate methods to control the quality of water for human consumption.