TITLE:
Winter and Summer Evaluation of Bacteriological Water Quality at Recreational Beaches along Todos Santos Bay, Baja California, Mexico
AUTHORS:
María Victoria Orozco-Borbón, Efraín A. Gutiérrez-Galindo, Luis. F. Navarro-Olache, Albino Muñoz-Barbosa, Vinicio Macías-Zamora, Celia Pérez-Capetillo
KEYWORDS:
Water Quality, Enterococci, Todos Santos Bay
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Microbiology,
Vol.4 No.15,
November
26,
2014
ABSTRACT: Water bacteriological qualities of 22
recreational beaches in Ensenada Bay, Baja California, Mexico were analyzed
during the summer and winter of 2008. Total and fecal coliforms as well as
enterococci bacteria were used as pollution indicators. Results showed that
bacteria concentrations were higher in winter than summer, associated with
Southern California rainy season. Bacteria loads in winter exceeded both the
daily and monthly standards showing a clear effect of storm water runoff in the
quality of Todos Santos Bay recreational beaches. Statistical analysis showed
significant differences between bacteria concentration during summer and
winter. The general behavior of the indicators based on daily and monthly
standards from high to low was enterococci > FC > TC> total/fecal
ratio. Water discharged from 3 sewage treatment plants were responsible for the
pollution observed at stations, when the uptake capacity of plants exceeded the
storage. During summer pollution was due to non-programmed discharges from sewage
treatment plants.