Gestión Integrada de Recursos Hídricos. Caso de estudio. Evaluación de la eficiencia de la EDAR de la parroquia San Isidro, provincia de Morona Santiago, para la gestión de la cuenca del río Quebrada

Abstract

Abstract: Until 2021, the parish of San Isidro had a precarious sewage and wastewater treatment system, meaning that more than half of domestic wastewater discharges ended up in the Quebrada River, causing serious and harmful pollution to the river's ecosystem and limiting its potential for other uses. In 2024, a new wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) was launched to improve the quality of the discharge and mitigate the pollution to which this river was previously subjected. In this context, the objective of this study is to verify that the WWTP meets its objective of removing contaminants from the discharge in accordance with current environmental regulations. It also aims to assess the impact of the discharge. The methodology used began with the selection of four control points: point PRQ1 located at the wastewater inlet of the WWTP; PRQ2 at the WWTP outlet; PRQ3 located upstream; and PRQ4 downstream after the discharge. Sampling was conducted on three different dates in December, February, and March. Analysis of the physical, chemical, and biological parameters was performed at the San Isidro drinking water plant. The results identified four parameters that violate discharge regulations: conductivity, TDS, total coliforms, and fecal coliforms, which were found to be in excess. This concludes that the WWTP is operating at less than 50% capacity. Analysis of the Quebrada River indicates that the effluent input does not have a significant impact.