A Study on the Fecal Contamination of Cagayan de Oro River along the Downstream (Bonbon) Sampling Sites and the Factors Affecting Contamination August 2008 – March 2009

The main objective of the study was to determine the extent of fecal contamination in Cagayan de Oro River along the sampling site of Barangay Bonbon. The study was conducted from August 2008 to March 2009. The Multiple Tube Fermentation Technique (MTFT) was used to identify the presence of the three parameters namely, Total Coliform, and Fecal Coliform, in the 3 sampling periods done every first week of the month as well as confirm the presence of the indicator organism Escherichia coli in the water samples. A survey was also conducted to determine the possible factors that contribute to fecal contamination of the river. The total fecal coliform values computed showed fluctuating average MPN score from all the samples which exceeded the standard acceptable value set by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) water quality guidelines at 1000 fecal coliform organisms/100 ml. The results showed consistent high values of Total coliform counts of 16,000 MPN/100mL for the fecal coliform count the first sampling showed the highest MPN value of >16,000MPN/100mL while the third sampling showed the lowest value of 3,500MPN/ 100ml. The E. coli value revealed that the first sampling has the highest MPN value of >16,000MPN/100ml while the second sampling showed the lowest MPN value of 1,700MPN/100ml. The presence of E. coli was also confirmed indicating that all sampling sites were fecally contaminated. The factors that may have contributed to the river’s fecal contamination were: (1) underutilization of sanitary toilet facilities for those who have access to sanitary toilets, (2) absence of sanitary toilet facilities, and (3) livestock owners who channel their livestock manure to drain into the river.

 

Keywords - Fecal contamination, E. coli, Cagayan de Oro River, Barangay Bonbon