Avaliação das condições de balneabilidade na Represa do Taboão, Santa Rita de Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais

Recreational use areas are vital for well-being and connection with nature but are subject to various environmental pressures. Pollution, disorderly development, overexploitation of natural resources, climate change, and uncontrolled tourism are some of the challenges faced by these areas. Inaugurated in 1956 in Santa Rita de Ouro Preto, the Dam Taboão is inserted in the context of the Piranga River basin, a tributary of the Doce River. This dam is widely used for recreational activities involving primary contact with water by residents of the region and visitors. However, the absence of a sewage treatment plant in the district means that the dam receives at least part of the domestic effluents generated by the district residents. In this context, this work aimed to verify whether the conditions of land use and occupation and the lack of treatment of domestic effluents in the district have impacted the bathing conditions at the Dam Taboão in Santa Rita de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais. Four points with a high-frequency record of users were selected in the dam, which were monitored in February and July 2022, evaluated, and classified according to the presence of Escherichia coli, following the established by CONAMA Resolution 274/2000. In addition, pH and temperature were also analyzed. It was found that the levels of contamination by Escherichia coli are higher in the selected points during the rainy season (7,520 CFU/100ml), when points 1 and 2 can be considered unsuitable for primary contact. In the dry season, contamination levels were lower (between 0 and 800 CFU/100ml) and are, in general, within the limits established for classification as satisfactory, following the resolution above-mentioned. The pH and temperature values recorded were in accordance with legislation. The results showed that although the points analyzed were directly influenced by the urban area, upstream, diffuse contamination during the rainy season may have contributed to the increase in Escherichia coli levels.