Environmental quality of the Maria la Gorda lagoon in the city of Rio Gallegos, Argentina

The Maria la Gorda lagoon is part of the Urban Natural Reserve System of the city of Rio Gallegos, being one of the largest reserve areas, with approximately 11.29 ha. The objective of this work was to characterize the quality of water and sediment in the Maria la Gorda lagoon from a physical, chemical, microbiological and specific-pollutant point of view, in order to know its environmental quality. For this, water and sediment samples were taken seasonally and studied according to their physical, chemical, and microbiological characteristics, as well as their concentration in hydrocarbons and heavy metals. The main results obtained showed that the environmental quality of the Maria la Gorda lagoon's water is average, and it should only be used for recreational purposes due to the presence of organic matter with high COD values, nitrates and indicator microorganisms; however, no hydrocarbons or heavy metals were present above the reference values. The evidence of poor environmental quality in the study area, classified as an urban reserve, makes it necessary to implement sanitizing measures which tend to maintain a good environmental quality, so that it may continue to serve its intended purpose without future environmental problems. These could lead to emerging health problems in the population of Rio Gallegos associated with the problem raised.