Water quality assessment of Villa Victoria and Madin reservoirs: a case study

Abstract

The presence of contaminants, such as metals, in water storage systems leads to a risk of adverse effects on human health and aquatic organisms since these substances are difficult to eliminate and are often recycled through physicochemical and biological processes. In recent years, there has been severe hydrological stress in the Madin and Villa Victoria reservoirs, in addition to an increase in industrial and agricultural activities around these systems, so the release of contaminants into the water is becoming more frequent. The objective of this research was to determine the environmental risk associated with the contaminants present in the Madin and Villa Victoria reservoirs, as well as the degree of toxicity of the water, allowing us to obtain a deeper understanding of the water quality of these reservoirs over time. For this, the quality index was established using the physicochemical parameters of interest for the development of aquatic organisms reported from 2013 to 2020 based on the methodology of the Canadian Council of the Ministry of the Environment. In Madin Dam, the water quality was poor and marginal depending on the site, while for Villa Victoria, the index is between marginal and acceptable. It was also observed that water toxicity in species such as Danio rerio, Allium cepa, and Vibrio fischeri varies based on the amount of metals found in the water samples; therefore, the presence of contaminants in the water can cause potential adverse effects on the aquatic organisms that inhabit these reservoirs, as a risk quotient greater than one was found in both reservoirs.