Overview of use, distribution and pollution of surface water in Arroio Pampa in Rio dos Sinos Basin

Abstract

The human intervention in surface water fountains is intense and decisive. In light of the urbanization, with the production of household waste in large quantities with high organic load of pollutants and because the activities of industrialization, which produce industrial effluents with high quantity of heavy metals, the standard of quality of the water surface is reduced drastically. The result is a reduction in quality of life in these basins, which are highly exposed to acquisition of infectious diseases and exposure to carcinogenic agents and teratogenics represented by heavy metals. Rivers which pass through urban centres, a rule, carry in their waters domestic sewage and industrial effluents. Although the Brazilian environmental law determines the tracking, and classification of these water bodies, with subsequent publication of the results, in most cases this does not occur effectively. The Arroio Pampa with most of its territory in the municipality of Novo Hamburgo - RS - Brazil, passing through densely populated neighborhoods, has every domestic sewage disposed of these neighborhoods by its waters, is receiving corps of industrial effluents, and despite having his mouth to approximately 1.5 km from the point of water for consumption of more than 250,000 people, it is typical example of this situation. This paper discusses the panorama of uses, distribution and contamination of surface waters from the focus on studies in Arroio Pampa, located in the basin of Rio dos Sinos in the metropolitan area of Porto Alegre.

Key words: surface water, water resources, pollution.