In the last decade, the world population has become more urban than rural, but the human contact with nature is still a necessity for a proper physical and mental development. The urban green areas are a significant part of the urban heritage, providing fundamental ecosystem services. They give us the possibility of having social and cultural interaction surrounded by nature. Water is usually part of the landscape of these areas. The quality of the recreational water in urban green areas impacts on multiple factors like soil, vegetation, aquatic and terrestrial life and public health. A complete evaluation of this quality requires applying different methodologies simultaneously. Samples were collected at eight sites of Buenos Aires City in order to assess the quality of its recreational water. Results were compared with water quality standards in established legislation and were ranked by the National Sanitation Foundation Water Quality Index (NSF-WQI). Euphotic zone transparency was used as a parameter of the impact on aquatic life, measuring the Secchi depth. A test for fecal coliform bacteria was used as a risk indicator for human health. In accordance with the NSF-WQI ranking, the eight sampling sites have medium or bad water quality. Fifty percent of the sites exceeded the allowed count of coliform bacteria. According to established legislation, five of the studied sites were found to be unsuitable for primary, secondary or passive aquatic activities. Of the remaining sites, two were suitable for passive activities and only one qualified to be suitable for all kinds of aquatic activities. Secchi depth measures reveal a bad water quality for aquatic life at four of the analyzed sites.

ResumenCuando los vertidos líquidos de una industria se descargan a un conducto pluvial o a la red cloacal general, la probabilidad de que estos efluentes terminen en un curso de agua superficial o subterránea es muy alta. La disminución o eliminación total de la biotoxicidad de estos efluentes antes de su descarte es de vital importancia para prevenir impactos negativos sobre la biodiversidad del ecosistema que recibe los vertidos.El uso del test de Allium cepa como bioindicador en ensayos de biotoxicidad y genotoxicidad está reconocido a nivel mundial. En el presente trabajo proponemos utilizar el test como un indicador para evaluar la eficacia de los tratamientos que las Cuando los vertidos líquidos de una industria se descargan a un conducto pluvial o a la red cloacal general, la probabilidad de que estos efluentes terminen en un curso de agua superficial o subterránea es muy alta. La disminución o eliminación total de la biotoxicidad de estos efluentes antes de su descarte es de vital importancia para prevenir impactos negativos sobre la biodiversidad del ecosistema que recibe los vertidos.El uso del test de Allium cepa como bioindicador en ensayos de biotoxicidad y genotoxicidad está reconocido a nivel mundial. En el presente trabajo proponemos utilizar el test como un indicador para evaluar la eficacia de los tratamientos que las industrias realizan sobre sus efluentes líquidos antes del vertido a la red cloacal general.

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