Anthropogenic activities and COVID-19 effects on natural water bodies: Arroyo Seco’s case

Abstract

Concerns about pollution in Arroyo Seco, an important natural water body in the Monterrey Metropolitan Area, have been reported due to possible wastewater discharges and solid waste mismanagement, turning the river into a potential public health hazard in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, a volunteer clean-up campaign denominated “Arroyo Vivo” has been promoted by Distrito Tec and the Campana-Altamira initiative. To aid in the efforts, ammonium, nitrates, nitrites, and sulfate concentrations, total solids, and total organic matter were measured in parallel with SARS-CoV-2 detection and quantification in river water samples. Compared with applicable regulations (NOM-001-SEMARNAT-2021, NOM-127-SSA1-2021), total suspended solid levels (55-365 mg/L) were found above the maximum limit (84 mg/L), while ammonium (0.0175-0.198 mg/L), nitrite (0.0585-0.169 mg/L), nitrate (1.065-3.285 mg/L), sulfate (91.2-111 mg/L), and chemical oxygen demand (16.95-43.1 mg/L) were consistently below the maximum limits (0.50, 0.90, 11.00, 84.00, 400.00, and 100.00 mg/L, respectively), showing that no large-scale wastewater discharges had taken place in Arroyo Seco. However, SARS-CoV-2 genetic material was detected at three sampling sites, indicating some degree of sewage leakage and inadequate management of solid waste containing respiratory fluids of infected patients. While reports indicate that water bodies are not sources of SARS-CoV-2 infection in surrounding populations, it proves that waste disposal policies must be enforced more strictly to ensure water quality and environmental protection towards sustainable development. Nonetheless, continued efforts to screen concerning contaminants are still needed to fully assess the environmental status of the stream and propose relevant public policy.

Keywords

Water pollution / anthropogenic activities / viral gene / SARS-CoV-2 / water quality / increased total suspended solids

References

[1] Castro MF,Bazán C,Delfini CD.Impact of anthropogenic activities on an urban river through a comprehensive analysis of water and sediments.Environ Sci Pollut Res Int2021;28:37754-67

[2] Akhtar N,Bhawani SA.Various natural and anthropogenic factors responsible for water quality degradation: a review.Water2021;13:2660

[3] Chen SS,Yu C,Gao Q.Assessment of urban river water pollution with urbanization in East Africa.Environ Sci Pollut Res Int2022;29:40812-25 PMCID:PMC9135893

[4] Capparelli MV,de Souza Abessa DM.An integrative approach to identify the impacts of multiple metal contamination sources on the Eastern Andean foothills of the Ecuadorian Amazonia.Sci Total Environ2020;709:136088

[5] Boula A,Gunkel-grillon P,Selmaoui-folcher N.Potential contamination of stream waters by ultramafic mining sediments: Identification of geochemical makers (New Caledonia).J Geochem Explor2022;232:106879

[6] Corredor JA, Pérez EH, Figueroa R, Casas AF. Water quality of streams associated with artisanal gold mining; Suárez, Department of Cauca, Colombia.Heliyon2021;7:e07047 PMCID:PMC8187243

[7] Zendehbad M,Loiskandl W.Source identification of nitrate contamination in the urban aquifer of Mashhad, Iran.J Hydrol Reg Stud2019;25:100618

[8] Shi P,Song J.Response of nitrogen pollution in surface water to land use and social-economic factors in the Weihe River watershed, northwest China.Sustain Cities Soc2019;50:101658

[9] Negi P,Ravindra K.Impact of landfill leachate on the groundwater quality in three cities of North India and health risk assessment.Environ Dev Sustain2020;22:1455-74

[10] Morera-Gómez Y,Santamaría JM,Lasheras E.Levels, spatial distribution, risk assessment, and sources of environmental contamination vectored by road dust in Cienfuegos (Cuba) revealed by chemical and C and N stable isotope compositions.Environ Sci Pollut Res Int2020;27:2184-96

[11] Kniggendorf AK,Roth B.Microplastics detection in streaming tap water with Raman Spectroscopy.Sensors2019;19:1839 PMCID:PMC6515371

[12] Sun J,Wang Q,Ni BJ.Microplastics in wastewater treatment plants: detection, occurrence and removal.Water Res2019;152:21-37

[13] Lv L,Feng L.Challenge for the detection of microplastics in the environment.Water Environ Res2021;93:5-15

[14] Dey TK,Jamal M.Detection and removal of microplastics in wastewater: evolution and impact.Environ Sci Pollut Res Int2021;28:16925-47 PMCID:PMC7906573

[15] Sridhar A,Kapoor A.Extraction and detection methods of microplastics in food and marine systems: a critical review.Chemosphere2022;286:131653

[16] Couto CF,Amaral MC.Occurrence, fate and removal of pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) in water and wastewater treatment plants - a review.J Water Process Eng2019;32:100927

[17] Schulze S,Montes R.Occurrence of emerging persistent and mobile organic contaminants in European water samples.Water Res2019;153:80-90

[18] Helmecke M,Schulte C.Regulating water reuse for agricultural irrigation: risks related to organic micro-contaminants.Environ Sci Eur2020;32:4

[19] Huang C,Han M,Zhang G.The distribution of persistent, mobile and toxic (PMT) pharmaceuticals and personal care products monitored across Chinese water resources.J Hazard Mater Lett2021;2:100026

[20] Titchou FE,Afanga H,Akbour RA.Removal of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) from water and wastewater by adsorption and electrocoagulation process.Groundw Sustain Dev2021;13:100575

[21] Sikorski MJ.Reviving the “Moore Swab”: a classic environmental surveillance tool involving filtration of flowing surface water and sewage water to recover typhoidal salmonella bacteria.Appl Environ Microbiol2020;86:e00060-20 PMCID:PMC7301852

[22] La Rosa G, Bonadonna L, Lucentini L, Kenmoe S, Suffredini E. Coronavirus in water environments: occurrence, persistence and concentration methods - a scoping review.Water Res2020;179:115899 PMCID:PMC7187830

[23] Mohapatra S,Mohapatra G.The novel SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: possible environmental transmission, detection, persistence and fate during wastewater and water treatment.Sci Total Environ2021;765:142746 PMCID:PMC7536135

[24] Sánchez Moreno H,Soto-Varela ZE.Microbiological water quality and sources of contamination along the coast of the department of Atlántico (Caribbean Sea of Colombia). Preliminary results.Mar Pollut Bull2019;142:303-8

[25] Wan L.Control of urban river water pollution is studied based on SMS.Environ Technol Innovation2021;22:101468

[26] Peña-Guzmán C,Mora K.Emerging pollutants in the urban water cycle in Latin America: a review of the current literature.J Environ Manage2019;237:408-23

[27] Gonsioroski A,Flaws JA.Endocrine disruptors in water and their effects on the reproductive system.Int J Mol Sci2020;21:1929 PMCID:PMC7139484

[28] Fernandes JP,Salgado MA,Mucha AP.Pharmaceutical compounds in aquatic environments-occurrence, fate and bioremediation prospective.Toxics2021;9:257 PMCID:PMC8537644

[29] Dharmaraj S,Hariharan S.The COVID-19 pandemic face mask waste: a blooming threat to the marine environment.Chemosphere2021;272:129601 PMCID:PMC7836388

[30] Chaturvedi P,Giri BS.Prevalence and hazardous impact of pharmaceutical and personal care products and antibiotics in environment: a review on emerging contaminants.Environ Res2021;194:110664

[31] Wang X,Chen B.Differential efficacy of water lily cultivars in phytoremediation of eutrophic water contaminated with phosphorus and nitrogen.Plant Physiol Biochem2022;171:139-46

[32] Yu S,Song H,Chen W.Efficiency of nitrogen and phosphorus removal by six macrophytes from eutrophic water.Int J Phytoremediation2019;21:643-51

[33] Li T,Zhang Y,Wang Y.Contrasting eutrophication risks and countermeasures in different water bodies: assessments to support targeted watershed management.Int J Environ Res Public Health2017;14:695 PMCID:PMC5551133

[34] Lorenzo M.Wastewater-based epidemiology: current status and future prospects.Curr Opin Environ Sci Health2019;9:77-84

[35] Beyer S,Gnirss R,Selinka HC.Detection and characterization of Hepatitis E virus genotype 3 in wastewater and urban surface waters in germany.Food Environ Virol2020;12:137-47 PMCID:PMC7225198

[36] Guo Y,O’Brien J,Jiang G.Back-estimation of norovirus infections through wastewater-based epidemiology: a systematic review and parameter sensitivity.Water Res2022;219:118610

[37] Janahi EM,Parkar SFD,Eisa ZM.Detection of enteric viruses and bacterial indicators in a sewage treatment center and shallow water bay.Int J Environ Res Public Health2020;17:6483 PMCID:PMC7559856

[38] Sangkham S.A review on detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater in light of the current knowledge of treatment process for removal of viral fragments.J Environ Manage2021;299:113563 PMCID:PMC8373619

[39] Sosa-hernández JE,Melchor-martínez EM.Extensive wastewater-based epidemiology as a resourceful tool for SARS-CoV-2 surveillance in a low-to-middle-income country through a successful collaborative quest: WBE, mobility, and clinical tests.Water2022;14:1842

[40] Mahlknecht J,Ramos E,Álvarez MM.The presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in different freshwater environments in urban settings determined by RT-qPCR: implications for water safety.Sci Total Environ2021;784:147183 PMCID:PMC8053628

[41] Alvareda E,Paradiso M.Water quality evaluation of two urban streams in Northwest Uruguay: are national regulations for urban stream quality sufficient?.Environ Monit Assess2020;192:661

[42] Conecta. Arroyo Vivo, hacia una remediación ambiental en ríos y Arroyos de NL. Available from: https://conecta.tec.mx/es/noticias/monterrey/educacion/arroyo-vivo-hacia-una-remediacion-ambiental-en-rios-y-arroyos-de-nl. [Last accessed on 28 Jul 2023]

[43] Secretaría de Comercio y Fomento Industrial. (2019). Aguas residuales.- Muestreo (PROY-NMX-AA-003-SCFI-2019). Diario Oficial de la Federación. Available from: https://www.dof.gob.mx/nota_detalle.php?codigo=5576620&fecha=25/10/2019#gsc.tab=0. [Last accessed on 28 Jul 2023]

[44] Sapula SA,Pandopulos AJ,Venter H.An optimized and robust PEG precipitation method for detection of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater.Sci Total Environ2021;785:147270 PMCID:PMC8086323

[45] American Public Health Association. Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater (24th edition). Available from: https://secure.apha.org/imis/ItemDetail?iProductCode=978-087553-2998&CATEGORY=BK. [Last accessed on 28 Jul 2023]

[46] Secretaría de Salud. Salud ambiental, Agua para uso y consumo humano Límites permisibles de calidad y tratamientos a que debe someterse el agua para su potabilización. (NOM-127-SSA1-1994). Diario Oficial de la Federación. Available from: http://www.salud.gob.mx/unidades/cdi/nom/127ssa14.html#:~:text=Esta%20Norma%20Oficial%20Mexicana%20establece,en%20todo%20el%20territorio%20nacional. [Last accessed on 28 Jul 2023]

[47] Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales. (2022). Que establece los límites permisibles de contaminantes en las descargas de aguas residuales en cuerpos receptores propiedad de la nación (NOM-001-SEMARNAT-2021). Diario Oficial de la Federación. Available from: https://www.dof.gob.mx/nota_detalle.php?codigo=5645374&fecha=11/03/2022#gsc.tab=0. [Last accessed on 28 Jul 2023]

[48] Mora A,Sánchez-Luna MS,Cervantes-Avilés P.A review of the current environmental status and human health implications of one of the most polluted rivers of Mexico: the Atoyac River, Puebla.Sci Total Environ2021;782:146788

[49] Patrick WH.Nitrification-denitrification reactions in flooded soils and water bottoms: dependence on oxygen supply and ammonium diffusion.J environ qual1976;5:469-72

[50] Ulloa MJ,Horak-romo KP.Harmful algal blooms and eutrophication along the mexican coast of the Gulf of Mexico large marine ecosystem.Environ Dev2017;22:120-8

[51] Crisóstomo-Vázquez L,Lozano-Ramírez C. Fitoplancton de la Laguna del Carpintero, Tampico, Tamaulipas, México. Interciencia 2016;41:103-9. Available from: https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=5352219. [Last accessed on 28 Jul 2023]

[52] Davidson K,Harrison PJ,Hoagland P.Anthropogenic nutrients and harmful algae in coastal waters.J Environ Manage2014;146:206-16

[53] Ahmed W,Cassidy M,Besley C.Sewage-associated marker genes illustrate the impact of wet weather overflows and dry weather leakage in urban estuarine waters of Sydney, Australia.Sci Total Environ2020;705:135390

[54] Reynolds JH.A review of the effects of sewer leakage on groundwater quality.Water Environ J2003;17:34-9

[55] Tran HN,Nguyen DT.SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in water and wastewater: a critical review about presence and concern.Environ Res2021;193:110265 PMCID:PMC7528884

[56] Rimoldi SG,Gigantiello A.Presence and infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 virus in wastewaters and rivers.Sci Total Environ2020;744:140911 PMCID:PMC7358170

[57] Giacobbo A,Ferreira JZ,de Pinho MN.A critical review on SARS-CoV-2 infectivity in water and wastewater. What do we know?.Sci Total Environ2021;774:145721 PMCID:PMC7870439

[58] Azzi L,Gianfagna F.Saliva is a reliable tool to detect SARS-CoV-2.J Infect2020;81:e45-50 PMCID:PMC7194805

[59] Mohammadi A,Li Y,Li JZ.SARS-CoV-2 detection in different respiratory sites: a systematic review and meta-analysis.EBioMedicine2020;59:102903 PMCID:PMC7380223

[60] Huang N,Kato T.SARS-CoV-2 infection of the oral cavity and saliva.Nat Med2021;27:892-903

[61] Guerrero-Latorre L,Villacrés-Granda I,Freire-Paspuel B.SARS-CoV-2 in river water: implications in low sanitation countries.Sci Total Environ2020;743:140832 PMCID:PMC7343659

[62] Garza-díaz LE.Identifying thresholds, regime shifts, and early warning signals using long-term streamflow data in the transboundary rio grande-rio bravo basin.Water2022;14:2555