Objective:

Analyze the water quality and the influence of the climatic variability in supply system for the human consume in San José, Costa Rica, in four catchment areas in Vasquez of Coronado in the period 2017-2018 to give recommendations to the operator and promote the protection of the supplied population.

Methods:

Descriptive study of the basic parameters of the drinking water (Escherichia coli, fecal coliforms, turbidity, conductivity, pH, color, temperature, and residual chlorine). The analyses were done following Standard Methods for the examination of Water and Wastewater. The catchment areas were delimited using geographic information systems (GIS). Descriptive and inferential statistic was used to describe the water quality, spatial and seasonal variability.

Results:

The concentration of fecal coliforms in the catchment areas was >10 3 NMP/100 mL and the turbidity >5 UTN in 76% of the samples. In the distribution system were found concentrations of the residual chlorine and turbidity (>5 UTN) above according to recommended limits for drinking water in the country. The results showed significant differences in all of the basic parameters of the water quality between catchment areas (p<0, 05 in all cases) and between climatic periods for catchment areas.

Conclusion:

These results indicate that water of inadequate quality is being used for human use and consumption, for which reason intensive and sectorized source monitoring is recommended to locate contamination points.

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