Integrated assessment of the environmental quality of the Palmitos microbasin

Aquatic ecosystems are impacted by various human activities. In view of their preservation, it is necessary to monitor their quality. In this sense, the objective of this work was to evaluate the water quality of the microbasin of the Palmitos by an integrated analysis. The Rapid Assessment Protocol (RAP) results characterized the Palmitos stream ranging from altered to impacted and the tributaries from natural to altered. Biomonitoring characterizes the water quality of the microbasin at different levels, from very bad to good. The high level of eutrophication of water bodies is highlighted due to the high concentrations of phosphorus arising from local agricultural activities, which cover about 60% of the microbasin area according to the study of land use and occupation. The analysis of the sediments showed that places with more heterogeneity present greater diversity of macroinvertebrates. The protocol of functional feeding groups reveals a destructured microbasin in its middle/lower part, due to the predominance of collecting macroinvertebrates and the absence of fragmenters. These results, together, demonstrate the high degradability of the microbasin of the Palmitos stream in the region covered by the urban area. It is expected that the results will contribute to the strengthening of proposals for monitoring and controlling water pollution, serving as a subsidy for programs to recover degraded areas.