ASSESSMENT OF WATER QUALITY IN THE RESERVOIR OF THE PETI HYDROELECTRIC PLANT, MINAS GERAIS

Abstract

The Peti Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP) reservoir, located in the Santa Bárbara River sub basin, Minas Gerais, was built for power generation, however, its waters are used in different activities, including recreation. In this context, this work aimed to evaluate the reservoir water quality, its eutrophication index and balneability indicators. For this purpose, documents provided by Companhia Energética de Minas Gerais (CEMIG) referring to water quality indicators between 2009 and 2018, obtained from 4 monitoring stations, were used. From the data obtained it was noted that the water quality indicators upstream of the reservoir showed unsatisfactory results, especially those related to phosphorus and thermotolerant coliforms. The analyzes of the samples collected in the reservoir area indicated “good” water quality index and “mesotrophic” trophic state index. However, as for the balneability, the presence of traces of oil and grease indicate that the waters are unsuitable for primary contact. Thus, it is emphasized the importance of carrying out environmental education work with users of motorboats and jet-ski, to prevent the spillage of contaminants in the water, as well as to carry out new studies to identify other possible polluting sources.