Abstract
Riverine water is largely used for human consumption and it is well known that its quality is correlated to many external factors. Because of that, this study evaluated linear correlations between precipitation and several water quality parameters using data collected from Antas’ river (Paraná, Brazil) at locations with different levels of human occupation aiming to identify water quality irregularities related to these important external factors, especially at a point surrounded by preserved vegetation. The statistical analyses were made using Pearson’s linear correlation coefficient (r) and the open source programming software, R. The results showed that precipitation has moderate to strong correlation with turbidity, true color, total coliforms and E. coli (0.99 ≥ r ≥ 0.44), and also has weak to moderate correlations with pH (− 0.39 ≥ r ≥ − 0.58) and biochemical oxygen demand (0.48 ≥ r ≥ 0.36), regardless of the level of human occupation nearby. The high correlations observed for E. coli and total coliforms in an area protected by native vegetation, probably due to adjacent rural activities, represents a novel and major finding. Dissolved oxygen and temperature showed no significant correlations with rainfall volume (0.26 ≥ r ≥ − 0.19). Since Brazilian law ensures that water quality parameters must be measured and considered in projects of water resources management, the proposed methodology seems to be promising for government policies applications, since it comprises only simple analyzes and a free software for simulations.
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The authors would like to thank the support provided for the water quality analysis by Unicentro laboratories and technicians.
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Rodrigues, L.A.P., Radomski, F.A.D., Godoy, R.F.B. et al. Correlations between water quality and precipitation in areas with different levels of human occupation. Int J Energ Water Res 5, 25–31 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42108-020-00097-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42108-020-00097-y