Qualidade da água do rio Vieira sob a influência da área urbana de Montes Claros MG

Abstract

The object of study in this research is the Vieira river flowing through Montes Claros, Minas Gerais. Montes Claros, a city of about 348.996 inhabitants (according to IBGE data from july/2006), occupies a reasonable portion of the river basin and, therefore, has great influence on the water quality. This master's degree thesis tried to understand the cause-effect relationship of urbanization on the quality of the surface water resource. The guiding parameter of water quality defined by the CONAMA 357 Resolution, of 03/17/2005, were adopted. Precepts of the integrated approach of ecosystem and hydrographic basins of Law 9433, January 8th, 1997 were also adopted. These precepts establish the national policy of hydric resources, known as Hydric Resources Management National System. Physicalchemical, bacteriological, and metal analysis of water samples collected at several points along the Vieira river, during both dry and wet seasons, were performed aiming the accomplishment of the research. The definition of the sampling points took into account the characteristic of the urban occupation as well as the place and basin biophysical characteristics. The results show an evaluation of the influence of urbanization on the Vieira river water quality. The metal, physical-chemical and microbiological parameters evidenced a low water quality caused by the disposal of domestic and industrial waste on the stream without a previous treatment, by the irregular disposal of a variety of urban solid residues, by the landfill dump of Montes Claros, previously an open landfill and by the use and occupation of the soil in the basin area.