Monitoring Loreto’s Seashore Water Quality
by Alex Estrada
Working in partnership with the Waterkeeper Alliance, Eco-Alianza generates useful and indispensable information through water quality monitoring within the Bay of Loreto National Park. The water quality monitoring team, now in its 4th year, provides essential and timely information for the health of users of the beaches of Loreto.
“Drinking water gives us life, but awareness will give us water”
All water quality monitoring is performed based on the guidelines of the Federal Commission for Protection Against Health Risks (COFEPRIS), the sole authority with the power to determine the criteria for classification of the beaches with primary human contact.
The Loreto Coastkeeper water quality monitoring protocols require technicians to follow strict guidelines in every step. These strict protocols are broken into 3 very specific processes:
- Preparation
- Organizing material and equipment
- Washing and drying glassware
- Material sterilization
2. Sampling
- Visit each of 12 scheduled sites
- Properly transport specimens
- Site analysis (record physical/chemical data at each site)
- Analysis
3. Processing
- Sample sealed correctly
- Correct incubation
- Processing of the results
The threshold values of bacteriological contamination by enterococci adopted by the Department of Health is 200 most probable number (MPN) limit to define that a beach is suitable or not for use. Based on these values, each beach is classified as:
Enterococos NMP/100mL = 0–200 → Suitable for recreational use
Enterococos NMP/100mL = + 200 → NOT suitable for recreational use
Sampling Results
After processing of water samples and determining positive or negative results for each beach, results are reported immediately to inform the authorities and the population of Loreto regarding the suitability of beaches for recreational use.
During the summer you can find the information weekly and during the winter two times per month on www.theswimguide.org page and the Facebook page of Eco-Alianza of Loreto.
Originally published in Loreto.com
