Physico-chemical and microbiological testing of the Eloy Chaves Botanical Park lake in Jundiaí-SP

The urban lake ecosystems are among the priority water bodies with regard to the need for proper management and conservation, because they have a direct influence on the conservation of local biodiversity and in aspects such as rainfall drainage. The lake of the Eloy Chaves Botanical Park in Jundiai-SP is a lentic water body that has a fauna composed of fish, birds and reptiles, and receives water from rainwater galleries. This study evaluated the physico-chemical parameters (pH, orthophosphate, turbidity, nitrate, nitrite and dissolved oxygen) and microbiological parameters (thermotolerant coliforms) of the waters of the lake of the Eloy Chaves Botanical Park and the microbiological parameters of a rainwater gallery that flows into the lake. For this, we used the reagent kit Ecokit II® and Colipaper®. The values obtained for the parameters orthophosphate and thermotolerant coliforms were in high concentration compared to the limit established for waters intended to protect aquatic communities (Class 2 of CONAMA Resolution 357/2005). In addition, the microbiological evaluation of rainwater gallery that flows into the lake showed high count of coliforms (57.600 CFU/100ml). Thus, despite the presence of flora and fauna on site, there is evidence of contamination caused by discharges of urban effluents into the rainwater gallery that flows into the lake, which may be affecting the water quality of this important urban ecosystem.