Geospatial ComSAS model to evaluate the presence of faecal Enterococcus as an environmental risk factor from non-point sources in creeks of the Rio Grande de Loiza, in Trujillo Alto Municipality, Puerto Rico

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21138/GF.846

Abstract

Water resource management and sanitation are global priorities, as established in the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as for the United States and its territories, including Puerto Rico, located in the Caribbean. A study was conducted using the Communities Without Sanitary Sewer Model, which was developed in a Geographic Information System, to identify creeks of higher risk areas in watershed in Puerto Rico Island. Surface water samples were taken to analyse the presence of faecal Enterococcus. Out of the results obtained, 8 out of 10 were positive and exceeded the regulatory values, that confirm the contamination of surface waters with pathogens associated with lack of sanitary infrastructure to collect wastewater, the presence of septic tanks, either through filtration, overflow, or direct discharge of wastewater from non-point sources from communities surrounding rivers. Continuous contamination downstream was found in areas where sanitary services are already provided, confirming that contaminants are transported through water flow. This study concludes that the quality of surface waters in these areas is poor and poses a risk to public health, as well as the aquatic life of river ecosystems.

Author Biography

Keyla Soto Hidalgo, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, 12 Ave. Universidad STE. 1201, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto de Rio Piedras, San Juan, 00925-2532

Professor of Biology and Researcher at the Río Piedras Campus of the University of Puerto Rico. Research area is Nano Zero Valent Iron for Water and Soil remediation process and phytoremediation in wetlands. Co –Lead and Senior Researcher of Nanomaterials for Water and Soil Remediation CREST Center for Innovation Research and Education in Environmental Nanotechnology, National Science Foundation. CIRE2N is based on my graduate work as a PhD student at UPRRP. The focus of research work at the University of Puerto Rico has been center around the development of nanoscale zero valent iron particles (nZVI) to remediate human carcinogens (As, Cd, Pb) heavy metals that contaminate wastewater in Puerto Rico. Recently, after obtaining certification in Contact Tracer for COVID-19, I have been offering training titled: Understanding the Biochemistry of COVID-19 and the effectiveness of sanitation measures against contagion to various sectors, including nurses, special communities, environmental engineers, plant operators. treatment, professionals from private companies that offer customer service. I have the expertise, leadership, training to successfully carry out the proposed research project. The development of this proposal is a great achievement since it is the first time that the presence of COVID-19 in wastewater and septic tanks will be evaluated as a serious environmental and public health problem in Puerto Rico.

Downloads

Published

2025-07-31

How to Cite

Fernández Valencia, M. de L., & Soto Hidalgo, K. (2025). Geospatial ComSAS model to evaluate the presence of faecal Enterococcus as an environmental risk factor from non-point sources in creeks of the Rio Grande de Loiza, in Trujillo Alto Municipality, Puerto Rico. GeoFocus. International Review of Geographical Information Science and Technology, (35), 47–65. https://doi.org/10.21138/GF.846

Issue

No. 35 (2025)

Section

Artículos

License

©The authors of the articles and other contributions published in GeoFocus keep intact the intellectual property rights over them. The authors and the publisher authorize the total or partial reproduction of the contents of the journal in the following terms:
1) Express mention of the author and the reference of the original publication.
2) Do not perform a commercial or lucrative use of them. Otherwise, you should contact the authors to make the appropriate arrangements.
3) Authors preserve their property rights and give to the journal the rights of the first publication of the work, registered with the Licencia Creative Commons Atribución-NoComercial-SinDerivar 4.0 Internacional, which allows third parties to use the published data whenever the authorship of the work and first publication in this journal is mentioned.
4) It is allowed that authors disseminate electronically (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their own website) the published version of their work, as it encourages the earliest circulation and dissemination, and thus a possible increase in the citation and scope in the academic community.