An Assessment of Water Quality Parameters at the Cerrillos Reservoir, Ponce, Puerto Rico in the Aftermath of Hurricane Maria

Abstract

Maintaining the water quality of lakes and reservoirs is part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, an initiative promoted by the United Nations, including anthropogenic and natural factors that may influence water quality. The water reservoirs of Puerto Rico were built in watersheds to provide runoff control and for primary uses. The Cerrillos Reservoir is one of the largest water reservoirs in southern Puerto Rico, and is used as a source of potable water and for recreational activities. After hurricane Maria, in September 2017, many communities were without public water service and have obtained their drinking water from local rivers or their tributaries, without filtration or purification treatment. This research explored the physical-chemical parameters of Cerrillos Reservoir’s surface water from May 2018 to January 2019. The objective of the present study is to assess seasonal variations in surface water quality with respect to physical (temperature, turbidity, and conductivity), chemical (nutrient concentrations: (Phosphorus (P) (Soluble Reactive Phosphorus, phosphate, or orthophosphate) and Nitrogen (N) (nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia)), pH, and dissolved oxygen), and biological (total coliforms and Escherichia coli) parameters. Results suggest that Cerrillos Reservoir did not exceed the parameters of temperature, turbidity, conductivity, pH and DO, established by the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (PRDNER). The reservoir showed a stable trophic state in relation to inorganic phosphorus and nitrogen as N and P concentrations did not increase sufficiently to disrupt this ecosystem. However, total coliforms exceeded the maximum parameter (23 MPN/100mL - 994 MPN/100mL) established for the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources and are likely to be the results of the disruption caused by hurricane Maria.