Mena-Rivera Leonardo, Quirós-Vega José
Water Resources Management Laboratory, School of Chemistry, Universidad Nacional, Heredia 86-3000, Costa Rica E-mail:
Institute for Social Studies in Population, Universidad Nacional, Heredia 86-3000, Costa Rica.
J Water Health. 2018 Jun;16(3):403-413. doi: 10.2166/wh.2018.203.
Vegas-Las Palmas is a rural settlement located in the southern Caribbean region of Costa Rica on the border with Panama. Its population does not have access to potable water, and inhabitants depend on water from wells at the water table level to meet their needs. These wells lack basic infrastructure to protect this water from contamination. In this study, water quality was evaluated at 12 wells from 2014 to 2016 (n = 72). The results revealed high concentrations of faecal coliforms and Escherichia coli with maximum values of 4.6 × 10 MPN/100 mL and 1.1 × 10 MPN/100 mL, respectively. In addition, maximum values of pH, conductivity, turbidity, Ca, Mg, K, Fe, Mn, Cd and Pb were found to be outside the standard limits (nationally and internationally) for potable water. Possible sources of water contamination are associated with the geomorphological characteristics of the area, as well as with hydrometeorological and anthropogenic factors such as the lack of sewerage, the presence of latrines, animals near the wells and the use of agrochemicals. The water quality was heterogeneous among wells, and all of them were found to have conditions that caused water to be unfit for human consumption.
维加斯-拉斯帕尔马斯是一个乡村定居点，位于哥斯达黎加加勒比地区南部与巴拿马接壤处。当地居民无法获得饮用水，居民依靠地下水位的井水来满足需求。这些水井缺乏保护水源不受污染的基本基础设施。在本研究中，于2014年至2016年对12口水井的水质进行了评估（n = 72）。结果显示粪便大肠菌群和大肠杆菌浓度很高，最大值分别为4.6×10 MPN/100 mL和1.1×10 MPN/100 mL。此外，还发现pH值、电导率、浊度、钙、镁、钾、铁、锰、镉和铅的最大值超出了饮用水的国家和国际标准限值。水污染的可能来源与该地区的地貌特征有关，也与水文气象和人为因素有关，如缺乏污水处理设施、存在厕所、水井附近有动物以及使用农用化学品。各水井之间水质不均一，所有水井的水质均不适合人类饮用。
