Environmental macroscopic analysis of shallow wells containing water for human consumption in rural properties in Brazil

Abstract

Water is an essential natural resource for maintaining life and its quality is influenced by the land use and occupation within a watershed. Furthermore, water quality has a direct impact on the health and well-being of a population. The present study aimed to carry out a macroscopic environmental analysis in shallow wells found in rural properties distributed in the states of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina, including the Uruguay River Basin. The evaluation period of the macroscopic parameters took place in April 2021. The physical characteristics of the water and the state of preservation of the shallow wells and their surroundings were visually evaluated in rural properties with predominant land use and occupation through dairy production, swine farming activity and seasonal crops (agricultural crops). As results obtained for the environmental macroscopic analysis, through the weighting of the characteristics observed in each parameter about the state of preservation of the shallow wells, it was verified that they presented different classifications, ranging from the Very Good class to the Poor, being possible to identify the main sources that cause negative impacts on the evaluated locations (state of vegetation, use by animals, protection of the area and proximity to residences). Therefore, rural producers were advised to carry out protection and care measures around these wells that presented lower classifications, Fair (38,10%) and Poor (19,09%) to improve the conditions and aspects that directly influence the quality of water for human consumption.