Occurrence of coliforms in water samples of the Pereque and Penedo rivers in Parana, Brazil

The Pereque and Penedo rivers flow through the plains of Praia de Leste and fall into the sea between the municipalities of Pontal do Sul and Ponta do Poco. Both of these rivers belong to the sub-basin of Paranagua Bay, and are constituent parts of the hydrographic basin of the Atlantic Ocean (State of Parana). Four sites along the Pereque River (Stations 1-4) and one along the Penedo River (Station 5) were monitorated for water pollution over a 12-month period. During the period of December 1995 to November 1996, three water samples were collected from each site, placed in sterilized bottles and transported to the laboratory in ice-boxes. They were analyzed for the occurrence of total and fecal coliforms, temperature and pH. Fecal pollution was detected throughout the period of study. Coliform contamination was smaller in Station 1 and 5 than in any other sites, probably due to lesser influence from urbanized areas. Wafer at Station 4 was strongly contaminated due to its close proximity to a sewage canal. This study demonstrated that the Pequere and Penedo rivers, freshwater shrimps habitats, were heavily contaminated with fecal indicator bacteria, and this occurrence was not related with temperature or pH.