Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Environmental quality evaluation of the Vacacaí River, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Environmental Earth Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The water quality of the Vacacaí River was assessed at different sites in the period between winter 2005 and autumn 2006. All samples were analyzed for 52 elements (Sc, Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Th, Li, Be, Mg, Al, Ca, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Co, Cu, Zn, Ga, As, Se, Rb, Sr, Ag, Cd, In, Cs, Ba, Tl, Pb, Bi, U, Na, K, Hg, B, Mo, Sn, Te, Ti), temperature, pH, ammonia, and alkalinity levels. Water from the Vacacaí River ranged from slightly acidic to alkaline. No difference was observed in the chemical composition at different sites of the Vacacaí River. Levels of Ba, Ca, Sr and Mg increase in the dry seasons and reach their highest concentrations in autumn; Be and U decrease in the dry season and reach their highest concentration in spring. Al, Fe, Cr, Ni, Th, U Mn, Ca and Mg are highly positively related, indicating a common origin. Se and Cu are probably from anthropogenic source, from the rice crops of the margins of the river. Waterborne Al and Fe levels were above the desirable level for drinking water at all sites during all seasons. These results demonstrate the need for constant monitoring of water parameters, which is crucial to ensure water quality for the population of this region.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Al Fraij KM, Abd El Aleem MK, Al Ajmy H (1999) Comparative study of potable and mineral waters available in the state of Kuwait. Desalination 123:235–264. doi:10.1016/S0011-9164(99)00081-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Augustin PV Jr, Viero AP (2012) Environmental impact and geochemical behavior of soil contaminants from an industrial waste landfill in southern Brazil. Environ Earth Sci 67:1521–1530

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bonten LTC, Kroes JG, Groenendijk P, van der Grift B (2012) Modeling diffusive Cd and Zn contaminant emissions from soils to surface waters. J Contam Hydrol 138–139:113–122

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Campos MB, Azevedo H, Nascimento MRL, Roque CV, Rodgher CVR (2011) Environmental assessment of water from a uranium mine (Caldas, Minas Gerais State, Brazil) in a decommissioning operation. Environ Earth Sci 62:857–863

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Capkin E, Altinoc I, Karahan S (2006) Water quality and fish size affect toxicity of endosulfan, an organochlorine pesticide, to rainbow trout. Chemosphere 64:1793–1800. doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2005.12.050

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen H, Tappel AL (1996) Protection of multiple antioxidants against heme protein oxidation and lipid peroxidation induced by CBrCl3 in liver, lung, kidney heart and spleen. J Agric Food Chem 44:854–858. doi:10.1021/jf950562f

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • CONAMA (2005) Resolution 357, 17 March 2005. Environment Ministry, National Council of Environment. Brasília, Brazil

  • Eaton AD, Clesceri LS, Rice EW, Greenberg AE (2005) Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater, 21st edn. Am Public Health Assn, USA

    Google Scholar 

  • El-Bayoumy K (2001) The protective role of selenium on genetic damage and on cancer. Mutat Res 475:123–139. doi:10.1016/S0027-5107(01)00075-6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ghosh BC, Bhat R (1998) Environmental hazards of nitrogen loading in wetland rice fields. Environ Pollut 102:123–126. doi:10.1016/S0269-7491(98)80024-9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Girija TR, Mahanta C, Chandramouli V (2007) Water quality assessment of an untreated effluent impacted urban stream: the Bharalu tributary of the Brahmaputra River, India. Environ Monit Assess 130:221–236. doi:10.1007/s10661-006-9391-6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Katsoyiannis IA, Katsoyiannis AA (2006) Arsenic and other metal contamination of groundwaters in the industrial area of Thessaloniki, Northern Greece. Environ Mon Asses 123:393–406. doi:10.1007/s10661-006-9204-y

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kochhann D, Benaduce APS, Copatti CE, Lorenzatto KR, Mesko MF, Flores EMM, Dressler VL, Baldisserotto B (2009a) Protective effect of high alkalinity against the deleterious effects of chronic waterborne cadmium exposure on the detection of alarm cues by juvenile silver catfish (Rhamdia quelen). Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 56:770–775. doi:10.1007/s00244-009-9291-1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kochhann D, Pavanato MA, Llesuy SF, Correa LM, Riffel APK, Loro VL, Mesko MF, Flores EMM, Dressler VL, Baldisserotto B (2009b) Bioaccumulation and oxidative stress parameters in silver catfish (Rhamdia quelen) exposed to different thorium concentrations. Chemosphere 77:384–391. doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2009.07.022

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kucuksezgin F, Uluturhan E, Batki H (2008) Distribution of heavy metals in water, particulate matter and sediments of Gediz River (Eastern Aegean). Environ Mon Assess 14:213–225

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laluraj CM, Gopinath G (2006) Assessment on seasonal variation of groundwater quality of phreatic aquifers–a river basin system. Environ Monit Assess 117:45–57

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Larios R, Fernández-Martínez R, Silva V, Rucandio I (2012) Chemical availability of arsenic and heavy metals in sediments from abandoned cinnabar mine tailings. Environ Earth Sci. doi:10.1007/s12665-012-1757-1

    Google Scholar 

  • Leppard GG (1983) Trace element speciation in surface waters and its ecological implication. Plenum Press, New York

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Lerda DE, Prosperi CH (1996) Water mutagenicity and toxicology in Rio Tercero (Cordoba, Argentina). Water Res 30:819–824. doi:10.1016/0043-1354(95)00226-X

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Letavayová L, Vlasáková D, Spallholz JE, Brozmanová J, Chovanec M (2008) Toxicity and mutagenicity of selenium compounds in Saccharomyces cerevisae. Mutat Res 683:1–10. doi:10.1016/j.mrfmmm.2007.08.009

    Google Scholar 

  • Marchezan E, Zanella R, Avila LA, Camargo ER, Macedo VRM, Machado SLO (2007) Rice herbicide monitoring in two Brazilian rivers during the rice growing season. Sci Agric 64(2):131–137. doi:10.1590/S0103-90162007000200005

    Google Scholar 

  • Nayak P (2002) Aluminum: impacts and disease. Environ Res 89:101–105. doi:10.1006/enrs.2002.4352

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oinam JD, Ramanathan AL, Linda A, Singh G (2011) A study of arsenic, iron and other dissolved ion variations in the groundwater of Bishnupur District, Manipur, India. Environ Earth Sci 62:1183–1195. doi:10.1007/s12665-010-0607-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Puls R (1994) Mineral levels in animal health, 2nd edn. Sherpa International, Clearbrook

    Google Scholar 

  • Raghunath R, Sreedhara Murthy TR, Raghavan BR (2001) Spatial distribution of pH, EC and total dissolved solids of Nethravathi river basin, Karnataka state, India. Pollut Res 20:413–418

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosborg I, Nihlgärd B, Gerhardsson L, Sverdrup H (2006) Concentrations of inorganics elements in 20 municipal waters in Sweden before and after treatment–links to human health. Environ Geochem Health 28:215–229. doi:10.1007/s10653-005-9033-x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schipper PNM, Bonten LTC, Plette ACC, Moolenaar SW (2008) Measures to diminish leaching of heavy metals to surface waters from agricultural soils. Desalination 226:89–96

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shanmugam P, Neelamani S, Ahn Y-H, Philip L, Hong G-H (2007) Assessment of the levels of coastal marine pollution of Chennai city, southern India. Water Resour Manage 21:1187–1206. doi:10.1007/s11269-006-9075-6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sillanpää M, Hulkkonen R-M, Manderscheid A (2002) Drinking water quality in the alpine pastures of the eastern Tibetan plateau. Rangifer 15:47–52

    Google Scholar 

  • Tapiero H, Townsend DM, Tew KD (2003) The antioxidant role of selenium and seleno-compounds. Biomed Pharmacother 57:134–144. doi:10.1016/S0753-3322(03)00035-0

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walton JR (2007) A longitudinal study of rats chronically exposed to aluminium at human dietary levels. Neurosci Lett 412:29–33. doi:10.1016/j.neulet.2006.08.093

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang L, Wang Y, Xu C, An Z, Wang S (2011) Analysis and evaluation of the source of heavy metals in water of the River Changjiang. Environ Monit Assess 173:301–313

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • WHO (2004) Guidelines for drinking water quality, 3rd edn. World Health Organization, Geneva Switzerland

    Google Scholar 

  • Zanella R, Primel EG, Machado SLO, Goncalves FF, Marchezan E (2002) Monitoring of the herbicide clomazone in environmental water samples by solid-phase extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection. Chromathographia 55:573–577. doi:10.1007/BF02492903

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao L, Wu L, Li Y, Lu X, Zhu D, Uphoff N (2009) Influence of the system of rice intensification on rice yield and nitrogen and water use efficiency with different N application rates. Expl Agric 45:275–286

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratório de Ecofisiologia e Evolução Molecular, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, AM, 69060-001, Brazil

    Daiani Kochhann

  2. Unidade Descentralizada de Educação Superior de Silveira Martins, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Silveira Martins, RS, Brazil

    Everton Rodolfo Behr

  3. Departamento de Fisiologia e Farmacologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil

    Adilson de Chaves & Bernardo Baldisserotto

  4. Centro de Ciências Químicas, Farmacêuticas e de Alimentos, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Capão do Leão, RS, Brazil

    Marcia F. Mesko

  5. Departamento de Química, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil

    Valderi L. Dressler & Erico M. M. Flores

Authors
  1. Daiani Kochhann
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Everton Rodolfo Behr
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Adilson de Chaves
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Marcia F. Mesko
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Valderi L. Dressler
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Erico M. M. Flores
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Bernardo Baldisserotto
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Daiani Kochhann.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kochhann, D., Behr, E.R., de Chaves, A. et al. Environmental quality evaluation of the Vacacaí River, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Environ Earth Sci 70, 1727–1733 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-013-2260-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-013-2260-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation