Water quality of streams in the region of Monteverde, Costa Rica

The region of Monteverde, Costa Rica is rapidly growing and the water quality is undoubtedly being affected. The Quebradas Rodriguez, Máquina, and Cambronero were sampled at three elevations to assess the water quality of the rivers according to the parameters used to calculate the Water Quality Index. Two additional parameters, depth and velocity, were also taken. The data showed that there is a positive correlation between dissolved oxygen and biochemical oxygen demand at the three rivers. There is also a negative correlation between total coliform of the aforementioned variables. A large increase in nitrates and turbidity as well as a decrease in dissolved oxygen in the Quebrada Cambronero was found immediately following the Productores de Monteverde hog farm yet no such changes were seen in the Quebrada Máquina, which ran by Monteverde’s main road, and which experienced different anthropogenic influences. This difference is evidence that the water contamination at the Cambronero was due to the hog farm inputs. The Quebrada Cambronero recovered to its normal values for nitrates and dissolved oxygen but not turbidity downstream. Stream ecology, however, may still be affected by this contaminated zone. La región de Monteverde, Costa Rica esta creciendo rápidamente y la calidad del agua esta siendo indudablemente afectada. Se hicieron muestras en las Quebradas Rodríguez, Máquina, y Cambronero a tres elevaciones para evaluar la calidad del agua de los ríos según los parámetros usados para calcular el Indice de la calidad del agua. También se tomaron dos parámetros adicionales, la profundidad y la velocidad.https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/tropical_ecology/1502/thumbnail.jp