THE IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY OF WATER QUALITY IN THE TRAINING OF SANITARY AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERS

Abstract

Actions of anthropic origin have contributed to the degradation of several watercourses. In this context, environmental education can be used to raise the awareness of the academic community of the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM) and region, in order to mitigate the degradation of water resources. Among the actions foreseen in the Sanitary and Environmental Engineering course, it is possible to highlight the Water Quality Assessment discipline, which aims to train Sanitary and Environmental Engineers capable of evaluating the conditions of watercourses. Thus, the objective of this work is to present the results obtained from the physical-chemical analyzes in Sanga Lagoão do Ouro on the UFSM campus, carried out within the scope of the discipline. During the second half of 2017, 5 samples were collected to determine the solids contents, Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), alkalinity, acidity, hardness, color, turbidity, conductivity, temperature and pH. Based on the comparison of the results with the Resolution of the National Council for the Environment (CONAMA) nº 357 of 2005, Sanga Lagoão do Ouro was classified in Class 4. The Water Quality Assessment discipline proved to be an efficient tool in the training of students to carry out the analyzes and interpret the results. It also served as a warning to the academic community, given the low quality of the watercourse.