Abstract

CHASSOUL ACOSTA, María José  and  RODRIGUEZ-ARIAS, Cindy. Pollution and reduction of the El Laguito reservoir, Costa Rica, by urban waters: survey and physical-chemical properties. Cuadernos de Investigación UNED [online]. 2018, vol.10, n.2, pp.409-415. ISSN 1659-4266.  http://dx.doi.org/10.22458/urj.v10i2.2006.

The pollution and size reduction of water reservoirs have an important impact on tropical biodiversity. The Laguito, Sede de Occidente, in Alajuela, Costa Rica, is an artificial reservoir built for recreational purposes, but currently works as a rainwater reservoir to prevent floods that occur in the lower areas of the microbasin. In recent years, it has been reduced in size and lost the water mirror and the reservoir capacity is very small. To assess water management by the neighbors, we surveyed 92 nearby homes that discharge waste water to El Laguito through a sewer and a pipe. We also took water samples in April and September of 2015 and July of 2016 for standard physic-chemical analysis. The neighbors waste water and 80% of the houses discharge the untreated raw waters into the system. An educational program would improve practices in the area and benefit the reservoir and the associated organisms.

Keywords : Water management; waste water; contamination; El Laguito; hydric resource.

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