REUSE POTENTIAL OF TREATED EFFLUENTS FOR PERIURBAN IRRIGATION IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF GUARABIRA/PB

Abstract

Water is at the center of sustainable development and a finite resource that is in short supply, which justifies the search for management and innovation of practices that preserve it. The objective of this research is to evaluate the potential for reuse of treated effluent for periurban irrigation. Data were collected from a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP), located in the municipality of Guarabira, PB, and operated by the Water and Sewage Company of the State of Paraíba (CAGEPA), during the period from January to December 2019, with the analysis of the following physicochemical and bacteriological parameters: Hipogenic Potential (pH), Electrical Conductivity (CE), Biochemical Oxygen Demand (DBO), Chemical Oxygen Demand (DQO), Total Solids (ST), Dissolved Oxygen (OD), Total Phosphorus, and Thermotolerant Coliforms. The data were submitted to descriptive analysis and expressed as minimum, maximum and average values. The indicators were satisfactory for restricted irrigation, but with the need for complementary treatment for certain crops. The potential for reuse of the effluents treated in the ETE can benefit an area of 118.7 ha considering an irrigation demand of 18,000 m³ ha^-1 year^-1, which demonstrates to be a sustainable resource that needs to be regulated in Brazil.